Top 12 Scripture Texts: Number 4C
Romans 8:28
Bob Rakestraw
Who are “those who love God”? This is the most troubling aspect of Romans 8:28 for me, intellectually. I have struggled for years with what these words mean in relation to the person who is going through hard times, yet believes in God in some sense. The whole verse—one of my favorite Bible verses for decades—is full of assurance as well as mystery:
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (New American Standard Bible).
While the most troubling part of this verse for me experientially has been the word “good” (considered in the previous posting), the most difficult aspect cognitively has been wondering about who “loves God” in the sense intended by the verse. Can every Christian claim that God is working everything together for good in his or her life, even if they are not loving God in their daily lives? Can we apply this promise to ourselves or others no matter how we are living?
The scripture verse that comes to my mind most often in this regard is John 14:15: “If you love me you will keep my commandments.” I also think of some passages in the letters of John that connect our love for God with keeping God’s commandments. “This is love, that we walk according to his commandments” (2 John 6). “For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome…”
(I John 5:3).
What is Romans 8:28 saying, then? Does the promise apply only to those who are living according to God’s commandments, and, if so, how high is the standard? What if I get in a car accident while I am speeding angrily from a nasty argument I just had? If the accident was my fault, does our text of the month apply to me? Does it make a difference if I have been experiencing a close walk with God in recent weeks, or if I have been mostly ignoring God lately?
It seems to me that such questions are legitimate, even necessary, to ask as long as we focus primarily on ourselves rather than others. I should be most concerned about my own relationship with God above all. Then if I find myself in the midst of trouble—whether it be financial, job-related, family, health or otherwise—I can have the assurance that God is working all things together for my good. Because God’s Word connects love for God closely with obedience to his commandments, I don’t believe that I can claim Romans 8:28 for myself with confidence unless I am following God’s ways. God does not expect me to be flawless, but he does call me to live a godly life. And whatever he asks of us, he always gives us the grace to do. Above we quoted I John 5:3—a truly comforting verse: “For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome….” God’s commands are always grace-filled, and for our benefit and joy.
How then, in the light of these matters, should we think about our friends and loved ones who are not living in harmony with God and his commandments? While it does not seem correct to apply Romans 8:28 to them (and if they are honest they will admit that), we may take comfort in the fact that God works lovingly and patiently with those for whom we pray and care about. In other words, God is at work in various ways in the lives of both faithful Christians and rebellious Christians, and even with non-Christians, for whom we are concerned. These levels of God’s activity are mysterious, however, and beyond our understanding.
Romans 8:28 is intended to be a strongly encouraging word for those living in fellowship with God—those who “love God.” Those “who are called according to his purpose,” mentioned at the end of verse 28, is speaking of the same group. Regardless of what matters of fortune or misfortune happen to us, we can rest solidly in the blessed assurance that God is at work for our benefit both in this life and the next. If we can trust God for our eternal salvation on the basis of his Word (John 3, Romans 5, Ephesians 2), even so we can trust him from Romans 8 that he is in perfect control of every aspect of our lives. Even when we fail him, we come to him seeking forgiveness and mercy. True to his promises, he cleanses us and continues his great providential ministry of working all things together for good to those who love him.
This is the last of three postings on Romans 8:28. The other two were posted April 18 and 23, 2008.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Misfortune, Mystery, and the Almighty
Top 12 Scripture Texts: Number 4B
Romans 8:28
Bob Rakestraw
On “The Benediction Project” earlier this month we started to consider Romans 8:28—one of the best known verses in the Bible. This is the scripture passage where we find the well-known words: “all things work together for good for those who love God.”
But what do the words “work together for good” mean? First of all we find that “all things” are not doing the work. The subject of the sentence, while not stated directly in the text, is clearly God. The literal translation of the scripture is, “And we know that to the ones loving God, He [God] works together all things for good.” The idea is, “he works together,” not “all things work together.” There is deliberate, purposeful activity on God’s part. Much of the time—perhaps most of the time—we are not able to see this “working together.” Outward circumstances may not appear to be any different for the follower of Jesus than for the non-Christian. But, as I and many of God’s people have learned over the years, with eyes of faith and hearts of love for God we know God is at work.
The word “good” raises problems, however. Are we using “good” to mean something of inherent worth, value, or moral rightness, or are we thinking of it as something that contributes to one’s health, welfare, or happiness? Those who use the word in the latter sense may have big struggles with Romans 8:28, because so many of life’s circumstances do not bring us happiness or benefit at the moment. Rather, all things may seem to be working together for our misery!
In Greek, the original language of the New Testament, the word “good” (agathos) has a strong moral quality to it. The word is used of God (Luke 18:19), God’s will (Romans 12:2), and a conscience pleasing to God (I Timothy 1:5). In today’s society, when someone asks us how we are doing, or if we would like more to eat, we sometimes say, “I’m good.” This is a popular way of saying, “I’m feeling fine,” or “I’m satisfied.” But the word “good” in Romans 8:28 is a much deeper, much more meaningful word. It means morally honorable, pleasing to God, and for our lasting benefit. God is working our circumstances—some pleasant, some neutral, and some terrible—for our everlasting good. He is almighty God, not only as Creator and Redeemer, but also as Sustainer and Friend.
What if you are attacked and robbed? Is this good? Romans 8:28 does not say that bad actions in themselves are good. An evil action, such as cursing someone, defrauding them of their money, or sexually assaulting them, is always wrong, never good. God never orders such things. But in this chaotic world of good and evil, where God allows people to make free choices, awful things happen. Because God generally does not block the freedom of his created beings, and because he regularly allows the natural world to operate according to natural laws, we experience the effects of drunken drivers’ mistakes, the sufferings of an unjustified divorce, and the tragedy of cancer. These are not good in themselves, but God with his own loving hands, declares that he is shaping these events into a mosaic of eternal good. In some situations we can see it or sense it happening right away, while in other circumstances we cannot. This is a realm of great mystery, to be sure.
I am struggling these days, trying to keep my mind and soul stable and satisfied. Since my heart transplant of 2003 I have had more difficulty than at any time in my life staying well-grounded and whole. Due to rejection problems with my new heart, I had to retire from teaching theology and ethics in 2005. It has now been over three years since that time, and I have been learning continually how to maintain a sense of spiritual, psychological, and bodily equilibrium. How do I think about myself and my usefulness on this earth? How do I spend my days, when I have fewer and fewer segments of time each day in which I have some strength to work? What do I do when lying down, sitting, standing and walking are all increasingly hard to do? Just “being” is difficult.
Although I become weary of life this way, without the activity and ministry I once had, I find that God assures me daily of his presence and purpose in my life. Daily meditation on one or more of the scripture texts in this series of blogs (as well as other scriptures), interaction with key people in my life, communion with God throughout the day (especially with praise and thanksgiving and some potent reading materials), and trying to accomplish some good for others each day, are some of the ways I keep going.
While life is tough for all of us at times, Romans 8:28 is intended for all who love God and are called according to his purpose. This latter part of our verse is the topic for our next posting.
May God comfort, strengthen and guide you with his steady hand and loving Spirit. Thank you for reading; I welcome your comments in reply.
Romans 8:28
Bob Rakestraw
On “The Benediction Project” earlier this month we started to consider Romans 8:28—one of the best known verses in the Bible. This is the scripture passage where we find the well-known words: “all things work together for good for those who love God.”
But what do the words “work together for good” mean? First of all we find that “all things” are not doing the work. The subject of the sentence, while not stated directly in the text, is clearly God. The literal translation of the scripture is, “And we know that to the ones loving God, He [God] works together all things for good.” The idea is, “he works together,” not “all things work together.” There is deliberate, purposeful activity on God’s part. Much of the time—perhaps most of the time—we are not able to see this “working together.” Outward circumstances may not appear to be any different for the follower of Jesus than for the non-Christian. But, as I and many of God’s people have learned over the years, with eyes of faith and hearts of love for God we know God is at work.
The word “good” raises problems, however. Are we using “good” to mean something of inherent worth, value, or moral rightness, or are we thinking of it as something that contributes to one’s health, welfare, or happiness? Those who use the word in the latter sense may have big struggles with Romans 8:28, because so many of life’s circumstances do not bring us happiness or benefit at the moment. Rather, all things may seem to be working together for our misery!
In Greek, the original language of the New Testament, the word “good” (agathos) has a strong moral quality to it. The word is used of God (Luke 18:19), God’s will (Romans 12:2), and a conscience pleasing to God (I Timothy 1:5). In today’s society, when someone asks us how we are doing, or if we would like more to eat, we sometimes say, “I’m good.” This is a popular way of saying, “I’m feeling fine,” or “I’m satisfied.” But the word “good” in Romans 8:28 is a much deeper, much more meaningful word. It means morally honorable, pleasing to God, and for our lasting benefit. God is working our circumstances—some pleasant, some neutral, and some terrible—for our everlasting good. He is almighty God, not only as Creator and Redeemer, but also as Sustainer and Friend.
What if you are attacked and robbed? Is this good? Romans 8:28 does not say that bad actions in themselves are good. An evil action, such as cursing someone, defrauding them of their money, or sexually assaulting them, is always wrong, never good. God never orders such things. But in this chaotic world of good and evil, where God allows people to make free choices, awful things happen. Because God generally does not block the freedom of his created beings, and because he regularly allows the natural world to operate according to natural laws, we experience the effects of drunken drivers’ mistakes, the sufferings of an unjustified divorce, and the tragedy of cancer. These are not good in themselves, but God with his own loving hands, declares that he is shaping these events into a mosaic of eternal good. In some situations we can see it or sense it happening right away, while in other circumstances we cannot. This is a realm of great mystery, to be sure.
I am struggling these days, trying to keep my mind and soul stable and satisfied. Since my heart transplant of 2003 I have had more difficulty than at any time in my life staying well-grounded and whole. Due to rejection problems with my new heart, I had to retire from teaching theology and ethics in 2005. It has now been over three years since that time, and I have been learning continually how to maintain a sense of spiritual, psychological, and bodily equilibrium. How do I think about myself and my usefulness on this earth? How do I spend my days, when I have fewer and fewer segments of time each day in which I have some strength to work? What do I do when lying down, sitting, standing and walking are all increasingly hard to do? Just “being” is difficult.
Although I become weary of life this way, without the activity and ministry I once had, I find that God assures me daily of his presence and purpose in my life. Daily meditation on one or more of the scripture texts in this series of blogs (as well as other scriptures), interaction with key people in my life, communion with God throughout the day (especially with praise and thanksgiving and some potent reading materials), and trying to accomplish some good for others each day, are some of the ways I keep going.
While life is tough for all of us at times, Romans 8:28 is intended for all who love God and are called according to his purpose. This latter part of our verse is the topic for our next posting.
May God comfort, strengthen and guide you with his steady hand and loving Spirit. Thank you for reading; I welcome your comments in reply.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Misfortune, Wickedness, and Hope
Top 12 Scripture Texts: Number 4A
Romans 8:28
Bob Rakestraw
When I was a new Christian I heard often in church services and meetings that “all things work together for good for those who love God.” Because I was in good health, enjoying my college classes, and reveling in my new faith—especially the knowledge of forgiveness from sin and acceptance by God—I received the teaching of Romans 8:28 gladly and easily. Surely the verse made solid spiritual sense coming from my understanding of an all-powerful, all-loving God.
Over the years my belief in the truth of this verse has been thoroughly tested. Job and career issues, the pursuit of education, financial matters, parenting, health problems, temperament/personality concerns, and spiritual struggles have been part of the “all things” covered by Romans 8:28. This has been one of my all-time favorite Bible verses, but I have surely questioned its meaning in my life when circumstances have been hard.
What, exactly, is the text teaching? How does the immediate context—the verses before and after our scripture—help us to interpret the passage? What about cancer, tornadoes, and sexual assaults? Do these—even the last mentioned—actually “work together for good” in our lives? What about the remainder of the verse: “for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose”?
In this posting, and in the next two as well, I intend to consider this very well-known scripture passage. I trust, by God’s grace and wisdom, to be able to unpack—at least a little—the amazing truth within this verse. It is my firm belief that God gave us his written Word for the purpose of helping us with daily living. Even though some biblical passages—such as this one—are full of mystery, God gave us the scriptures to enlighten us, not to confuse us. This we know (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
And this is where we will start—with what we know. The first four words of Romans 8:28 in English are “And we know that.” By saying “and” the apostle Paul wants to connect verse 28 with the previous two verses, where he teaches the glorious truth that the Spirit of God prays for us “with sighs too deep for words” and “according to the will of God.” Whatever else we discover about our text of the month, we know that God’s working everything for our good is in conjunction with the Spirit’s powerful prayers for us. In fact, the Spirit’s prayers are part of the “working together for good.”
Perhaps the most startling (and even, to some, objectionable) words in the text are “all things.” It is one thing to say that God can make a car theft or a broken leg work together for our good, but it is a wholly different matter to say this of a lifetime prison sentence for an innocent person, a childhood of terrible abuse, or being defrauded of one’s life savings in one’s retirement years.
Sometimes a person is able to see the good effects of a misfortune. For example, you may come out of the car theft with an even better car, or your broken leg might put you in the hospital where your nurse or therapist turns out to be the person you will marry. Other experiences, however, appear to be so awful and evil that no good can come out of them, and it seems artificial (at best) to try to explain them as something good.
In the midst of misfortune and wickedness, is there reason for hope? The “all things” cannot be brushed aside. In addition to Romans 8:28 we read, “give thanks in all circumstances (I Thessalonians 5:18), and “always giving thanks to God the Father for everything” (Ephesians 5:20). If we believe the good parts of the Bible, such as John 3:16 and Psalm 23, we must believe these more difficult scriptures as well. May God help us to understand them and give us hope.
This article is one of a series presenting my all-time favorite Bible passages. My criterion for selecting these texts—one for each month of 2008—is the practical benefit/nourishment/help I have received from God through these scriptures over the four and one-half decades of my Christian life. I am who I am today because of some key people and because of the truths in these twelve scripture texts. There are many other Bible verses that could fit well in this series. The Word of God is a well-stocked gold mine of truth.
If you wish, start your own list, and share some of your stories on this blog—to help us all live well, help us all to serve others, and help us all to prepare well for the remainder of this life and for the next.
Note: I may use more than one posting to consider some Bible texts, but I will try to keep the related postings within the same month.
Romans 8:28
Bob Rakestraw
When I was a new Christian I heard often in church services and meetings that “all things work together for good for those who love God.” Because I was in good health, enjoying my college classes, and reveling in my new faith—especially the knowledge of forgiveness from sin and acceptance by God—I received the teaching of Romans 8:28 gladly and easily. Surely the verse made solid spiritual sense coming from my understanding of an all-powerful, all-loving God.
Over the years my belief in the truth of this verse has been thoroughly tested. Job and career issues, the pursuit of education, financial matters, parenting, health problems, temperament/personality concerns, and spiritual struggles have been part of the “all things” covered by Romans 8:28. This has been one of my all-time favorite Bible verses, but I have surely questioned its meaning in my life when circumstances have been hard.
What, exactly, is the text teaching? How does the immediate context—the verses before and after our scripture—help us to interpret the passage? What about cancer, tornadoes, and sexual assaults? Do these—even the last mentioned—actually “work together for good” in our lives? What about the remainder of the verse: “for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose”?
In this posting, and in the next two as well, I intend to consider this very well-known scripture passage. I trust, by God’s grace and wisdom, to be able to unpack—at least a little—the amazing truth within this verse. It is my firm belief that God gave us his written Word for the purpose of helping us with daily living. Even though some biblical passages—such as this one—are full of mystery, God gave us the scriptures to enlighten us, not to confuse us. This we know (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
And this is where we will start—with what we know. The first four words of Romans 8:28 in English are “And we know that.” By saying “and” the apostle Paul wants to connect verse 28 with the previous two verses, where he teaches the glorious truth that the Spirit of God prays for us “with sighs too deep for words” and “according to the will of God.” Whatever else we discover about our text of the month, we know that God’s working everything for our good is in conjunction with the Spirit’s powerful prayers for us. In fact, the Spirit’s prayers are part of the “working together for good.”
Perhaps the most startling (and even, to some, objectionable) words in the text are “all things.” It is one thing to say that God can make a car theft or a broken leg work together for our good, but it is a wholly different matter to say this of a lifetime prison sentence for an innocent person, a childhood of terrible abuse, or being defrauded of one’s life savings in one’s retirement years.
Sometimes a person is able to see the good effects of a misfortune. For example, you may come out of the car theft with an even better car, or your broken leg might put you in the hospital where your nurse or therapist turns out to be the person you will marry. Other experiences, however, appear to be so awful and evil that no good can come out of them, and it seems artificial (at best) to try to explain them as something good.
In the midst of misfortune and wickedness, is there reason for hope? The “all things” cannot be brushed aside. In addition to Romans 8:28 we read, “give thanks in all circumstances (I Thessalonians 5:18), and “always giving thanks to God the Father for everything” (Ephesians 5:20). If we believe the good parts of the Bible, such as John 3:16 and Psalm 23, we must believe these more difficult scriptures as well. May God help us to understand them and give us hope.
This article is one of a series presenting my all-time favorite Bible passages. My criterion for selecting these texts—one for each month of 2008—is the practical benefit/nourishment/help I have received from God through these scriptures over the four and one-half decades of my Christian life. I am who I am today because of some key people and because of the truths in these twelve scripture texts. There are many other Bible verses that could fit well in this series. The Word of God is a well-stocked gold mine of truth.
If you wish, start your own list, and share some of your stories on this blog—to help us all live well, help us all to serve others, and help us all to prepare well for the remainder of this life and for the next.
Note: I may use more than one posting to consider some Bible texts, but I will try to keep the related postings within the same month.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
