Romans 8:28
"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."
May God the Holy Spirit, who
inspired these words, effectually inscribe them upon our hearts for the glory
of Christ, enabling us in all things to believe, worship and give thanks unto
our God. I call your attention to just four things.
1. A Delightful Persuasion - “We know…” The word “know” in this sentence refers to a knowledge beyond speculation,
theory, doctrine, or even sound judgment. It is the knowledge of a confident,
assured persuasion based upon fact and experience. May God graciously and
thoroughly convince us of these things as he did the Apostle Paul. He says, “We”
- All true believers - “know”. But how do we know? What is
the basis of this knowledge? Is this a pipe dream; or a matter of established
fact? We know these things by the revelation of God’s Word (Psa. 84:11;
91:1-16; Prov. 12:21; Hos. 2:18). We know these things, and walk in the comfort
of God’s providence, because of the inner witness and anointing of the Holy
Spirit, who teaches us all things, by whom we have the mind of Christ (1 John
2:20; 1 Cor. 2:16). And we know the wisdom and goodness of God’s adorable
providence because we have experienced it. Rolfe Barnard used to say, “We only
believe what we experience.” He was exactly right. Are you persuaded, really
persuaded of what Paul teaches us here? If you are, you have a persuasion that
will keep your soul in peace. Indeed, this is the only persuasion that will
keep your soul in peace.
2. A Divine Providence - “We know that all things work together for
good…” Providence is God’s government of the universe. This is a subject of
deepest importance. If we have a proper view of God’s providence, we will see
the hand of God and the heart of God in everything, in all the experiences of
our lives. Let us never talk like the unbelieving Philistines who said, “it was a chance that happened to us” (1
Sam. 6:9). Believers talk like Job (1:21), Eli (1 Sam. 3:18) and David (2 Sam.
16:11-12), ascribing all things to the hand of our God. God is not idle. He is
the one Person who is always on the job. He never needs to rest, recuperate, or
regroup! God almighty, our God and heavenly Father, is always at work,
governing the world.
3. A Designated People - “We know that all things work together for
good to them that love God, to them who are the called…” This promise of
God is not for and is not given to everyone. It is a special promise, made to a
special people. It is God’s promise “To
them that love God. To them who are the called.”
4. A Declared Purpose - “We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to his
purpose.” The purpose of God, according to which he rules the universe is
not hard to discover. It is plainly stated in verses 29-31. It is “his purpose” of grace toward his people
in eternal election and predestination.
Don Fortner