Romans 8:28-30
28 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. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
True Christians live with a tension between their new identity in Jesus Christ, as being dead to sin and alive to God, and still dealing with their fallen nature, the flesh. In Christ Jesus, believers have ultimate victory over the flesh because God will ultimately deliver us from “the body of this death” (Romans 7:24). In Romans 8, the Apostle Paul wrote about all that God has done for the believer in Jesus Christ as they face an ongoing battle with sin. Jesus has delivered believers from sin’s penalty and power (Romans 8:1-4); given believers the Holy Spirit to guide, revive, and empower us (8:5-13); adopted believers as His children and promised that we are heirs with Christ (8:14-17); and promised eventual glory, including helping us in praying to that end (8:18-27).
Romans 8 is argued by many to be one of the greatest chapters in the Bible. Romans 8:28-39 is perhaps the greatest portion of that chapter in that it draws all of the things that Christ has done for the believer to a culminating conclusion. What is the end or completion of all that Christ has done and is doing for believers? Romans 8:28-39 looks at the truths of 8:1-27 in light of the perfect plan of God for His children. Verses 28-30 answer the question, “Just what is God doing in our lives now and from now until we reach eternity?” In Romans 8:28-30, Paul tells us three things that God’s plan is doing for believers.
First, God’s plan works for the good of His children. We look at our world and it is full of evil, sin, and all types of things that make life unpleasant. The beauty of God’s plan for the believer is that “all things work together for good.” Those that “love God” and are “the called according to His purpose” are His children. Our lives are not full of aimless happenings that are randomly occurring with no purpose. Instead, the affairs of our lives are ordered by a sovereign God who loves and cares for His own. For the believer, this brings assurance, peace, and comfort to us as we battle with sin and the flesh and as we face trials and sufferings of this life. We know that God ultimately has a purpose for those that are His to work those things for our good, not our detriment. The temptation we have when we face difficulty or failure is to think that, somehow, we are beyond help, God has forgotten us, or we’ve missed out on His good plan for our lives. The opposite is true. He is actually working “all things” (good and bad) “together for good.”
God’s plan also works for the sanctification of His children. The “good” of verse 28 is explained in verse 29 as being “conformed to the image His Son.” The purposes of God in our lives as Christians is to make us like Jesus. This does not in any sense mean that we will be God, but it means that God is setting us apart from sin (sanctification) for His glory. This process begins the very moment we believe and are born again and it ends when we are brought into His presence for eternity. God has predestined every believer to this end. We will be sanctified and conformed to the image of Jesus.
Additionally, God’s plan works for the glorification of His children. The glorification of the believer is when we are raised up with a new glorified body, like Jesus’ body, and are taken to be with Him forever (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). 1 John 3:2 tells us, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” Philippians 3:20-21 tells us, “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body.” Ultimately, God’s plan for the Christian will not be thwarted. Every Christian will be glorified.
Where does all of this leave us? In our present struggles and suffering we must be reminded that our salvation is in God’s hands, not ours. We are saved by grace through faith and God keeps us by His power (Ephesians 2:8; 1 Peter 1:5). Jude 24 promises, “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.” In Philippians 1:6 Paul promises, “he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” God will finish what He has started in the life of a Christian. “We are His workmanship” (Ephesians 2:10) and He is making us and molding us into the image of His Son. Are you trusting Him, today? Are you submitting to Him, today?