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Two Groups of People
Romans 8:28
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
The other night, I rented the movie Signs, expecting a light-hearted fantasy thriller about aliens invading planet earth. What I got was a lesson in faith. Mel Gibson plays the role of Graham Hess, a former pastor who has lost his faith in God due to a terrible accident in which he lost his wife. The invasion of space creatures makes him face his own faith in surprising ways. The writer/director of the movie, M. Night Shyamalan, takes an old, worn out premise (space invaders) and paints a remarkable portrait of the struggle of faith.
In one scene in the movie, Graham, his brother Merrill, and Graham’s two children are watching the TV reports of 14 brightly-lit Alien crafts hovering over Mexico City.
It grows late, the children fall asleep as the two brothers continue to watch the amazing events on their television screen. Merrill turns to Graham and asks if he thinks it is the end of the world. Graham says that he thinks it is. Merrill asks for some words of comfort from the former pastor. Listen to his words:
“People break down into two groups. When they experience something lucky, group number one
 sees it as more than luck, more than a coincidence, they see it as a sign—evidence that there is someone up there watching out for them. Group number two sees it as just pure luck, a happy turn of chance. I’m sure the people in group number two are looking at those fourteen lights in a very suspicious way. For them, the situation isn’t 50-50—could be bad, could be good. But deep down, they feel that whatever happens, they are on their own. And that fills them with fear. Yea, there are those people.”
“But there are a whole lot of people in the group number one. When they see those 14 lights, they’re looking at a miracle. And deep down, they feel that whatever’s going to happen, there’ll be someone there to help them. And that fills them with hope.”
“See, what you have to ask yourself is, What kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky?
Or, look at the question this way—Is it possible that there are no
coincidences?”
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Great question. What kind of person are you?
What we do not know can either paralyze us or free us. If we feel that we are on our own, that all is mere luck or chance, what we do not know may inevitably grow fear within us. However, if we feel that someone is watching out for us, we can rest that we do not need to know everything, including what will happen next in our lives.
What I mean is this: Two men died on the same day a few weeks ago, Johnny Cash and John Ritter. One lived a long life of notoriety and fame—recognized as one of the most influential artist of his time, Johnny Cash was featured on the covers of most major news magazines (Time, Newsweek) as well as the trendy Rolling Stone. The other’s life was cut short by a heart problem that they say is almost impossible to detect or prevent—the tragedy of John Ritter’s death tugged at many heartstrings, because it seemed so sudden and left his young family numb with shock.
I do not know which path my life may end up taking—Cash or Ritter, or somewhere in between. And that realization may make us stop and shudder in fear. We may be scared to death of each and every moment—we may even throw our hands up and admit that we do not even know what to pray! And that is exactly what our passage in Romans tells us. Last week, we read in Romans 8:26 these words:
“We do not know what we ought to pray for…”
In contrast with what we do not know, verse 28 points out what we do know. We may not know what to pray for, but…
“we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Sure, there is a whole lot that I do not know or understand in life. But this I know: God is at work in it all.
That is the authentic Christian life. No easy answers to all of life’s problems, no quick fixes. But God is there. And he is active.
There are two groups of people. One group sees no providence, no oversight by God—all is chance. The other group grasps that God is there, active in all things. And they really believe it and are empowered to live boldly and persevere even the worst hardships because they know that there is somebody watching over them working everything for the good.
1. In all things God works for the good.
The passage is claiming something remarkable. God works for the good in all things. Not all good things. It is
“all things”—including all the bad things! In fact, the whole context before and after Romans 8:28 is painful. That's why Romans 8:28 is here.
We need encouragement and hope because before and after this verse, we see that life can be very hard!
-Verse 17 says we will be glorified with Christ if we suffer with him.
-Verse 18 says that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed to us.
-Verse 20 says that the creation—including us—is subjected to frustration.
-Verse 21 says that creation is in bondage to decay.
-Verse 23 says that even Spirit-filled Christians groan with the fallen creation awaiting our adoption, the redemption of our weak and sick and dying bodies.
-Verse 24 says we have been saved “in hope” and you can't see hope, otherwise it wouldn't be hope—so most of our salvation is invisible and still in the future. No wonder we groan!
-Verse 35 says we may experience trouble and hardship and persecution and famine and nakedness and danger and sword.
And in the middle of all this, to give us strength and hope and courage, verse 28 says, Yes, all this, is
true! AND "We know that all things—all this suffering and frustration and bondage to decay and groaning and trouble and hardship and persecution and famine and danger—all these things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose."
Ever since Adam fell into sin, God has been taking our continued failures and our continuing hardships and he has been working them into good, to serve his loving intentions. There is not one single thing that falls out of the scope of “all things.” There is never a moment, no matter how horrific, in which God is not there. Never a time when we can wonder, “Is this a moment that God has abandoned me? Have I stepped out of his ability to care for me, to watch over me?”
God’s raw material for making good has always included evil. For all things includes evil! He is at WORK even in the horrible things that people do.
2. In all things God works for the good.
Here is the perfect biblical example that shows that God works for the good, even in the things that are definitely
not good.
In Genesis, we read that Joseph’s brothers committed a horrible sin in that they sold Joseph into slavery. They left him for dead in the hands of the Egyptians. After several amazing events in his life, Joseph actually finds himself in a position of authority in which he is able to make a plan for surviving a coming famine and save the lives of many people. Joseph’s brothers come down to Egypt to find relief from the famine, and meet their brother again for the first time in years.
Look at what Joseph says to his treacherous brothers:
“As for you, you meant it for evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” (Genesis 50:20)
The Hebrew construction is clear: The brothers meant it for evil. And at the same time, in the same event,
God meant it for good. Joseph, in prophetic insight, nails the truth of our
existence. Two intentions can guide the same event—a human intention (“you meant it”) and a divine intention (“but God meant it”). And, amazingly, even when humans mean to do something for evil (even then!!!) God can mean the same event for the exact opposite moral purpose! “You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good!” Both evil and good can be intended at two levels in the same event—the purpose of Joseph’s brothers was murderous, but the purpose of God was life-giving!
This is what noted New Testament theologian, D. A. Carson, calls “compatiblism”—the biblical teaching that human beings are totally responsible for their actions (both good and bad), but that God is always active in those same actions to bring about his good intentions. People have been debating for centuries whether God is in control or if humans are in control (Divine sovereignty vs human free will). The biblical answer is “yes.” Both are true, and they are “compatible.” How they are compatible may be a mystery—and often times it is. But this is where faith comes into play. I trust that God is always active in all events for GOOD.
Journalist, Malcolm Muggeridge, near the end of his long life, wrote,
“Contrary to what might be expected, I look back on experiences that at the time seemed especially desolating and painful, with particular satisfaction. Indeed, I can say with complete truthfulness that everything I have learned in my seventy-five years in this world, everything that has truly enhanced and enlightened my existence, has been through affliction and not through happiness, whether pursued or attained. In other words, if it ever were to be possible to eliminate affliction from our earthly existence by means of some drug or other medical mumbo jumbo . . . the result would not be to make life delectable, but to make it too banal or trivial to be endurable. This of course is what the cross [of Christ] signifies, and it is the cross more than anything else, that has called me inexorably to Christ.”
(Malcolm Muggeridge, Homemade)
Yes! Take a look at the cross for a moment—the people who hung Jesus Christ on the cross meant it for evil. But God meant it for the ultimate good! In that one event, we see both being true to the ultimate degree. There can be nothing more evil than killing the absolutely innocent God-in-the-flesh! But it is that very event that the salvation for many people is offered and assured!
Peter prays to God in Acts 4, affirming that the evil of human actions were exactly what God would use for the good—
“Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.” (Acts 4:27-28)
They meant it for evil, but God meant it for good! God takes the raw material of our evil intentions and makes good out of that… Only God could do that!
What are you facing today? What uncertainties are overwhelming you? What evil are you dealing with? What frustrations are dragging you down?
The Bible does not say that all things are good—cancer and poverty and terrorism are not good. We should always oppose evil and seek to further good in this world. But the point of this passage is that God may allow these things in our lives, as evil as they may be, for a greater good.
3. In all things God works for the good.
How could it be any other way? God is good.
And he has purposed to work all things for his children into good. Look at the verse again:
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
This work that God is doing is for those who love God, for those who have been called according to his purpose. In other words, it is for those we see in the next two
verses—“And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”
(Romans 8:30)
God calls people into a loving relationship with himself. And when that happens, he purposes to do the ultimate good for them: he will see them all the way through to glorification! He will take sinful, selfish, small people (that’s me…and you too), and he justifies them in such a way that they will be able to experience the glory of heaven in perfection. Only God can do that. And he has purposed to do that for us, for those of us who have been called.
I love the way the Bible describes Christians in Romans 8:28. We are not described as “those with the right theology,” or “those who can self-righteously point out the sins of others,” or, “those who voted for the right people in the last election,” or, “those who go to church on a regular basis,” or, “those who celebrate Christmas and Easter.”
No, look at how we are described: “those who love God, who have been called according to God’s purpose.”
We are identified by whom we love and by what God is doing in our lives. We are identified by our love and by God’s grace to bring us into glory.
And those who love God are assured by this passage that God is at work in all things for good. It is for all Christians that the apostle Paul can write,
“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6)
God has purposed and will always purpose to take all things and work them together for good.
Two Groups of People
“People break down into two groups…what you have to ask yourself is, What kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky?
Or, look at the question this way—Is it possible that there are no
coincidences?”
Those who trust in Jesus Christ know that God is in control at all times. They are fearless, ready to persevere in trials; they are bold. For they realize that life often is very difficult, and that we do not know a whole lot. But this they do know:
In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
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