Come on Now! Do ALL Things Really Work Together for Good?

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God  (Romans 8:28a)

Come on now! Do ALL things really work together for good? It doesn’t seem that way … does it? Well, first we need to understand what it means to truly love God. That is who “everything is working together for good” for. The Bible says…

“Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” (John 14:21)

“Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” (John 14:23)

“For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3)

Pretty straightforward measure I would say…wouldn’t you? Do you have a desire to keep all the Lord’s commands, repenting on failure?

“I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2)

If you continuously want to obey God, then you could definitively know that you love God. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). But also know we are human. When we sin, which we most definitely will (Rom 3:23), then Jesus Christ becomes 100% necessary…

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Practicing righteousness is this…being obedient to God’s commands, in combination with repenting upon failure. Godly conviction brings repentance that leads to deliverance without regret (2 Cor 7:10a). “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance (Rom 2:4)?”

So let me ask you this…are you willing to try to keep ALL of God’s commandments found in the inerrant Word of God, also known as the Bible? Or maybe you find God’s instructions oppressive, not really interested in keeping them, or simply picking and choosing what you like and disregarding what you personally do not care for? Do you simply refuse to repent for your sin, finding it unnecessary and burdensome? Well, if you meet any of these criteria, know all things will NOT work together for good – at least for you.

Jesus Christ is the forgiver of sin. This is “because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood. Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them” (Heb 7:24-25).

OK now…if you nail down that you truly love God according to the Truth above, why might it still “seem” like that all things are not working together for good in your life? If you asked/thought this, I’m glad you did. It is a great question. You see, Romans 8:28 does not standalone. It is connected to verse 29.  Let’s read it in context, including verse 29…

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son”  (Romans 8:28-29a)

So what is the goal of “all things working together for good?” Well, it is a divine molding process that God calls you to be part of, for His purpose and according to His plan. And when something is getting molded, does it usually tickle, or is it commonly painful? Ever hear of growing pains? Check out someone making pottery to see how clay is manipulated, sometimes even having to get mashed down many times over before it gets to the beautiful form it is ultimately created to be. The Scripture uses this analogy, making God (Himself) the “Potter” and humans the “clay”…

“But now, O LORD, You are our Father, we are the clay, and You our potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand.”  (Isaiah 64:8)“On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?” (Romans 9:20)

What is the ultimate accomplishment of God’s molding?

The answer: glorification! Glorification is God’s final removal of sin from everyone who receives the gift of eternal life. Glorification is the process by which a person is ultimately made into the image of God’s Son. Let’s look at Romans 8:28-30 now, in its full context…

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.  (Romans 8:28-30)

So are “all things really working together for good for those that love God?”

Yes! Ultimately, true sons and daughters of God, His children, will be perfected (glorified) and all things will be made perfect. To be His child is pretty straightforwardly defined in the Bible, “But as many as received Him [Christ], to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). And an eternal perspective is mandatory to properly comprehend how all things are actually working together for good.

What is life like at our ultimate destination, once removed from this earth, when we dwell with the Lord forever and ever? It is absolutely glorious!!!

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.” (Revelation 21:1-7)

Now going back to worldly thinking, honestly, while we are dwelling on this sinful earth, will we fully experience what it will be like in the upcoming perfect New Heaven and Earth? The answer is a resounding “no.” Think of current conditions as training, like God’s “boot camp”…consisting of you being molded, culminating in your being made perfect, and ultimately resulting in your residing in a perfect eternity, dwelling with a Perfect God, forever and ever. Hallelujah!

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”  (James 1:2-4)

Confidently know this…when the molding and trials are over…WOW! The ultimate results will far exceed our greatest expectations by far, that is, only for those who love God. For those who don’t, I am sorry to say…the news and your ending will honestly not be a good one. L   I highly recommend rectifying this as fast as you possibly can.  You can do so quickly – and you could do so before it is too late. “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).

Heaven is the dwelling place of God (2 Chronicles 30:27) where Jesus has gone to “prepare a place” for those who love Him (John 14:2). Hell was created for “the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). But because every human being is a sinner, every person past the age of accountability has already been condemned to hell (Romans 3:10; 5:12; John 3:18). We all deserve hell as the just punishment for our rebellion against God (Romans 6:23).

Jesus was clear that “no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:3). He was also clear that hell is an eternal punishment for those who do not obey Him (Matthew 25:46). Second Thessalonians 1:8–9 says that in the end God “will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.”

John 3:18 explains in the simplest terms who will go to heaven and who will go to hell: “Whoever believes in Him [Christ] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” So, those who go to hell are specifically those who do not believe in Jesus’ name. To “believe” goes beyond a mental recognition of the truth. To believe in Christ for salvation requires a transfer of allegiance. We stop worshiping ourselves, we forsake our sin, and we begin to worship God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Matthew 22:36–37; Mark 12:30). 

God desires that every person spend eternity with Him (Matthew 18:14; 2 Peter 3:9), but He honors our free will (John 4:14). Anyone who so desires can go to heaven (John 1:12). Jesus already paid the price for our salvation, but we must accept that gift and transfer ownership of our lives to Him (Luke 9:23). Heaven is perfect, and God cannot take anyone there who insists on holding on to his or her sin. We must allow Him to cleanse us of our sin and make us righteous in His sight (2 Corinthians 5:21). 

John 1:10–12 shows us the problem and the solution: “He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God.”

We can choose to trust in Jesus’ payment for our sin, or we can choose to pay for our sins ourselves—but we must remember that the payment for our sin is hell [taken from: https://www.gotquestions.org/who-will-go-to-hell.html] – and then ultimately, eternity spent in the everlasting lake of fire.

For those who would like instructions on how to be saved, so that you can know all things are working together for good for you now, and eternally, please click on this link: http://crustore.org/fourlawseng.htm