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Romans 8:28-30 biblegateway.com/passage/?search=rom%208:28-30&version=31
Greg was good at raising money. He worked for a non-profit organization that helped disabled people. He raised a lot of money for his organization through his grant writing until he found out what was happening to the money. Thousands of dollars were not going where intended – to help those in need – but for the special expenses of the bosses. Greg quit.
Greg found a job with another non-profit organization in a different city. He did a good job raising money for them and then, it happened again. Monies missing or accounts doctored. He quit again, moved back home and is looking for other work. Oh, and did I tell you that he was in a car accident, had multiple injuries and now needs a cane to get around. What do you think about Greg’s outlook on life? Probably not the best.
For the last couple weeks we have been groaning with the Apostle Paul as he makes us face the reality of this sinful world. With that reality staring us in the face, do we, too, have a bad outlook on life? Are we sour pessimists? No. In fact, someone once said, Christians are optimists. How can that be with all the sin, suffering and sadness of this corrupted world? Paul tells us why today.
“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. 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.” Why can we be optimists? Because of God’s election. Look at what Paul says here. God foreknew us. This is more than knowledge, but a knowledge that involves a loving choice.
Because God loved us, he predestined us to be saved. That word, predestined, means to draw a line around something or to set it aside beforehand. When mom says that you can’t have a snack before dinner, you might call dibs on that last piece of pie in the fridge so nobody else gets it first. That’s what God did with us. He had his eye on us from before the creation of the world and so he marked us out for salvation. It was his purpose to save us.
Martin Luther said, “If there would not be this divine purpose, our salvation would rest on chance.” God loves us too much to leave that up to chance so he planned our salvation from eternity. Would you choose a spouse by pulling names out of a hat? No. You wouldn’t leave whom you are going to marry up to chance. God would not leave our relationship with him up to chance either. He loved us so much he had to predestine us.
What he predestined, he did. “And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” Notice the repetition. In this dramatic way, Paul is emphasizing that no one is lost between the eternal decree and the eternal ending. The very ones predestined are the very same ones glorified.
But that glory couldn’t happen without that middle step of justification. Justification is the judges decree that you are not guilty. We can be declared not guilty, only when our guilt has been taken away. So the cross of Jesus stands at the center of God’s predestined plan. God foreknew us as we are. He knew the sin that would be wrapped up in our DNA and show every day of our lives. But he still loved us and determined that we would spend eternity with him. To accomplish that plan meant the sacrifice of his son to pay for our sins. That’s how much he loved us. That’s how determined he was that we spend eternity with him. He did all that was necessary to secure our love, make us his own and bring us to glory.
What is that glory. It’s the redemption of our bodies from this corrupted, groaning world. It’s freedom from sin and death. It’s seeing God face to face. It’s paradise. It’s God’s goal for us.
Keep your eyes on the goal. We are going to heaven. Glory awaits. Yes, there is groaning now. Yes, there is suffering now. Yes, we get sick, loved ones die, sadness comes. Yes, we struggle with sin in our lives and we know that we are not the kind of people we should be. That is all true now. But then?
“Then the glory. Then the rest. Then the Sabbath peace unbroken. Then the garden. Then the throne. Then the crystal river flowing. Then the splendor. Then the life. Then the new creation singing. Then the marriage. Then the love. Then the feast of joy unending. Then the knowing. Then the light. Then the ultimate adventure. Then the Spirit’s harvest gathered. Then the Lamb in majesty. Then the Father’s Amen. Then. Then. Then.” (CW 218)
Then. But now? Now a creation groaning, hearts breaking, bodies aching. And yet, Christians are still optimists, not only about eternity, but about this life right now. Why?
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. Unfortunately, the NIV failed to translate one little word. Paul writes that God makes all things work together for our good. The point is that taken individually, the events and circumstances God allows may not, in and of themselves, appear to be of any value or good to the Christian. But Paul does not say that each event is good or even that each incident will produce that which is good. He informs us that all of the events, working together, produce what is good.
To illustrate, the ingredients which go into a cake are not very tasty when eaten individually. Flour, sugar, shortening, eggs, salt, baking powder, and spices are not something we want to eat one ingredient at a time. But mix all of these together in just the right proportions, and then bake the combined mixture, and you have a delicious treat. Each event in our life is like one ingredient in a cake. It may not seem good, by itself, but when mixed by God with other correct events, it will surely produce what is good.
God causes all things to “work together” for good. This means we cannot judge the goodness of God’s work until His program is finished. Have you ever been too hasty in testing the cake batter? Almost always the result is unsatisfactory. Until God’s recipe for our lives is complete, we dare not judge God’s cooking. We had best entrust ourselves to Him as the cook, knowing that He always blends the right ingredients, at the right time, in the right way, and in the right proportions.
What things work together? “All things,” he writes. God makes everything, including the sins of others and our own sins, works for our good. Not one thing falls outside of God’s control. At all times and in all circumstances, all things work together for good.
This good is not what many people think it is. It is not human happiness or absence of pain. The good is not even that we become a better person. The good he promises here is the eternal glory of the elect. And the fact that things work together means that they may not benefit you at all in this life. Your sickness or your job loss may be just one piece of the puzzle that works with others for the good of God’s elect. Aunt Eunice lying in a nursing home bed in the Alzheimer’s ward may seem pointless to us. We may wonder what good God is accomplishing for her by this. But it may not have anything to do with her, individually. It will, though, serve for the eternal glory of God’s elect. That is God’s promise here.
And that promise is certain, solid and sure. Why? Because it is founded in God’s eternal predestination. So Christians are optimists. We know everything will be made to fit God’s plan of bringing us to glory. He didn’t leave our salvation to chance. He loved us too much for that. So we can also be certain that God will make everything work for that purpose and plan.
Are you like Greg with a life full of disappointments and problems? It’s easy to get discouraged and have a sour outlook on life when we forget God’s love, God’s predestined plan and God’s promise. Believe God’s plan and trust God’s promise for with that promise founded in God’s eternal election, Christians are optimists.
St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, Pr. Kenneth Frey
Greg was good at raising money. He worked for a non-profit organization that helped disabled people. He raised a lot of money for his organization through his grant writing until he found out what was happening to the money. Thousands of dollars were not going where intended – to help those in need – but for the special expenses of the bosses. Greg quit.
Greg found a job with another non-profit organization in a different city. He did a good job raising money for them and then, it happened again. Monies missing or accounts doctored. He quit again, moved back home and is looking for other work. Oh, and did I tell you that he was in a car accident, had multiple injuries and now needs a cane to get around. What do you think about Greg’s outlook on life? Probably not the best.
For the last couple weeks we have been groaning with the Apostle Paul as he makes us face the reality of this sinful world. With that reality staring us in the face, do we, too, have a bad outlook on life? Are we sour pessimists? No. In fact, someone once said, Christians are optimists. How can that be with all the sin, suffering and sadness of this corrupted world? Paul tells us why today.
“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. 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.” Why can we be optimists? Because of God’s election. Look at what Paul says here. God foreknew us. This is more than knowledge, but a knowledge that involves a loving choice.
Because God loved us, he predestined us to be saved. That word, predestined, means to draw a line around something or to set it aside beforehand. When mom says that you can’t have a snack before dinner, you might call dibs on that last piece of pie in the fridge so nobody else gets it first. That’s what God did with us. He had his eye on us from before the creation of the world and so he marked us out for salvation. It was his purpose to save us.
Martin Luther said, “If there would not be this divine purpose, our salvation would rest on chance.” God loves us too much to leave that up to chance so he planned our salvation from eternity. Would you choose a spouse by pulling names out of a hat? No. You wouldn’t leave whom you are going to marry up to chance. God would not leave our relationship with him up to chance either. He loved us so much he had to predestine us.
What he predestined, he did. “And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” Notice the repetition. In this dramatic way, Paul is emphasizing that no one is lost between the eternal decree and the eternal ending. The very ones predestined are the very same ones glorified.
But that glory couldn’t happen without that middle step of justification. Justification is the judges decree that you are not guilty. We can be declared not guilty, only when our guilt has been taken away. So the cross of Jesus stands at the center of God’s predestined plan. God foreknew us as we are. He knew the sin that would be wrapped up in our DNA and show every day of our lives. But he still loved us and determined that we would spend eternity with him. To accomplish that plan meant the sacrifice of his son to pay for our sins. That’s how much he loved us. That’s how determined he was that we spend eternity with him. He did all that was necessary to secure our love, make us his own and bring us to glory.
What is that glory. It’s the redemption of our bodies from this corrupted, groaning world. It’s freedom from sin and death. It’s seeing God face to face. It’s paradise. It’s God’s goal for us.
Keep your eyes on the goal. We are going to heaven. Glory awaits. Yes, there is groaning now. Yes, there is suffering now. Yes, we get sick, loved ones die, sadness comes. Yes, we struggle with sin in our lives and we know that we are not the kind of people we should be. That is all true now. But then?
“Then the glory. Then the rest. Then the Sabbath peace unbroken. Then the garden. Then the throne. Then the crystal river flowing. Then the splendor. Then the life. Then the new creation singing. Then the marriage. Then the love. Then the feast of joy unending. Then the knowing. Then the light. Then the ultimate adventure. Then the Spirit’s harvest gathered. Then the Lamb in majesty. Then the Father’s Amen. Then. Then. Then.” (CW 218)
Then. But now? Now a creation groaning, hearts breaking, bodies aching. And yet, Christians are still optimists, not only about eternity, but about this life right now. Why?
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. Unfortunately, the NIV failed to translate one little word. Paul writes that God makes all things work together for our good. The point is that taken individually, the events and circumstances God allows may not, in and of themselves, appear to be of any value or good to the Christian. But Paul does not say that each event is good or even that each incident will produce that which is good. He informs us that all of the events, working together, produce what is good.
To illustrate, the ingredients which go into a cake are not very tasty when eaten individually. Flour, sugar, shortening, eggs, salt, baking powder, and spices are not something we want to eat one ingredient at a time. But mix all of these together in just the right proportions, and then bake the combined mixture, and you have a delicious treat. Each event in our life is like one ingredient in a cake. It may not seem good, by itself, but when mixed by God with other correct events, it will surely produce what is good.
God causes all things to “work together” for good. This means we cannot judge the goodness of God’s work until His program is finished. Have you ever been too hasty in testing the cake batter? Almost always the result is unsatisfactory. Until God’s recipe for our lives is complete, we dare not judge God’s cooking. We had best entrust ourselves to Him as the cook, knowing that He always blends the right ingredients, at the right time, in the right way, and in the right proportions.
What things work together? “All things,” he writes. God makes everything, including the sins of others and our own sins, works for our good. Not one thing falls outside of God’s control. At all times and in all circumstances, all things work together for good.
This good is not what many people think it is. It is not human happiness or absence of pain. The good is not even that we become a better person. The good he promises here is the eternal glory of the elect. And the fact that things work together means that they may not benefit you at all in this life. Your sickness or your job loss may be just one piece of the puzzle that works with others for the good of God’s elect. Aunt Eunice lying in a nursing home bed in the Alzheimer’s ward may seem pointless to us. We may wonder what good God is accomplishing for her by this. But it may not have anything to do with her, individually. It will, though, serve for the eternal glory of God’s elect. That is God’s promise here.
And that promise is certain, solid and sure. Why? Because it is founded in God’s eternal predestination. So Christians are optimists. We know everything will be made to fit God’s plan of bringing us to glory. He didn’t leave our salvation to chance. He loved us too much for that. So we can also be certain that God will make everything work for that purpose and plan.
Are you like Greg with a life full of disappointments and problems? It’s easy to get discouraged and have a sour outlook on life when we forget God’s love, God’s predestined plan and God’s promise. Believe God’s plan and trust God’s promise for with that promise founded in God’s eternal election, Christians are optimists.
St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, Pr. Kenneth Frey