What Romans 8:28 Does–and Does Not–Say

There is no way for me to know how many times I have heard Romans 8:28 quoted or read. It simply has to be one of the most well-known and beloved verses in the New Testament. In that great verse, Paul wrote, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose” (ESV).

That verse is packed with meaning, and there is no way in a short post to unpack it all. However, for some people, that verse has turned into something that turns them off of following Christ and trusting in God.

The reason is simple: they have taken this great promise and, in their minds, twisted it to say something it does not state.

An Easy Life?

Too many people feel that, when one becomes a Christian, God will remove all their problems. They may not state it that strongly, but some feel that, if they are striving to be faithful, they will face a fairly easy life.

They are much like the Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, the three friends who came to comfort the Old Testament patriarch Job. If you are familiar with that 42-chapter book, you remember how, for chapter after chapter, these “friends” attempted to get Job to admit to whatever wrongdoing he had committed to “earn” or “deserve” the severe punishment he was going through.

Implied in their statements, then, is the opposite: if one is faithful to the Lord, everything goes well. Life is quite easy because we are faithful and God makes everything work out well.

That’s Not Romans 8:28

That concept, however, it not what Romans 8:28 teaches. Not at all!

Paul did not write that everything that happens in the life of a faithful Christian is good. Christians face bad and difficult things throughout their days.

Sickness is bad.

A child dying is bad.

Bankruptcy is bad.

Job loss is bad.

Divorce is bad

And, virtually every day, Christians face these things, along with countless other negative situations.

It is then that people look at verses like Romans 8:28 and can get angry with God. In their minds, they think that God has promised that everything in life will be good.

It Works for God’s Ultimate Good

Instead, we need to see Romans 8:28 for what it says, both itself as well as in its context. When we do, it really gives an even deeper and greater meaning to this concept.

Earlier in the context, Paul famously wrote, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). Paul is admitting that even faithful people suffer. That is the context; the foundation of this section!

In fact, creation itself suffers at times (verses 20 and 22), so we see suffering and difficulty all about us.

However, we have hope because God adopts us into His family (verse 23), and “In this hope we are saved” (v.24).

In that state of salvation, we can make it through sufferings because the “Spirit helps us in our weakness” (v.25). Again, we are weak at times. Not everything is good, but God provides help through struggles.

It is with that as the background that Paul writes the great promise of Romans 8:28: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”

Paul is not saying that everything is good. He is saying that our Lord is powerful enough to work everything–even every struggle–to weave together a grander good, one that is to God’s ultimate glory.

“When I Am Weak…”

It brings to mind something else Paul wrote. To the church at Corinth, he said that he pleaded with the Lord to remove a “thorn in the flesh,” but the Lord did not take it away. Why? Because Christ said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

And Paul got it. He understood. Reacting to that, he ended that section with some of the most powerful words found in the New Testament: “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (emphasis added, 2 Corinthians 12:10).

Look to the Ultimate Glory

You may not see the good in every situation; at least, not right away. Not every situation is good. That’s not what Romans 8:28 says.

But we serve a God who is in control of it all. We serve a God who is powerful enough to weave together a bigger and grander story than we could ever imagine. And, yes, even our weaknesses and struggles can play a part in that bigger story.

So trust Him, that He will work it all out for His ultimate good…

…and for your soul’s eternal good, as well.

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:31, 37)

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AUTHOR: Adam Faughn