Rom 8:28-39 | KingComments | STEP | . There are only three verses this time. They are so full of blessings that you must read them carefully and let them speak to you. Again this portion starts with “we know” (see ). It indicates a contrast with . There it said we don’t know how to pray. If you feel in your body and spirit how much everything is corrupted by sin, it results in a sense of powerlessness, of not being able to cope. It could even make you feel depressed, but then come those encouraging words “we know”. This is the language of faith. If you see everything around you decaying and that your body is so vulnerable, you may know that “all things … work together for good to those who love God”. What a rich comfort to know God is above all change. He even uses it to make those who are His own richer, that is, richer in their life of faith. Haven’t you experienced that when something miserable happened to you, it brought you nearer to God? Notice “those who love God”. It’s not true to say that all things work together for good. You can only say that if you love God . Your love of God will affect you so you will not doubt Him, even with the disappointments that will come in your life. He really makes everything work together for good. This doesn’t allow for any exceptions. Would it hold as well for the sins you do? Yes! Peter experienced this. Three times he denied the Lord. He repented of it and thus received forgiveness. This is a necessity, but as a result of this he came to love the Lord Jesus more when he saw the Lord hadn’t let go of him. He had a better understanding of himself and of the Lord. But in the first place, “all things” have to do with everyday life. God makes all things that take place in it to work together for good. He uses all things, including sickness, joblessness, poverty, disability, an accident, even death to loosen you from the things around you and to direct your desire to eternal things. How real are those eternal things to you? Do you know that in eternity past God had the purpose of calling you? God was thinking of you long before you came into being. . What is written in is called “the golden chain”. This chain consists of the following five links: 1. foreknown, 2. predestined, 3. called, 4. justified and 5. glorified. He knew you all along as someone for whom He had a magnificent destination in mind. Isn’t it wonderful that He wants to transform you into the image of His Son? This is incredible, but God says it is so. He had this idea when nothing had yet been created and when sin had not yet entered the world. And what God thinks of and says, He will do. He is able to make people who are nothing but poor, tiny, rebellious, lost creatures look like His Son. This makes an enormous change in their situation. This change has come through what the Lord Jesus has done. Therefore, among all those people who are like Him, He will have the first place, the place of honor and respect. This is what matters to God. He wants His Son to be the radiant center of all the redeemed ones, among whom you may count yourself. . What becomes clear to you through these verses is that God works according to His own purposes. What you have done as a sinner isn’t mentioned in these verses. You can have a look into God’s heart here, knowing He doesn’t lose control of anything, even if everything around you seems contrary to this. He has a purpose with your life and He will reach it. In you can see how He reaches this purpose. You can see what He has done. He destined you for this purpose (from ) before you were even born. When you were born you turned out to be a sinner who couldn’t participate in God’s glory. Then God called you to Himself to make clear He didn’t want you to perish. Instead of perishing, He had a plan to which you belonged. He couldn’t execute that plan with you being as you were. Therefore He justified you. In the previous chapters of Romans you have read about this. You are someone who belongs to God because everything of you that didn’t belong to God has been put away by the work of the Lord Jesus. In its place you have received the new life that is at home with God. And to make this complete, God sees you as glorified. To Him, it is already finished. What God purposes to do will happen. If He is the Guarantor, would you doubt the outcome? Now read Romans 8:28-30 again. Reflection: Thank God for His counsel.

‏ Romans 8:28-39

Called According to God’s Purpose

Rom 8:28. There are only three verses this time. They are so full of blessings that you must read them carefully and let them speak to you.

Again this portion starts with “we know” (see Rom 8:22). It indicates a contrast with Rom 8:26. There it said we don’t know how to pray. If you feel in your body and spirit how much everything is corrupted by sin, it results in a sense of powerlessness, of not being able to cope. It could even make you feel depressed, but then come those encouraging words “we know”. This is the language of faith. If you see everything around you decaying and that your body is so vulnerable, you may know that “all things … work together for good to those who love God”.

What a rich comfort to know God is above all change. He even uses it to make those who are His own richer, that is, richer in their life of faith. Haven’t you experienced that when something miserable happened to you, it brought you nearer to God? Notice “those who love God”. It’s not true to say that all things work together for good. You can only say that if you love God.

Your love of God will affect you so you will not doubt Him, even with the disappointments that will come in your life. He really makes everything work together for good. This doesn’t allow for any exceptions. Would it hold as well for the sins you do? Yes! Peter experienced this. Three times he denied the Lord. He repented of it and thus received forgiveness. This is a necessity, but as a result of this he came to love the Lord Jesus more when he saw the Lord hadn’t let go of him. He had a better understanding of himself and of the Lord.

But in the first place, “all things” have to do with everyday life. God makes all things that take place in it to work together for good. He uses all things, including sickness, joblessness, poverty, disability, an accident, even death to loosen you from the things around you and to direct your desire to eternal things.

How real are those eternal things to you? Do you know that in eternity past God had the purpose of calling you? God was thinking of you long before you came into being.

Rom 8:29. What is written in Rom 8:29-30 is called “the golden chain”. This chain consists of the following five links:

1. foreknown,

2. predestined,

3. called,

4. justified and

5. glorified.

He knew you all along as someone for whom He had a magnificent destination in mind. Isn’t it wonderful that He wants to transform you into the image of His Son? This is incredible, but God says it is so. He had this idea when nothing had yet been created and when sin had not yet entered the world. And what God thinks of and says, He will do.

He is able to make people who are nothing but poor, tiny, rebellious, lost creatures look like His Son. This makes an enormous change in their situation. This change has come through what the Lord Jesus has done. Therefore, among all those people who are like Him, He will have the first place, the place of honor and respect. This is what matters to God. He wants His Son to be the radiant center of all the redeemed ones, among whom you may count yourself.

Rom 8:30. What becomes clear to you through these verses is that God works according to His own purposes. What you have done as a sinner isn’t mentioned in these verses. You can have a look into God’s heart here, knowing He doesn’t lose control of anything, even if everything around you seems contrary to this. He has a purpose with your life and He will reach it. In Rom 8:30 you can see how He reaches this purpose. You can see what He has done.

He destined you for this purpose (from Rom 8:29) before you were even born. When you were born you turned out to be a sinner who couldn’t participate in God’s glory. Then God called you to Himself to make clear He didn’t want you to perish. Instead of perishing, He had a plan to which you belonged.

He couldn’t execute that plan with you being as you were. Therefore He justified you. In the previous chapters of Romans you have read about this. You are someone who belongs to God because everything of you that didn’t belong to God has been put away by the work of the Lord Jesus. In its place you have received the new life that is at home with God. And to make this complete, God sees you as glorified. To Him, it is already finished. What God purposes to do will happen. If He is the Guarantor, would you doubt the outcome?

Now read Romans 8:28-30 again.

Reflection: Thank God for His counsel.

God Is for You!

Rom 8:31. You have just read a powerful final note. Paul reached it because he was so impressed by everything God had done. He has explained all of this in the previous chapters. If you let this speak to you, you can only come to the same exclamation: “What then shall we say to these things?” God Himself is for us. Maybe you have doubted this. You knew the Lord Jesus died for your sins and that God couldn’t punish you anymore. In itself, this was a great relief. Despite this, you were still somewhat afraid of God, the stern Judge Who was against you. But now you have seen the opposite is true.

Rom 8:32. God has made everything right by giving His Son so you could be saved. There was no clearer way for Him to prove His love for you. And even this is not all. With His Son, God will “freely give us all things”. You will share with the Lord Jesus everything God has given Him as the wages of His work. Now this is something!

Rom 8:33. Is anyone left, man or angel, who wants to lift an accusing finger against you? God defends your cause. You are someone He has elected to have with Him. He is the One Who justifies. He acquits you because He sees you in Christ.

Rom 8:34. Hence, no one can condemn you because Christ has died for your sins. And “yes, rather”, or more than that, He has been raised for your justification. Christ is in heaven now, and God has given Him the place of honor, at His right hand. Christ has gained the victory and has received the reward that belongs to Him.

But this doesn’t mean He is there doing nothing. He is committed to those who are His and are still here on earth, by praying for them. He speaks continually with God about you because He knows from His own experience how difficult it is to live in a world where God and His Word are not respected. Everything you experience He knows from experience, apart from sin. He can sympathize with you because He has not forgotten what He endured while He was living here.

Rom 8:35-37. No matter how much you suffer, nothing can separate you “from the love of Christ”. His love goes out to you more and more when you are oppressed or persecuted because you follow Him and do His will. His love enables you to go straight through all dangers and conquer them. You belong to those who “overwhelmingly conquer”. You are a conqueror who gives all honor to Him who loves you.

Rom 8:38-39. So, with the fullest certainty you can say that nothing can separate you “from the love of God”. “Death” cannot separate you from the love of God. If you died you would go immediately to the Lord Jesus in Whom God’s love has come to you. “Life” cannot separate you from the love of God. All the problems, troubles and cares you experience in your life give God occasion to make you experience His love. Neither are “angels” able to separate you from the love of God. The devil is a powerful prince of the angels who rebelled against God and dragged other angels with him in that rebellion. They are always trying to create a separation between you and the love of God, but they are conquered enemies. They have been defeated by the Lord Jesus and they are subject to Him.

The same is true for the “principalities” or governments. They can make life difficult by proclaiming laws that believers cannot keep because those laws hinder them in serving God. Neither can all sorts of “things present” or “things to come” separate you from the love of God. You may hear of catastrophes in nature or of threatening wars. It shouldn’t make you worry. God’s love will stay with you. “Powers” may make you think of spiritual powers that in a shrewd way try to undermine your faith so you start to doubt the truth. God’s love is always greater.

Don’t be fooled by “height”, the achievements of man who in his arrogance tries to climb higher and higher in many fields. God’s love towers far above all that. Christ Jesus our Lord is ascended above all the heavens (Eph 4:10). There, as Conqueror, He has taken His place at God’s right hand.

Can “depth”, a deep fall, separate you from the love of God? However deep you have fallen, even there, God’s love is present. The love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord, descended to you when you were a miserable fallen creature. He descended even deeper than that into judgment for your sins. These struck Christ in full wrath and laid Him in the dust of death. God did this to lift you up and bring you to His heart.

There is not “any other created thing” that has the ability to separate you from the love of God for poor, lost sinners that has become visible in a surpassing way in Christ Jesus.

Take your time now to thank and praise God and the Lord Jesus. They are worthy of it because everything has come from Them.

Now read Romans 8:31-39 again.

Reflection: Sing a song of victory to God’s glory!