You Can Change #8 (Chapter 1)

Romans 8:28-30

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. ²⁹ For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰ And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

In You Can Change, Tim Chester cites the above passage, then states:

In Romans 8, Paul says that God uses everything that happens to us to make us like Jesus, both the good and the bad. Indeed, the bad things become in some sense good for us because they make us like Jesus. In themselves they may be evil, but God uses them for the good of those who love him, and that good is that we become more like Jesus. [...] The secret of gospel change is being convinced that Jesus is the good life and the fountain of all joy. Any alternative we might choose would be the letdown. (14-15)

Have you understood this very famous Romans 8:28 verse in this way before? Part of our problem is that we too often quote verse 28 but no further. In the verses that come after, Paul explains what he meant by "purpose" in 28, and when we understand God's purpose, we can start to see how he could work for good through the many confusing events in our lives. The opposite is also true: when we don't understand his purpose, we won't have any category for things like suffering and pain.

What is God's purpose? It is taking us who were to be his image (Genesis 1:26-27), who were not "imaging" him because of sin (Romans 3:23), and conforming us to the image of Christ. How will he do this? It will be by calling, justifying, and ultimately glorifying those whom he had foreknown and predestined.

Many of us tend to read these verses and head straight for a debate on the nature of foreknowledge and predestination, but that misses the point. It seems clear that Paul meant for his readers to take away a strong sense of confidence and assurance that God was for them in spite of all that happened to them because he has a greater purpose for his people-- and his purpose will most definitely be fulfilled.

How should this change the way I think of the difficult and/or confusing circumstances of my life, and my response to them?

When I am struggling with the stuff of life, do I take comfort in the sure and certain purpose of God for me?

Do I want to be conformed to the image of Christ more than I want a problem-free life?

Note: Check out the video in the next post (above) for more on applying Romans 8.