Can We Still Believe in Romans 8:28? Part 1

This lesson generated a great deal of discussion so this is what we covered in class.  Part 2 will be sent next week.

 

Can We Still Believe in Romans 8:28?

 “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. “

Do all things really work together for good? Consider the following.

·         A seemingly healthy 12-year-old girl develops severe migraine headaches. On Friday she is taken to the hospital; on Saturday she dies. Her father calls her “the sunshine of my life.”

·         A mother of 3 young children is working in front yard of a church and is killed by a by a man learning to drive.  This is what happened to our own Youth Pastor.

·         A policeman stops a man known to be a drug dealer. It happens on a busy down­town street and a crowd gathers to watch the unfolding drama. There is a struggle and somehow the drug deal­er grabs the officer’s gun and shoots him at point-blank range, in the face. The officer was in his early 20s.

Do all things work together for good? Do they? Can we still believe in Romans 8:28

 

Let us be honest and admit that we have at least two problems with these words by the apostle Paul.

1. They promise something we have trouble believing. Our text says, “we know that God causes everything to work together for the good”.  Paul, how can you be so sure about that? Most of us are not as sure as Paul was. We hope all things work together for good; we believe they do. But do we really know that to be true?

2. They include things that we think ought to be left out. When Paul says “that God causes everything to work together for the good,” that seems too definite for us. Everything? We might go far as to say that “some things” work together for good. We understand that out of dif­ficulty we learn great lessons of faith that cannot come any other way. Yes, some things clearly work together for good. But can we be sure it is really all things?

There are many who secretly doubt it. They hear this verse quoted, and instead of a soothing to the soul, it seems like a mocking, cruel joke.

They say, “What do you mean by good?”

- Sickness is not good.    
- Murder is not good.       
- A young mother’s untimely death is not good.
- The death of a child is not good.

This verse is sometimes misused by well-meaning Chris­tians who throw it in the face of those who are suffering as if it could answer every question of life. When it is misused that way, it produces an effect opposite to that intended by Paul.

But like it or not, it’s in the Bible. And it won’t go away. Which brings us back to the basic question: Can we still believe in Romans 8:28?

We will never properly understand this verse unless we understand that God is at work. God is there at the beginning, he is there at the end, and he is there at every point in between. God is at work. Not luck, or chance, or blind fate. And that answers the great question, “Where is God when it hurts? Is he there at the beginning, or is he there only at the end?” The answer is He was there before it all happened, he is there when it happens, and he is still there after it is all over. That forever puts an end to the happy-ever-afterism that says, “No matter what happens, God will turn a tragedy into a blessing.” That’s fine for fairy tales, but not for real life.

What do you say when a little child dies? Or when a cop is killed by a drug dealer? Or when a man dies on the mission field? Or when a woman is cheated out of her inheritance? Or when a loved relative dies of from a sudden heart attack? It is hard to see how these things are good.

When we look at these situations, we must at all costs resist the cheap explanation. It’s too quick, too easy. Sometimes tragedies happen and well-meaning people say, “That’s not a tragedy. It only looks that way. Just have faith.” If you believe that tragedy is not really tragedy, you will probably lose your faith altogether.

The point is, we must see the active involvement of God. What happens to you and to me is not the mechanical turning of some impersonal wheel. It is not fate or kismet or karma or luck. God is actively at work in our life!

Is Paul saying, “Whatever happens is good"? No.
Is he saying that suffering and evil and tragedy are good? No.
Is he saying everything will work out if we just have enough faith? No.
Is he saying that we will understand why God allowed tragedy to come? No.

What, then, is he saying? He is erecting a sign over the unexplainable mysteries of life, a sign that reads, “Quiet. God at work.” How? We’re not always sure.

Little children will often be afraid at night. They are scared because they can’t see in the darkness. They cry out until at last Daddy comes. He sits on the bed and takes them in his arms and holds them and says, “Don’t be afraid. I’m right here with you." The fear goes away when Daddy comes. Even so, the darkness of life frightens us until we dis­cover that our heavenly Father is there. The darkness is still dark, but he is there, and that makes all the difference.

 
Lesson continues next week.