Romans
8:28–29
28 And
we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have
been called according to his purpose. 29 For
those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son,
that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. (NIV)
Romans 8:28 is one of the most beloved and reassuring
verses in all of Scripture. Most Christians can quote the words from memory: “in all
things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose. ” These words of comfort have application in just about
every circumstance of life; that God can take any situation that may come our
way, whether positive, negative, or even the things in our routine, and make it
all to work for our good.
However, verse 28 raises a question that begs an answer. What is the “good” Paul is talking about? He wouldn’t
use such a generalized term for an action he attributes to God himself. We find
the answer in verse 29. It begins with the word “for”. Webster’s dictionary describes the use of this word as being:
“a function word to indicate
an intended goal”. Leaving aside any thorny theological implications, one might
find that Paul’s intention in this verse is to define for us the ultimate purpose the word, “good”, in verse 28. What is it?
The answer to that question is transformative. God’s goal
for those who love him is, “to be conformed to the image of his Son.” As we journey through life, everything that happens to
us: whether good or bad, delightful or painful, gain or loss, and even life or
death, all work toward that end. It is promised to those who love Him, and who
have responded to His call. Those of us who have lived beyond our “formal”
productivity (that is retirement) have the privilege of looking back and appreciating
how true this has been. We have also experienced the saintliness of people who,
in their later years, have demonstrated a winsome Christlikeness. It matters
not which denomination of Christianity they may call their spiritual home. The image
of Christ becomes increasingly visible to those around them, and ultimately to
the world.
You
and I are still in that school. It is the ongoing process of “becoming.” The
only thing that God requires of us is that we live our lives in unconditional
and complete surrender to his wisdom and his will in our lives. Paul expresses
this thought in different ways throughout his writing. One example is:
1 Thess. 5:23-24, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May
your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do
it.”
Sometimes the pain we are experiencing seems to
be unbearable, and the last thing we feel like doing is to rejoice, give
thanks, or even to pray. And that is okay. We can express our inner frustration
and pain to God, be it circumstantial, physical, or emotional.
The psalmist, who after expressing to God all of his pain
and frustration in the book of Psalms, always came back to taking comfort in
his faith that God was protecting him and working out His ultimate purpose in
his life. The same is true of Job. He acknowledged his pain, but he also never
wavered in his trust in God. In the same way, even in our agony, God is faithfully
using “all things,” day by day, to continue the transformation of our lives to
make us more like Christ.
Perhaps that is what Paul meant when he wrote, “Rejoice always, pray
continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for
you in Christ Jesus,” ( I Thess.
5:16-18). It may be why he could write to his readers to rejoice, pray, and
give thanks in all circumstances; he was instructing them, and us, to focus on
the ultimate goal, not the immediate situation. I believe for most of us, it is
in the tough wrenching times in our lives that we find it most difficult to
rejoice, pray, and be continually thankful.
Paul is not telling me to deny pain,
disappointment, or loss. Rather, it is to shift my focus in the midst of my suffering,
and realize that the “good” God is also being used, even this situation, to form me into
Christ’s likeness. I can take comfort in that. My prayer is that you will also.
For more information and practical
projects you can do to discover the make-up of the complex culture in your
community, I would refer you to: Kauffman,
J. Timothy. Reconnecting the Church:
Finding Our Place in Complex Culture. Bloomington, IN: Xlibris, 2010. It can be purchased at Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, the iBooks
Store, and Xlibris.com; it is also in Kindle and Nook format. Check it out.
