Christians often say, “All things work together for good,†referencing Romans 8:28. Unfortunately, they usually say this in a way that verse didn’t mean:
“I just totaled my car. But once I get the insurance money, I’ll end up with a nicer one! All things work together for good!â€
“I lost my job, which was a bummer, but now I’ve got a new job that I just love. All things work together for good!â€
Romans 8:28 says, “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.†Verse 29 tells us what “the good†is that God is working out: that God’s people would be “conformed to the image of his Son.†The good of Romans 8:28 is our conformity into the image of Jesus Christ.
The promise is that, no matter what happens in your life, God is at work. He died and rose again to beat sin and death. He’s making all those who put their trust in Him more like Himself, and, ultimately, when He returns, all His people and all of creation will finally be free of sin and its effects (Romans 8:18-35). Knowing Christ and being a part of His eternal kingdom is the ultimate good.
As Christians, we find hope in the expectation that God will use everything that happens to us—good stuff, bad stuff, mundane stuff, all of it—to make us more like Jesus and that He will one day make us and creation free from the very presence of sin and death so that we might dwell with Him forever (Revelation 21:1-5). Because of the cross and the resurrection, nothing will stop God from doing this (Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). This indeed makes us “more than conquerors†(Romans 8:37). • Jeff Weddle
• Why is knowing Jesus and dwelling with Him and His people forever the ultimate good?
• How do you think God can use the good, bad, and mundane events going on in your life right now to grow you in Christ?
We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (CSB)
Read Verses:
Colossians 4:2-4
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