Romans 8:28 - When Evil Strikes, God Still Writes The Story - Famous Verses

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What does it really mean when Scripture says "all things work together for good"? Diving deep into Romans 8:28, we unpack one of the Bible's most quoted yet frequently misunderstood promises.

This powerful verse doesn't claim everything that happens is good. Rather, it reveals God's remarkable ability to weave even life's darkest threads into a tapestry of redemption. The promise comes with important qualifications – it's specifically for "those who love God" and are "called according to his purpose." This isn't a universal guarantee but a profound assurance for believers committed to Christ's kingdom.

Romans 8:28 offers a perspective to the age-old question: if God is good, why does evil exist? While not providing a complete answer, it assures us that God's sovereignty operates even amid evil's worst expressions. Jesus demonstrated this at the cross when the greatest evil – the murder of God's innocent Son – became the greatest victory over sin and Satan. Similarly, Joseph's journey from betrayal to Egypt's leadership showcases how God transforms human evil into salvation for many.

The beauty of this promise isn't that we'll avoid suffering, but that nothing we experience falls outside God's redemptive capabilities. When we surrender to God rather than fear, we participate in His work of transformation. What's your Romans 8:28 story? Where have you seen God working through difficult circumstances? Share your experience and join the conversation about God's sovereign goodness.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:15):
Grace and peace to you in the name of God, our
Father, and our Lord and Savior,jesus Christ.
And today's famous verse isRomans 8.28, which reads and we
know that, for those who loveGod, all things work together
for good for those who arecalled according to his purpose.

(00:46):
This verse follows passages thattalk about how the Holy Spirit
intercedes for the believer whenwe're too weak ourselves to
even know what to pray.
And we're told here in Romans8.28, two very specific things
about the people this passage isspeaking or referring to.
First, these are people thatlove God, or, in other words,

(01:07):
these are people that arebelievers in the Messiah, jesus
Christ.
The second thing we know aboutthese people is that they're
called according to his purpose.
About these people is thatthey're called according to his
purpose.
Now, the purpose of God hasalways been about furthering his
kingdom and the message ofJesus Christ.

(01:28):
So the people this passage isreferring to are those who are
faithful to the purpose of God'skingdom, to the purpose of
God's kingdom.
And Romans 8.28 says that allthings work together for good.
Some other manuscripts say Godworks all things together for
good, or even God works in allthings for good.

(01:57):
You know one of the most askedtheological questions throughout
all of history is that if Godis good, why does evil exist?
And this passage here in Romans8.28 gives us some insight into
the answer.
The scripture here isn't sayingthat everything that happens

(02:19):
comes from God, nor is it sayingthat everything that happens is
good.
Rather, we're told thateverything that happens will
work together for good, just asthe verses prior to this implied
.
When we are weak, the HolySpirit of God is interceding for
us.
You see, god has a plan in themiddle of our pain.

(02:44):
In God's sovereignty and in hisperfect foreknowledge of
everything that would everhappen, he has a very specific
plan so that everything, eventhe rebellious and evil things,

(03:09):
that God does not tempt anyone,nor can God be tempted.
Yet we know that God knowseverything.
He knows everything that willever happen, even before it
happens.
Titus 1.2 also tells us thatGod cannot lie and he hates

(03:30):
false testimony.
Yet we see all over our worldthat God has allowed lies and
liars to persist.
What Romans 8.28 teaches us isthat we can be certain, even in
the middle of this cursed andevil world, that God is going to

(03:51):
use everything to bring hischildren to a saving knowledge
of the truth and to work outtheir salvation.
Our Lord and Savior, jesusChrist, gave us the greatest
example of this when he went tothe cross according to God's
perfect, preordained plan, andthere he was crucified at the

(04:14):
hands of evil men.
Yet in that very moment whenevil thought it had won, god
glorified his Son and destroyedthe power of sin and Satan, and
three days later Jesus Christrose from the grave, declaring
the greatest victory in all ofcreation.

(04:37):
Another example of this inscripture is how Jacob's son,
joseph, had brothers that justhated him and they wanted to
kill him, but they ended upselling him into slavery.
Joseph was later tempted andaccused of immorality with
Potiphar's wife, and then he wasunjustly thrown into prison.

(05:00):
Yet through all of this, godhad a plan to save the nation of
Israel by one day exaltingJoseph over all of Egypt so that
he would be only second to thePharaoh.
And Joseph explained it to hisbrothers this way In Genesis

(05:20):
50-20, he said as for you, youmeant evil against me, but God
meant it for good, to bring itabout that many people should be
kept alive, as they are today.
You see, when Joseph tells hisbrothers this, he is very clear

(05:41):
that his brothers were indeedsinning against him and they
were committing evil.
Joseph in this moment is infact encouraging his brothers to
begin trusting the Lord and tostop looking to the things of
this earth as their finaltreasure.
But Joseph lets his brothersknow that, even though they

(06:01):
planned all of that for evilagainst him, god, in his, his
sovereignty, had a greater plan,a plan where he would use
Joseph and Joseph's faith in Godfor a kingdom that cannot be
thwarted or put down.
You see, my brothers andsisters, when we walk in faith,

(06:22):
surrendering ourselves to thefear of the Lord rather than to
the fear of men, we can beconfident that God will be
working all things together forour good, because we have been
called according to his purpose.
Thank you for joining me andGod bless you this week.