Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
This is one of my favorite verses. What a comfort to know that God works all things for the good of those who are called according to His purpose! With such a promise, is there truly any need to live in anxiety? God can workout our persecutions, hardships, good, bad, ALL THINGS for good!
Let’s take this thought even further.
Ephesians 3:20-21 “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Our God hears not only our spoken prayers, but also our silent thoughts and unspoken hopes and then exceeds them. All things for good, and beyond! What a promise! What a God!
But.
Romans 8:28 comes with a condition. Does God work all things for good for everyone who claims to be a believer? No.
Stay with me now.
The verse clearly says, “for those who love God…”
And isn’t that perfectly fair?
But what does it mean to love God? Is it merely singing worship songs, quoting Scripture, having theological knowledge or displaying an “outward form of godliness”? Certainly not.
John 14:15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
Period.
To love God is to obey Him. And obedience is first tested in the hidden places in our private lives and secret thoughts, where only God sees. Public displays of faith may earn us a reputation for being “godly,” yet in private, we may be defeated in sin.
For those who truly obey God, He will indeed work all things for their good in this life. When we walk in holiness, He'll look after all your "needs"; things He knows you NEED to live on.
Many people struggle to trust this promise because they live in disobedience and insist on handling life in their own strength. That’s why, when one sparrow asked another, “Why are people always so anxious?”, the reply was, “Because they don’t fully trust that they have a Father who would provide for them the way He does for us.”
But we must also ask: what is this “good” that the verse promises? If we read on to verse 29, we find the answer:
Romans 8:29 “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…”
The highest good is not worldly blessings it is being conformed to the image of Christ.
The ultimate good is becoming like Jesus in this life. Though perfection will only be complete when He returns, we are called to press towards it now. Could we, like Paul, reach a point where we could say with confidence, “Follow me as I follow Christ”? Most of us cannot.
To say this, we must have victory over sin. We must take Matthew 5–7 with utmost seriousness, and embrace Romans 6:14:
“For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”
If sin still rules over us, we are living as though under the law and have not truly understood grace or the new covenant. It is only by God’s grace, through the power of the Holy Spirit, that we can live in such freedom. The Holy Spirit makes us holy, not noisy.
St. John Chrysostom notes the tremendous honor for believers: though Christ is the Only-begotten by nature, we too are made like Him “by grace,” through calling and transformation.
What a blessing to live a life free from anger, lust, pride, gluttony, anxiety and all bondage to sin! This is the truth that sets us free.
We’re called to deny ourselves every single day and carry the cross. Jesus didn’t say, “read the Bible daily,” but rather, “deny yourself and carry your cross daily” (and I don’t mean to be misunderstood here). When we press forward and take even the smallest commands in Scripture seriously, choosing self-denial and striving toward perfection, that’s when we truly grow in holiness, live radically and become more like Christ. And when we live that way, our worldly needs are already provided for.
Therefore, let us not casually apply Romans 8:28 to every self-proclaimed Christian who lives in disobedience, as if any hardship they face will automatically “work out for their good.” The promise is for those who love God; and to love Him is to obey Him.
If we take Romans 8:28 seriously, we must take verse 29 just as seriously, for the one leads to the other. When we press on toward being conformed to Christ, verse 28 will naturally find its fulfillment in our lives.
God has already been faithful to work good for us even when we were disobedient. How much more now, when we walk in the truth!
What a blessing this is! May we strive for obedience and discipline, trusting God to do the rest.
Ending with few of my favorite quotes by saints that rings in my head everyday:
"The more the holiness grows in man, the more he ceases to see it." St. Charbel
“There can be no such thing as perfect happiness till there is perfect holiness.” Spurgeon
“If your religion does not make you holy, it will damn you. It is simply painted pageantry to go to hell in.” Spurgeon
“The true Christian ideal is not to be happy but to be holy.” Tozer
“The holy man is not one who cannot sin. A holy man is one who will not sin.” Tozer
“Begin now to be what you will be hereafter. If you will be holy in heaven, begin by being holy on earth.” St. Jerome
"If you do not learn to deny yourself, you can make no progress in perfection." St. John of the Cross
"There was a day when I died; died to self, my opinions, preferences, tastes and will; died to the world, its approval or censure; died to the approval or blame even of my brethren or friends; and since then I have studied only to show myself approved unto God." George Müller
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