No. 29. >> Romans 8:28 has always been one of my favorite Bible verses. It is interesting to read it now in context. I know some see this as a guarantee to the Christian of wealth and prosperity in this earthly life. But I don't think that is what Paul means at all. Would you please comment on this verse? >>PROFESSOR DAVID I. M. LEWIS: Yeah, thank you, Eric, for that question. And Romans 8:28 I know was a favorite verse of many people that I ministered to in Crescent City when I was a pastor there. Saying this was one verse everybody knew and everybody loved. And because this verse is often memorized simply Romans 8:28 it's often memorized out of context. So I think it's very key for us to read this verse in context considering what is said before Romans 8:28 and what comes after. So let's go back to Romans 8:26. We've just finished this section where we've heard about creation groaning waiting for the revelation of the sons of light and also we ourselves grow inwardly as we wait for the redemption of our bodies. Paul continues in Romans 8:26: Likewise the Spirit help us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words. And he who searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. Then we have the verse that you have brought up: And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son in order that he might be the first born among many brothers. And those whom he predestined, he also called. And those whom he called, he also justified. And those whom he justified, he also glorified. And so in what way is it then that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose? Well that's explained actually in Verses 29 through 30 where Paul outlines God's plan for us. That he foreknew us, predestined us to be conformed to the image of his Son. I think that happens now in the Spirit led life and in our participation in Christ's death and resurrection in this life. But it's ultimately fulfilled in the resurrection of the body and the glorification of our bodies on the last day. And then those he predestined, he called. Those he called, he justified. Those he justified, he glorified. And so this is the way in which all things work together for the good of those who love God who are called according to his purpose. In other words, when Paul is considering how all things work together for the good, Paul again is thinking here cosmically. He's thinking about God's plans for us and where those plans are going to end up. And where do those plans end up? Well, they end up first on this side of eternity with this baptized Spirit filled life, this new life we have now. But the ultimate consummation is in the resurrection of the body. And so when you have the resurrection of the body in mind, then you truly know that all things work together for the good of those who love God. And now keeping this within the wider context of Romans 8, we see that Paul is talking about how this present life is a life of suffering. In other words, we get sick. We get weak. We face death. We have loved ones who get sick and who do die. We suffer many things. What is more, because we are Christians, the devil wages a spiritual war against us. And in fact we may face hostility from the world. Persecution. Even death itself. And creation itself groans as it's been subjected to futility, death and decay. In other words, Paul is explaining reality. That this earthly life is in many ways a very frustrating life filled with suffering. We do face dangers. Nevertheless, Paul says very clearly: All things work together for the good of those who love God. And so even in the midst of suffering and persecution, the Christian is the hope that in everything God is working for his good. And so this is where Paul brings out another work of the Holy Spirit in us, something that we should actually thank God for. Is that in the midst of this suffering, when we want to pray to God but we can't even think of what to ask him, this is where the Spirit that he's given us actually takes over and prays to God in us, through us and for us. He intercedes for us. So that when we are at that point where there's nothing we can say, the Spirit that God has given us takes over and he speaks to God with sighs that words cannot even express. And that he's here with us even praying with us and praying for us and we're in the midst of this suffering that we will face in this earthly life. So it's in the context of this reality, a creation that is groaning, waiting for its redemption. With us, the sons of light, who are groaning, waiting for the redemption of our bodies for the resurrection with the Spirit who is in us keeping us in this faith and even praying for us. And with the promise of the resurrection that Paul says Romans 8:28: All things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. And what is his purpose? To conform us to the image of his Son, Jesus Christ. Which means that a Christian will believe this even if they are suffering. Even if they've got cancer. Even if they are being persecuted by their faith. Nevertheless, they would confess Romans 8:28: All things work together for my good. We know this in a general sense because we know generally where God is going to conclude the story. The story ends when we are conformed to the image of his Son. Ultimately in the resurrection of the body. Now, the actual specifics how that works out in our life Paul does not detail. And very often we don't know. A lot of that is for God to know. When exactly I'm to leave this earthly life, when I'm to die, I don't want to know that. That's for God to know. And I trust that he will be with me through all things. Nevertheless, you know, the joys and the sorrows that I face in this life, I face in the Holy Spirit with this promise that all things will work for my good. And then this becomes a promise that we can share with our people. And I would say especially when they are experiencing sorrows and suffering and loss and maybe persecution. That is when we can bring this verse out and commend them to the Holy Spirit. And you know through that verse comfort them that God has not left them in the midst of their sorrows and suffering. And that he has an end that is going to be beyond any wonder that they could even express now. And we comfort people seeing the goal, the resurrection of the body, the new heavens and the new earth. And so Eric, this gives me the opportunity to discuss how sometimes this verse is misapplied. You mention this, there is the danger of what I call the health, wealth and prosperity theology. Which is a very contemporary American often evangelical theology that would argue that if you're a Christian, then God is obligated to bless you, if you've got the right attitude. If you've got the right faith principles and if you're doing the right things, then God is bound to give you health, wealth and prosperity. Now, on the one hand we experience many earthly blessings on this life and all of these blessings come from God. And so we pray the Lord's Prayer: Give us this day, our daily bread. When we receive these good earthly blessings, we know they come from God. But the problem with the health, wealth, prosperity theology it would say that things such as sufferings and sorrows and persecution don't fit the paradigm. And so these things are actually evidence that your faith is not strong enough. That you aren't living the way you should. In other words, they would say that if you're a Christian, you ought to be rich, you ought to be healthy, you ought to be prosperous. So if you're struggling with sickness, you're struggling with poverty, you're struggling with suffering and I always ask them if you're struggling with persecution, too. They don't really deal with that. But if you are struggling with anything, it's a sign that your faith is not strong enough. So you have to buck up and do the right things and God will be bound to bless you, too. So sometimes this verse is misapplied. All things work together for the good of those that love God, they say means that God is bound to bless us specifically in this earthly life and specifically in these ways. By giving us health, wealth and prosperity. Notice how they've taken this verse out of context and are not even aware of creation groaning and of the sons of light groaning waiting for the consummation. They are not aware of the sorrows that Paul is talking about that do face Christians in this earthly life but which nevertheless we can meet with hope because we know about the end. And of course they don't address God's goal, either. The goal of God is that we would be conformed to the image of his Son. That place now in sanctification. That takes place ultimately in the resurrection. They see the goal as being health, wealthy and prosperous in this earthly life. They are not even looking at the new heavens and the new earth. Which is why, you know, that a lot of these theologians and these preachers, they can't address persecution, where it takes place, because it doesn't fit their paradigm. And they can't even address eschatology and the end of the world because it doesn't fit their paradigm. All they talk about is how God is supposed to bless us now, now, now. And they are misapplying this verse because they are taking it out of context. This is why I think it's very careful for us to put Romans 8:28 back into context and read it with what comes before and comes after. Because then we get the full picture. It is a comfort to those who are suffering that God has not abandoned them. It's a comfort to be able to tell them: This is not because you have weak faith. This is the world we live in. The world hates us. The devil hates us. We're going to face problems. But God has not abandoned us. And just to think that at our lowest moment, the Spirit he gave us takes over and prays for us. What a wonderful comfort that is. And then to say: All things work together for the good of those who love God, that means in the midst of this suffering you are facing now, God is with you. And he's got his determined purpose. That's ultimately the resurrection of your body. And we can look forward to that with sure and certain hope in good times and in bad times. And this is the true meaning of Romans 8:28 when we read it in context. And so I thank you for the opportunity to have us focus upon Romans 8:28 and everything that comes before and after.