Focal Passage: Romans 8:28-39
There are very few texts in all of Scripture that are more comforting and consoling than Romans 8:28-39.
So well known is this passage that even unbelievers who have no clue as to its origins can quote this passage in part, if not the whole. However, only the child of God can know and appreciate the depth of its meaning.
These two verses remind us that our security lies not in our own abilities but in our sovereign God. Rather than the fear of the unknown, this text reminds us that our days are under the control of our loving Heavenly Father.
Security and knowledge (v. 28). We can be secure in Christ by knowing certain truths. We know that God holds secure those who love Him, a love that is mediated through the person of Jesus Christ. We also know that we are secure in that God is working all things for the good for those who do love Him.
Kevin Shrum
The text does not say that all things are good or pleasant in and of themselves. It does say that God is working for the good for those who love him.
Knowing that we love Him and that He is working in all situations for our good and His glory, we are secure because we have been called according to His purposes. In other words, what happens to us and in us does not happen by random chance. God is working His purposes in and through us for our good and His glory. There is security in knowing these truths.
Security and purpose (v. 29). For some, verse 29 can be disturbing because it mentions words like foreknowledge, predestination and conformity. But this is the farthest thing from the truth. We ought not to let these and other words about God’s sovereign and providential care for creation and His children frighten us.
Yes, God is sovereign, but He is not a reactive, random or arbitrary. Rather, He is working His plan in and through His responsible and accountable children.
God is able to, as we might say, “walk and chew gum at the same time.” God is able to arrange and choreograph His sovereign will, yet holding us accountable and responsible for our actions that reflect the nature of our own wills.
First, God’s knowledge of all things preceded the occurrence of those same events. He knows all things before, during and after they happen. He designs all things for His glory and our good with this unfathomable gift of knowledge. As the saying goes, “Has it ever occurred to us that nothing has ever occurred to God?”
Second, because of His exhaustive knowledge, He predetermined to conform us to the very image of Jesus Christ. In other words, whatever happens to us as His children – good or bad, understood or not – happens so that we might better reflect who Jesus Christ is. In addition, God is in charge of all that happens either through the primary means of His own actions or the secondary actions of willing creatures.
Finally, why would God work His will in us in this way? So that we might demonstrate that we are the “firstborn of many brothers.” That is, we demonstrate that we belong to God by how Christ is formed in us. This is our security. B&R
