Good in all things....really?

Romans 8:28-end

This chapter has more “power verses” than any other single chapter in the Bible. There is no condemnation for those in Christ…All those led by God’s Spirit are sons…we’ve received the spirit of adoption by which cry out Abba Father…these present suffering do not compare to the future glory…all things work together for the good of those…If God is for us who can be against us…Who can separate us from the love of Christ…We are more than conquerors…” all of these statements are in this chapter. We’re going to cover a few of them tonight.

V28
First let’s dissect the verse exegetically. Some translations import “God” into the first phrase so it reads, “In all things God works for the good of those who love him.” The most literal rendering is, “We know that towards the ones loving God all is acting together into the good of the ones…” So the most honest way to read this is, “All things work together towards the good of those who love God and…”
This raises a question among theologians. What or who is the subject of the working? Some assert it is the Holy Spirit (v26), others that it is the Father (27b) and others that it is just “all things”. The answer to this theological conundrum is…it doesn’t really matter. The most literal understanding of the wording is that “all things” is the subject, that it is the “all things” that are doing the working. But it doesn’t really matter because it is only the Holy Spirit, acting to fulfill the will of the Father, which can cause all things to work for our good.
Who does this promise apply to? Those who love God and who are called according to His purpose. Paul describes the recipients of this promise from a human perspective and from God’s perspective. Paul simply means God’s people. Paul is not saying “…good for those who love God enough.” Simply, if you love God, you are part of this.

Now let’s get to the dirty real life part. Really Paul? All things work for the good of those who love God?
-In Africa a 13 year old girl who recently put her faith in Jesus is kidnapped and rapped because of superstitious beliefs about how to get rid of AIDS, she simultaneously contracts HIV and gets pregnant.
-A baby is born missing most of his brain. He has enough brain stem to keep organs going but is completely comatose. Drs say he will die in days. Somehow he lives for several months causing prolonged suffering and attachment before he dies.
-A guy loves God with all his heart. He feels called to take the gospel to the poorest villages in China. He’s in seminary preparing to go when one day his wife walks in and says she’s been cheating and is leaving him.
Are these situations good?

-This verse sounds good when you need something Bible-y to say when you find out someone isn’t doing well. But if you’re like me, then you really have a hard time with this verse. Most of us have at least two problems with this statement: 1 he’s too dogmatic. “We know”. Do we? Paul doesn’t say hopefully or we think. We’re supposed to know. 2 he’s too inclusive. All things. We can be fairly certain that God uses some situations for good. But all things? Can we really say that we know that God works all things for good?

What adds to my difficulty with this verse are bad experiences with people misusing this verse to paint a “Christian life is perfect” picture. Sometimes very well meaning, but very wrong people misunderstand this verse and misuse it to insinuate the only reason God allows bad things to happen is to clear the way for something better right around the corner. “You lost your job? No worries. All things work for the good, so that means a better job is coming. Oh, you just got dumped? Well, God has someone better for you right around the corner.”

The key to interpreting and understanding this verse lies in understanding one word: “good”. What does Paul mean by good? The problem is our culture has come to understand “good” as pleasurable. Whatever is quick, easy, feels good, makes you happy, gets you profit, relieves stress, takes away pain…this is good. But this is not the biblical meaning of good.
In ancient Jewish culture (and in many modern cultures other than ours) good is not that which is pleasurable or happy, it is whatever results in quality of character or being a better person. In Paul’s theology, good is whatever results in God being glorified. John Piper speaks powerfully on this and says, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him" and, “God created us for this: to live our lives in a way that makes him look more like the greatness and the beauty and the infinite worth that he really is.”
If I only value and treasure Jesus as long as the prosperity train is rolling, then odds are I don’t really love Jesus so much as what he gives. If I continue to love Jesus in the midst of adversity and suffering then there is no doubt Jesus, not gifts, is our ultimate treasure. That is good.
So, when I understand “good” not as whatever is pleasurable and easy, but as whatever makes me the person God desires and whatever helps me reveal Jesus as my ultimate treasure, I can say confidently that God works in all things for the good of those who love Him.