Skip to main content

Whose Good?


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 for those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.  (Romans 8:28-30) 

                So often when people quote Romans 8:28, they use the NASB translation: And we know that God causes all things to work together for good.... They stop there, then they look at the circumstances. The death of a loved one? A child born with problems requiring repeated surgeries or a life with disabilities, perhaps requiring complete care for life? An abusive spouse? Abandonment? Natural disasters? An attack that leaves one physically or emotionally crippled? Cancer? Hunger and poverty? Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, ALS, Autism, HIV/AIDS? These horrible things are good? That's not what it says. These horrible things work together for good? That's not what it says.
          What it says is that for those who love God, for those who have been called according to His purpose, for those who God foreknew and predestined to be conformed to the likeness (image) of His Son, for these people God works in everything for their good. That good is not momentary enjoyment. It is conformation to the likeness of His Son. We tend to look at this verse in the light of our circumstances. I think God looks at it through in the light of our Christ-likeness.
        As Christians, we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. During Jesus' three-year ministry, He fed the hungry, healed the sick, the injured and the crippled;  and raised the dead. I don't recall reading about His ending anyone's physical poverty. Had these people or their relatives not suffered from these horrible things, I doubt they would have paid much attention to Jesus. I sometimes wonder whether we are actually harming the people we think we're helping as we seek to eliminate the circumstances though which God is working for their good.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Shepherd!

                 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep . (John 10:14) God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Genesis 3:14) The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths     for his name’s sake. Even though I walk     through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil,     for you are with me; your rod and your staff,     they comfort me. (Psalm 23:1-4) For the Jews, it was politically incorrect to make claims about yourself as a teacher (or possibly as anything else.) Teachers were expected to take pride in the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen To Him

              The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him . (Deuteronomy 18:15)           Today, we switch from Jesus’ claims of “I am” to prophecies made about Him. My Bible platform is starting in Deuteronomy. I’d start in Genesis, where we would learn that the one who would save us would be a descendant of Eve (Genesis 3:15), of Noah (by default), Abram and Sara(Genesis 12:1-3). Isaac (Genesis 17:19), Jacob (Genesis 25:23), Judah (Genesis 29:8), and David (II Samuel 7:12-16). There were also references to a new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-32). In addition, there were prophecies about when and where the prophet/Messiah would be born and what would happen to him.           Of course, naysayers will claim that Jesus’ life was retrofitted or reverse enginee...
Post a Comment
Read more