Do all things work together for Good?
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 8:28
There is a difference between saying “all things are good” and “all things work together for good”
All things are not good. It would be crazy to say that they are. The death of a child is not good. Cancer is not good, drug addiction is not good, war is not good, blasphemy is not good.
But the Bible never says all things are good, it says, “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 the chemistry of the cross God takes things that, in and of themselves, are bad, and He puts them together, much as a chemist might take chemicals that, in and of themselves, may be deleterious and mixes them to make a medicine that brings healing.
The cross is the perfect example because one of the worst acts in human history, the execution of the son of God was truly “Bad” but God worked it together and used it to bring about the redemption of all mankind.
3 promises in Romans 8:28 so that we can see how God works together to help us rise above our circumstances:
Certainty: The first thing is the certainty of the promise. Sometimes it may look as if God’s plan ebbs and flows, but in God’s timing, His plan is perfect.
Completeness: The second thing is the completeness of the promise. It says “all things” not “some things.” Think of all the terrible things that happened to Joseph. He was maligned by his brothers. He was thrown into a pit and sold as a slave; he was lied about and accused of rape. Then he languished in prison. But every one of those things worked together to put him in a position where he could have all of his people from starvation.
Cause of assurance: The Cause is in the character of God which “does not change.”
God is not dead. He is alive and well. He’s not sick. He’s not worn out. It is God who made this promise. He is the cause of it.
Read the full article here: https://billygraham.org/story/do-all-things-work-together-for-good/
the greatest comfort of Romans 8:28
The Importance of the Verse following Romans 8:28: 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” (Romans 8:29).
We find perhaps the greatest comfort of Romans 8:28 in the first three words, “And we know.” Adrian Rogers, in the Billy Graham training seminar, “Rising Above Your Circumstances,” said, “This is not conjecture, this is not happenstance, this is not perhaps, this is not maybe; this is ironclad certainty. ‘We know that all things work together for good.’”
As long as we live in this world, people will attempt to reconcile God’s sovereignty with humanity’s suffering. Verses like Romans 8:28 assure us that no suffering is wasted, and God is always at work for our good and his glory. When we cannot comprehend why trials come and struggle to imagine that anything good can come from them, we can rest in the security that God is in control.
Because of this, we can have hope.
Read the full article here: https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/3-things-you-never-noticed-in-romans-8-28.html
no pain is wasted
Perhaps more than any other promise in the Bible this verse has helped people trust God through experiences that seemed utterly pointless and painful and evil. People have held fast to the “all things” and believed the word of God. When things don’t go the way they should, God always makes them turn for good.
Christians believe that, sooner or later, the sorrows and pains and disappointments and losses will work together for good.
Read his full article here: https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/all-things-for-good-part-1
God’s plan will not be thwarted.
The fact that God works all things together for good means God’s plan will not be thwarted. In fact, we are part of His plan, having been “called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). When we trust God and His way, we can be sure that He is active and powerful on our behalf (see Ephesians 3:20).
God knows the future, and His desires will be accomplished. “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please’” (Isaiah 46:10). Even when things seem chaotic and out of control, God is still in charge. We sometimes worry about what’s happening to us because we do not know what is best for us. But God does.
God trumps everything that comes against Him and those who belong to Him.
After promising that God works all things together for our good, Romans 8 concludes with the wonderful fact that God trumps everything that comes against Him and those who belong to Him.
The Christian is assured that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? . . . No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35–39).
Read the full article here: https://www.gotquestions.org/all-things-work-together-for-good.html