We are coming down the final stretch of Romans 8. I like to think of these final twelve verses like the final ascent up Mount Everest. There are some soaring promises. Promises that give us perspective on life, perspective in the midst of difficulties, and perspective of God’s overarching purposes in all things. Promises that enable you to see things more clearly than before. Several years ago, I climbed to the top of Mount Elbert in Colorado with Reid and Luke. Elbert is the tallest of the 14,000 foot peaks in Colorado (at 14,440 feet), so if you make it to the top, there is no piece of earth above you in every direction. It was amazing. We could see for miles on end. 

The promises we are going to look at here in the last 12 verses of Romans 8 are like that. They will give you a faith-emboldening perspective and a sense of awe and a courage to face all of life, with a bold, unapologetic faith. We are going to look at a good one today. It is glorious. But I also want to whet your appetite for the weeks to come. So here is a sneak preview of what comes later in Romans 8. Listen:

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:32)

In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. (Romans 8:37)

Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:39)

You have probably heard some of that before (8:32 if you have been here). But today, we will look at one of the most familiar promises in the bible. Even if someone was not sure where there verse was located, they have probably heard it before: 

And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to this purpose.

Brothers and sisters, there may be no promise in all the bible that is more exhaustive than this one. There is no end in sight to the sweet comfort this can give us in every affliction, the encouragement it can give us in the face of all our fears, the strength to prepare us for the future. Thomas Watson calls the promise of this verse, “God’s divine cordial”. A cordial being like a medicine that God administers to us. It speaks of the exhaustive sovereignty of God in all things. God is sovereign. Not just because he assumes the title of King, but because He actually is King who reigns and rules. And he has a plan and purpose that he is working out. And he is doing so certainly for his glory… but our text puts the accent on the fact that he is working everything together for your good if you are in Christ. 

This is not a doctrine that is readily accepted by everyone. The biblical evidence of its truthfulness is overwhelming. It really is… it’s hard to get around. But at a personal level we struggle with it. And I get that. We can struggle with the thought of God allowing evil, suffering, sin, to accomplish His good purposes, but he does. Look at the crucifixion. Or we can think, “well if God is sovereign in that way, then… how I live, prayer, evangelism, etc… must not matter”. That would be a wrong conclusion. We are not forced to choose between this or that truth and where our minds cannot make the connection, we put our hand over our mouths like Job and simply worship the Lord who is the all-wise God. 

I love what Spurgeon said when pressed about how to reconcile divine sovereignty and human responsibility. His response was, “I wouldn’t try. I never reconcile friends.” So God’s sovereignty and your responsibility are not enemies. They are not cold, indifferent neighbors. They are friends and they work together. But Romans 8:28 highlights and exalts in God’s sovereignty in all things for our good. And it is meant to be a deep comfort… it is meant to be God’s divine cordial in the course of our lives as we face “all things”... trusting that all the events of our lives are part of the God’s masterpiece tapestry, which will redound to the glory of God and will be for our highest good.

We see four things: The Promise. The Promiser. The Recipient. Bold faith.

The Promise

All things work together for good. 

This promise covers so much real estate. For it does not limit the promise to some things or most things or good things or bad things. All things. This is utterly comprehensive. There is nothing here in the context, nor in the entire bible that would put a single qualification on these words “all things”. Think about what this means. The necessary corollary is that nothing can ultimately work against us. Whether suffering, persecution, deprivation, or loss. All things outside of us that act against us work for our good. Paul lists some of those just a paragraph down in verse 35:

Tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, sword…

That’s a pretty daunting list. But can we be confident that all of those things, should we face them, work together for our good? Yes! A thousand times yes! But I think more needs to be said. Of course, there are things that happen to us, where we feel like the victims of circumstances or of other people. We have been ravaged by others, even unseen, demonic forces. Those are some of the “all things”. But then there are also the things we ourselves have done. Our failure; even our lack of faith; even our big sins - God in his mercy, wisdom, and goodness works these things together for our good. God is able to draw a straight line with a crooked stick. And we are incredibly grateful for that! So, all things. 

I love the two words “work together”. Some translations omit the word together, and I think that is a mistake. The words “work together” come from the Greek word “synergeo” from which we get the English word synergy. Synergy means two or more things that work together to produce a better result than the individual parts would on their own. One draft horse can pull about 8,000 pounds of weight. One might think that two pulling together could pull 16,000. But if they are trained together, they can actually pull 32,000 pounds. It is synergy. And so it is not that one thing is working for our good and then another at a later time and then another at some point in the future - and they are all giving you a good benefit individually. No, it is all things working synergistically producing a greater good than all of the things individually working could produce. 

And it is for good. This does not mean that all things are good in themselves, but God is at work in and through all things for your good. This is the truth: If you are in Christ, there is divine power being exerted on your behalf in all things for your highest and greatest good. I think some believe that God, when it is all said and done, takes all the things that have ever happened to us, puts them into a hat, jumbles them up and somehow makes good out of it. I remember hearing someone once say, “God can win with any hand he has been dealt.” And again, that seems to imply that God figures out after the fact how to win with the cards he’s been dealt. The question I have is “who’s dealing the cards…” There is active work going on here in all things. Which means that in the midst of one of the “all things” we can say “God is not far away… he is with me… working for my good, right now, in this.” This is the hand of sovereignty, in real time. And it is for our good, now and into eternity. That’s the promise: all things work together for good.

The Promiser

The promise is connected to the One who makes it and can keep it. The only promises we can stand secure on are the ones that God has made. How do we know that all things work together for our good? Because God has said so. And because God is the One who underwrites or guarantees this promise with his sovereignty, wisdom, and goodness. And those are the three attributes of God that I think are brought together in this promise: God is sovereign, with no rival. God is wise. God is good. 

This promise would be merely wishful thinking or a worldly “hope” if God was not sovereign. If God is not ultimately in charge and does not have the power to work in all things for our good, then there is no solid foundation for this promise. He may try. He may want to do certain things, but he can’t. And if God does not have the wisdom to know what is best for me, then there is no solid foundation for this promise. And if God is not good in all that he does in all that he does, there is no solid foundation for this promise. But our God is all of these things. And this ought to give us great encouragement. Listen to what Charles Spurgeon said,

Upon some points a believer is absolutely sure. He knows, for instance, that God sits in the stern-sheets of the vessel when it rocks most. He believes that an invisible hand is always on the world's tiller, and that wherever providence may drift, Jehovah steers it. That re-assuring knowledge prepares him for everything.

The promise that all things work together for good is only good news because the God who made the promise has the power to keep it, is wise to know what’s good, and actually intends good for us! Sometimes it is hard to see God working good when you are in the clinch of pain or sorrow or loss. But O this is true! It is so true! And I am confident that story after story could be told of how after the fact, you saw the hand of God working good through the worst of times. 

Our great privilege is to know in the midst of the storm that God is working. Even if we can’t see or perceive it, He is working. Our sovereign, wise, and good God is working on our behalf for our good. There is a song sung by the Brooklyn Tabernacle choir called God is Working: 

God is working; He's still working. God is working even now. Though we often don't know just how. God is working, He's still working. God is working even now.

Brother and sisters, we can take fresh courage from this! That is what this truth gives us! The Lord is on your side! He is the One who promises and He is well able to keep the promise and wise to know the best course to work for your good. Next, who is the recipient of this promise? 

The Recipient

Well, we would say, “it’s for Christians.” That’s true. But it must be said that this word offers no promise to those who merely say they are Christians or pretend to be Christians. This is a promise for true Christians, and it is a promise for every single one of them. Look at the language Paul uses to describe who this promise is for. There are two ways of describing these people. One seems to be the outward character of a person and the other the inward work of God. The descriptors are: 1) those who love God and 2) those who are called according to this purpose. Listen to this connection:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good…

All things work together for who? For those who love God. I think it is striking that Paul does not say to those who believe. Of course belief is necessary and important. But this puts the emphasis on “those who love God”. And I think for good reason. It is the highest and greatest commandment:

4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)

Do you love God? A person is no Christian at all, no matter what they may say, who does not love God. In fact, the bible describes a non-Christian as someone who is at war with God, hostile to God (Romans 8:7). But the man who has been graciously saved, loves God. 

I think the main reason Paul puts the emphasis here on love for God is because Chrsitian love is something that can be seen. You cannot hide what you truly love or who you truly love. It is not just hidden in the heart. It is evident. A husband who truly loves his wife… makes that known. A person who truly loves the family of God, the body of Christ will manifest that. The one who loves God will show it in his life. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). When he restored Peter, after his resurrection, Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me”. When Peter affirmed his love for Jesus, the Lord responded by saying, “Feed my lambs”, “Tend my sheep”, “Feed my sheep”. In other words, Peter was to show his love for Christ outwardly by loving and serving Christ’s church. So the promise that God works all things together for good - which is glorious, amazing, and stupendous - is for those who “love God”. Do you? But then Paul adds this description of the Christian: 

… all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

That word “called” here refers, not to the outward call of the gospel. There is the general call of the gospel that goes out to everyone: Jesus is Lord! He has come to offer peace to you through his sacrifice. Repent and believe.” That’s a call. But I think this is something different. I think this is talking about something that happens in us. Theologians sometimes use the phrase “effectual call” referring to the work of the Spirit to draw someone to Jesus, overcoming their hardness of heart, removing resistance, and bringing them to faith in Christ. Many here remember a time when you had no interest in the Lord Jesus Christ. You did not see him as worthy of your worship or faith. You didn’t trust him as a powerful Savior. But now you love him and your trust is in Christ alone? Why is that? Because you were called according to His purpose. You were drawn by divine power to the Savior. 

And you are called not just to believe in Jesus but to fit into God’s grand purpose. You were called according to his purpose. That’s huge. There is a lot of talk about finding your purpose or calling. I am not saying that is all bad. But you first need to realize that by God’s grace in Christ, you have been brought into God’s grand purpose in human history and the world. We get a glimpse of it… what God’s goal is for you in verse 29: “to be conformed to the image of his Son in order that he might be the firstborn among many sons.”  

Who has God pledged the promise to work all things together for good to? For those who love God and their life shows it. For those who have been brought to trust in Jesus Christ alone and are becoming more like him. Is that you? Well, when you see the enormity of the promise to work everything together for good, and the One who made  it sovereign and wise and good, and you realize it is a promise for you… what is the outcome? A bold faith. I get that from the first three words.

Bold Faith 

And we know… 

Those are the words of a man of God, a woman of God who is full of triumphant faith. Paul does not say, “Well, we sure hope”, with a shrug of the shoulders. No, Paul says, “And we know!” Do you know it? I know it. But I will tell you, I want to know it more fully! I don’t want to sort of believe Romans 8:28. Or have an intellectual belief in it alone. Henry Martyn was a missionary in India and Persia in the early 1800s. Not easy places to be. He said the following: “I am immortal until God’s work for me is done. The Lord reigns.”

That’s a man who believes Romans 8:28. So let’s believe this! Ray Ortlund: 

God’s overruling hand is at work everywhere in a fallen world. The Providence of God is clearly taught from one end of the Bible to the other. And our confidence in the Providence of God is a faith so bold, so demanding, so unapologetic, that we cannot believe it without being transformed. Either all things work together for our good, or nothing makes sense. So let’s be bold about it. Let’s either be transformed Christians or bitter skeptics, because we cannot just sort of believe Romans 8:28. We either believe it or we doubt it. There is no middle ground.

So, let’s be bold about it. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.