Romans 8:28 says:
"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." (KJV)
"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." (NIV)
I. Historical Analysis (looking at the world outside the Bible): x
A. Geography: x
B. Political History: x
C. Wars: x
D. Economy: x
E. Pagan Cultures: According to Romans 1:7, the Apostle Paul wrote this epistle to the saved Jews and Gentiles in Rome.
F. Manners and Customs: x
G. Culture-based or Trans-cultural: His message, in Romans 8:28, was meant for all cultures in that the promises apply to all past, present, and future Christians. God allows good and bad in His people's lives, but ultimately those experiences work together for the individual's overall good if that person loves the Lord and has been called according to His purposes. That is the promise, and that is the hope. From Romans 7:7 through Romans 8:39, Paul wrote that Christians are justified by their faith in the finished work of Christ, and his discussion would have probably brought comfort to the Jews that had been raised in a legalistic environment.
II. Grammatical Analysis (looking at the words in a sentence): x
A. Words: x
1. Lexical Analysis: x
2. Figures of Speech: x
3. Different Translations: x
B. Level of Words: x
C. Syntax: The Greek word used for "the called" is "kletos" and means "the selected."
D. Verb Tenses: The verb "know" is in the Greek perfect tense, active voice but in this case should be treated as being similar to the English past tense, active voice. The mood is indicative, which means a simple statement of fact. The perfect tense describes an action that has been completed, so the wording can be best rendered, "we have known." The Greek word used for "know" is "eido," which means "to see" or "to know."
The Greek word for "love" is "agapao," which means "to love dearly." The present tense, indicative mood, and active voice show that the "them" are the ones that love and that their love is currently happening. The verse is not referring to a past loving dearly but to a present loving dearly. In the online People's New Testament Commentary, the author wrote, "The evidence that we are 'the called' is that we love God."
E. Use of Book Endings: x
III. Literary Analysis (looking at the whole thought or concept): According to the online Matthew Henry commentary, the characteristics of loving God and of being called for His purposes "are common to all that are truly sanctified." Henry wrote that the Lord does not cause people's sins, but He permits and uses them for the person's ultimate good. Henry also said, "It is the will of God that his people should be a comforted people." In the online Peoples New Testament Commentary, the author wrote, "under God's providence, all things, even their sorrows, trials and persecutions, work together for blessing. This precious assurance is not to all mankind, saint and sinner, but is limited to a class. . . . Paul uses the term of the latter class; those who hear and obey. The evidence that we are 'the called' is that we love God."
A. Exegesis: In Romans 7:7-25, Paul wrote about his struggle with sin. He indicated that the law was good but that he could not keep the law. He wrote that he did those things which he did not want to do and did not do the things that he did want to do. He distinguished within himself the sinful man and the spiritual man, and he wrote about the conflict between the two. At the end of the chapter, he concluded that in his mind he was a slave to God’s law but in his sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Romans 7:27 (KJV) says, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."
In Romans 8:1-2, Paul continued his thoughts from the previous chapter by saying that no one in the Lord is condemned. Thus, he seemed to be implying that his desire to do right and not do wrong, based on his faith in Christ, cleared him of the guilt imposed on him by not keeping the law. Because of the Lord, he said that he was free from the eternal penalty of sin. Romans 8:5 (NIV) adequately describes the Christian attitude when it says, "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires."
In Romans 8:9-11, Paul wrote about the indwelling Holy Spirit and how that the Spirit gives life and confidence to those whom He indwells. Romans 8:16 (NIV) says, "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." In Romans 8:18-25, Paul wrote about the future hope that we have in Christ. He also wrote about the effects of sin on the original creation and how that even creation will someday be delivered from the bondage of sin and decay. In Romans 8:26-27, he talked about the interceding of the Holy Spirit on our behalf when we try to pray to God. He said that the Holy Spirit will help us in the midst of our weakness and that He will speak to God for us in ways that words cannot express.
The idea of our weakness, in Romans 8:26, suggests that Paul was still talking about a Christian’s struggle with their sinful, fleshly nature. His entire conversation, from Romans 7:7 through Romans 8:27, was about his personal struggle with sin, about his deliverance from the penalty of sin because of his faith in Christ, and about the positive work of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Then, in Romans 8:28 (NIV), he wrote, "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." Romans 8:29-30 speaks of Christians being conformed to the image of Christ, and the remainder of the chapter addresses Christians as being more than conquerors through Christ. Between Romans 7:7 and Romans 8:39, it seems that Paul’s total focus was about a Christian’s struggle with sin and about their future hope in Christ. Therefore, Romans 8:28 should also relate to that same struggle against sin and hope for the future.
1. The passage as "world literature": x
2. Genre of the passage: x
3. The author’s emphasis: From Romans 7:7 through Romans 8:39, Paul’s focus was on the Christian’s struggle with sin and on how they are delivered from the penalties of sin because of their faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. Romans 8:3-4 (NIV) says, "For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit." Because Paul’s entire emphasis seemed to be about the Christian’s deliverance from sin and their future hope in Christ, Romans 8:28 should also be taken in the context of what he was saying.
In part, Paul was writing to Jewish people that had felt the sting of the Mosaic Law for their entire lives. So, he was telling them that they could stop worrying. His focus surely was not on the fact that all things work together for good because people still die lost. It was based on the fact that Christians do not have to live in fear concerning the penalties for their sins because they know that God is always good and gracious to those that have called upon Him. Romans 6:1-2 says, "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" According to that passage, God’s grace does not lead us into a casual attitude about sin. Instead, it causes us to hate sin and to try to put sin as far from ourselves as possible.
4. The author’s intended meaning: Paul was writing to Jews that had been under the Mosaic Law for their entire lives. If one focuses on just the first part of Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good" (NIV), then Paul has reminded everyone that God works all things for good. To the Jew, that would have meant that the law no longer held them. To the non-Jew that was never bound by the Mosaic Law, Paul’s words simply teach that God is always good to His people, whether Jew or non-Jew.
If one adds the last part of the verse, "of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (NIV), then the meaning becomes clear that Paul is talking about a two-way relationship. A person does not receive Christ as Savior, live anyway that he or she wants, and then expect the Lord to make everything in life good and smooth. Paul is clear when he states that God is good in all things to those that love him dearly, and that kind of love is not just a casual, haphazard emotion.
When one person loves another person dearly, then the person that loves the other shows special attention to the object of his or her love. When one person loves another dearly, then the person that loves the other takes on the dreams and ambitions of the object of his or her love. II Peter 3:9 says, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (KJV)
Paul was clear in what he said. The person that truly loves the Lord will share the Lord’s concern for those that are not in Christ. In the last part of Romans, chapter seven, and the first part of Romans, chapter eight, Paul indicated that those in Christ are not under the law. He was not endorsing a live-as-you-please lifestyle. He was trying to get the people’s minds off of the burden of the law and onto the idea of ministering to others. Because God is good to His own, those in Christ should feel the freedom and desire to present Christ to others rather than worrying about obeying every point of the law. When that happens, all things in that person’s life will work for good as the person and the Lord work together towards the common goal of seeing others saved. It is not that all things in the person’s life will be good but that all things in the course of time will eventually lead to a good ending.
B. Application of the passage: In Romans 8:28 and the surrounding verses, Paul taught that all Christians - past, present, and future - have been delivered from the penalty of their sins because of their faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. Paul never endorsed a live-as-you-please, sin-laden lifestyle, but he also did not try to scare people into a legalistic lifestyle and mindset. Individuals should live right because they are Christians, not because they are trying to become Christians. Christians should see God's love and goodness towards His people and respond to Him in kind. They should exercise their faith and hope in Him even during difficult times because Romans 8:28 teaches that those times, as well as the good times, will lead to a positive, good end. Because Christians have been called to be a part of God's plan, they should have a desire to see others saved. Romans 8:28 teaches a life of service rather than a life of holiness because a servant's attitude will lead to a holy lifestyle. A person can live right and never serve, but a person cannot successfully serve unless he or she lives right. When our purposes match God's purposes, then all parts of our life will ultimately end up good.
Tom of New Heights "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
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