Romans 8:28 is a favorite verse for many Christians. In the NASB Romans 8:28 is…
God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love God, who are the called according to His purpose.
In years past I’ve focused on… 1) God causes, 2) All things, 3) To work together for the good. All three phrases are important. They are valid. They are significant. But not as significant as those for whom those things are true… and that is what I’ve not spent much time on… until recently. Consider…
Those for whom “God causes all things to work together for the good” are described by two adjectives. First, they “love God.” Second, the are “the called.” Not ONE adjective… but TWO. Not just those who love God. Not just those who are called. The truth of Romans 8:28 are for those who both “Love God” AND are “Called.”
If the promise was just for those who “love God,” then many could claim it was true for them. There are those who love God to a degree but are not saved. Those would be people Jesus described in Mt 7:21-23 as preaching, cast out demons, and do many wonderful works in Jesus’ name. They all loved God on some level… to some degree… but they weren’t called to enable the kind of love God deserves.
If the promise was just for those who were “called,” then some could claim the truth applied to them. The problem is that, as Jesus said, “Many are called… few are chosen” (Mt 22:14). The difference is a general call that applied to everyone to repent and believe AND the special call of God to be saved which enables faith, repentance, and belief (Which all are gifts from God).
When a person receives the special call of God to be saved, every single time they repent and place their faith in Jesus so as to be saved. Never ever is the special call of God ultimately rejected… ever. When God issues His special call, it is an enabling call to repent and believe. And never once is the special call of God rejected.
Now back to Romans 8:28. The promise is for those who both LOVE GOD and are THE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE. The special call (“According to His purpose”) enables the person to love God with all their heart, soul, and mind. Those people alone are the ones the promise of Romans 8:28 applies.
Are you called? If you are… you will love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Do you love God with all your heart, soul, and mind? If you do… you are called. If you love God AND are the called… God promises He will work all things together for your ultimate good and His glory!
What a clear and meaningful explanation of this so familiar passage. This is much needed as so many Christians struggle with the circumstances of their lives and an improper understanding of just what “all things work together for the good” means. Thank you Brother Ron!! You are a blessing!!
I realize as I read this that I am guilty of not getting the total meaning of this verse. I do often repeat the first part without even considering the latter part and this is the key. Thank you again for this insightful blog. Keep up the good work.