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. In this world of doubt and conjecture it is refreshing to find a man who declares that he knows what he says is true. Stilt more refreshing to find that what he says he knows is just that about which we have been much in doubt. From the text I learn that "all things" act — I. ENERGETICALLY. They "work."From this our word "energy" is derived. Used here to denote the most intense, tireless activity. The universe is all alive under the Divine hand. II. HARMONIOUSLY. They "work together." In the mechanism of Divine providence there are no loose pullies on which idle belts career. "All thinks work," not frictionally, or at random, but "together." We see that "things work," but we cannot see how they "work together." How could we see so much? III. BENEFICENTLY. "For good." They all play into one grand purpose — "for good," literally "into good." In the light of this text the Christian loses his insignificance, and looms up before us in an attitude of importance and grandeur. God, not man, is to decide what this "good" is to be. Spiritually considered, when we talk about profit and loss, success or failure, very often we know not what we say. We are like children prattling about the affairs of nations. We may spell a word "defeat," but God may pronounce it "victory." We may pronounce a word "gain," but God may call it "loss." Men are sometimes congratulated when they ought to be pitied, and the reverse. IV. SPECIFICALLY — to "them that love God." Those who do not love God have no right to its blessed comfort. To remain in sin is to antagonise the arrangements of infinite beneficence, and means danger, and folly, and suicide, and damnation. The great question that shall shape your eternity and mine is, Do we love God? We must not forget that the Holy Ghost gives us the tense of this verb, "work." The text does not say all things will, or may, work for good; but "all things" are now working "for good." To honour God and be strong, our love also must be in the present tense. (T. Kelly.) Parallel Verses KJV: 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. |
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