Romans 8:28 is one of God's greatest promises: And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.We've looked at the promise from several angles: who does the Lord mean to include in the promise? What makes "all things work together for good? How does God define "good?" And last time, "How much of life does the promise actually cover?"
Today, as my last post in this series, I want to talk about The Certainty of the Promise: Or to put it as a question, How sure can I be?
This promise says something very profound. It begins with the words And we know...We (those who love and follow Christ) know something for sure. Everything we've looked at about the promise - its power and scope and meaning - is included in this personal, powerful statement. We know this is all true!
In Greek there are a couple different ways of “knowing.” One refers to experiential knowledge - becoming convinced because you went through it. The other kind of knowledge is about certainty, deep in your heart, without necessarily have experienced it. Romans 8:28 is about the second kind, the intuitive, "I know this in my heart" kind of knowing.
So the certainty of this promise doesn't come from experience. Unless you could personally go through all the challenges and trials of your life and witness the plan of God at the end, you'd never "know" this to be true. So where does the conviction come from, the certainty that Romans 8:28 is true, and true for me?
The certainty of Romans 8:28, and really every other promise in God's word, comes from a deep Christ-centered view of life. And that comes, at least in part, from saturating our minds with the truth of the Bible. The "and we know" of Romans 8:28 is built on everything else Paul has said about our sovereign God in Romans 1:1 - 8:27, and everything he says after it, from 8:29 to the end.
It is the certainty that God is God, just as the Bible portrays Him. God's promises are all rooted in the character of God as He is revealed in the pages of Scripture and in the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior.
And not only that, but our certainty comes from the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who helps us as we study, meditate, and try to obey God's word. He gives us assurance.
But let's be clear: Romans 8:28 is not true because I believe it, but because God promised it. And there will be times when our hearts are hurting or our minds are clouded. God's promise is still true for every Christian in all circumstances for all time.
We need not be afraid to pray, like the father of the demonized boy, "I believe. But help my unbelief."
In the end, we come to rest in the truth that our God is strong even when we are weak, that His ways are best even when we cannot understand them, and that there is a glorious end to all things that redeems all our suffering and sin, and transforms it, and us, into eternal good, the good of being like our Savior and enjoying Him forever.
It is the certainty that God is God, just as the Bible portrays Him. God's promises are all rooted in the character of God as He is revealed in the pages of Scripture and in the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior.
And not only that, but our certainty comes from the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who helps us as we study, meditate, and try to obey God's word. He gives us assurance.
But let's be clear: Romans 8:28 is not true because I believe it, but because God promised it. And there will be times when our hearts are hurting or our minds are clouded. God's promise is still true for every Christian in all circumstances for all time.
We need not be afraid to pray, like the father of the demonized boy, "I believe. But help my unbelief."
In the end, we come to rest in the truth that our God is strong even when we are weak, that His ways are best even when we cannot understand them, and that there is a glorious end to all things that redeems all our suffering and sin, and transforms it, and us, into eternal good, the good of being like our Savior and enjoying Him forever.
