“God is behind EVERYTHING that happens — the good, bad and the ugly. He is working all things together for your good.”
Such statements of encouragement abound in Christendom and are drawn from the Romans 8:28 text — “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (NKJV)
While it is commendable to trust God even when situations go awry, we must put our faith in what God’s Word ACTUALLY promises, or else, we end up believing for what God’s Word never promised us. Does Romans 8:28 actually say that EVERYTHING in our lives are in line with God’s plan for our good?
That wouldn’t be the case as the Bible would not then instruct us to “resist the devil” (Jam. 4:7). If EVERYTHING was God’s will and working according to His plan, then the devil would not be called “the prince of this world” (2 Corin. 4:4), he who controls the affairs of men.
What then is Romans 8:28 saying? Remember, contextual reading is key. This would mean examining the antecedent and succedent texts to get the full picture of what was being discussed.
First, the word “all” must ALWAYS be contextually understood, it always refers to “all” within a limited discourse, not EVERYTHING under the sun. So as a good Bible student, when I see “all,” I must ask myself “all WHAT”? The context often supplies the answer.
Second, in Romans 8:28, the succedent text does just that;
Romans 8:29-30 (NKJV)
29 For whom He FOREKNEW, He also PREDESTINED to be CONFORMED to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He PREDESTINED, these He also CALLED; whom He CALLED, these He also JUSTIFIED; and whom He justified, these He also GLORIFIED.
The things that worked together for our good were God’s foreknowledge, predestination and His calling which led to us becoming exactly like Jesus Christ (“conformed to His image), justified and glorified! Simply put, our salvation in Christ.
© Josh Banks Ministries. 2020.
