Working Together for Good
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:28
Romans 8:28 is one of the most comforting verses in Scripture, but it is also frequently removed from its context. It is not a promise that every painful circumstance will one day yield health, wealth, success, earthly happiness, or the fulfillment of our heart’s desires. What it holds out to the believer is something far greater and far more enduring.
Consider how it begins: "And we know." We are not being handed something drastically new here. By this point in the book of Romans, we already know that we can glory in tribulations because of what they work in us: patience, experience, hope, and love (Rom 5:3-5). We know we possess the hope of a future glorification (Rom 8:11, 16-25), and we already know that God intercedes for us according to His will in prayer, even when we don’t know how we should pray as we ought to (Rom 8:26-27).
What, then, are the “all things” that work together? The surrounding verses point to "the sufferings of this present time" (v. 18) and to "our infirmities" (v. 26), and by extension, to every state we may find ourselves in. This is a comfort that holds even when the circumstances themselves do not improve. Contentment can be learned in every state, not because every hardship is lifted in this lifetime, but because Christ gives strength in the midst of it (Php 4:11-13). This is the very heart of God’s sufficient grace that is made perfect in our weakness (2Co 12:9-10).
This brings us to the question upon which everything hinges and where most of the confusion about this verse comes from: what is the "good"?
The good here is not physical healing, financial prosperity, career advancement, a nicer house, or an easier road ahead. The passage defines it for us. The good is the will of God (v. 26-27), being "conformed to the image of his Son" (v. 29), and finally our glorification (v. 30). It is spiritual transformation, edification, and the certainty of glory in Christ. God's eternal purpose is fixed upon the glory of His Son and the spiritual good of His saints, and that purpose towers over any circumstance, pleasant or painful, so that we may take comfort and strength no matter what comes.
We are given no promise that our infirmities will disappear. We are given the promise that nothing can keep God from finishing the good work He has begun in those who are in Christ (Php 1:6):
"[16] For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. [17] For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; [18] While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Notice carefully what Romans 8:28 does not say. It does not say that all things are good. Sin is not good. Tragedy is not good. Suffering, persecution, death, and the works of the flesh are not good. It says that all things work together for good. Evil remains evil, hardships remain hard, yet they cannot overthrow God's eternal purpose in Christ toward His saints: their spiritual and eternal good in Christ. That these troublesome things in life cannot thwart His eternal purpose is a testimony to His power.
Neither does the verse teach that God directly causes every event in our lives. It is not describing a hidden map in which He secretly ordains every choice, every tragedy, every mistake, and every sinful act in our lives. That is the baggage of Calvinism, the unscriptural notion that God causes and decrees all that happens under the banner of what its teachers call "sovereignty." This inherently leads to a tarnishing of God’s character and to attributing evil things to God that He cannot and does not do. (For more on the errors of Calvinism, check out these resources: https://www.sufficientgracebiblefellowship.com/correcting-calvinism)
What the verse actually declares is God's power to accomplish His eternal purpose in His saints in spite of the suffering and evil that fill this present world.
Take the full comfort this verse offers, but take it for what it truly gives. It does not promise that life will feel good, that the road will be smooth, that every desire of the heart will be granted, or that you will experience temporal good in this life. It promises that suffering, infirmity, sin, persecution, and even death itself cannot defeat God's purpose for those who are in Christ. It is far greater, and it is the good that we should value above all else. We may not understand every circumstance, but we can know His will and purpose for us in every circumstance: conformity to His Son and ultimately everlasting glory with Him.
