The “Good” in Romans 8:28

“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 firstborn 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.”

Romans 8:28-30

Romans 8:28 is a refuge for the people of God who are hurting. It is a comfort to the soul and peace to the mind to know that no matter what goes on in or around the children of God (Romans 8:21,23), all things work together for their good. Such a passage of Scripture is a clear reason to worship when one finds themselves in the middle of uncertainty or suffering (Romans 8:18), like Paul’s Roman audience did back in the first century. Knowing of God’s favor and sovereignty in times of trouble grounds our inner man in Christ-centered thoughts and God-glorifying trust.

It seems that God working things to our good, brings about a particular comfort and reassurance that we Christians long for. It is a trust cultivating word, indeed. Good, as opposed to bad, evil, or even the unknown, delights the heart of man in a Fallen world. Although the word “good” in Romans 8:28 delivers an incredible amount of Theology Proper, revealing to us the kindness, love, and sovereignty of God, have you ever thought about the meaning and implications of the term in this verse? Since the word “good” itself brings so much comfort and causes the Church to quote Romans 8:28 to one another in times of perplexity, grief, sorrow, and hardship, we want to ensure our understanding of God’s promise is formidable and faithful by observing what the word is and is not, beginning with the latter.

What “Good” Does Not Refer to in Romans 8:28

The word “good” in Romans 8:28 is not subject to man’s “detached-from-God” desires. It is not a word that man may employ to manipulate the circumstances of his life as if he has God in a big-time wrestling ring, dragging him across the mat in a side headlock, saying, “You said you would work things out for my good! Now, do it!” One of the dangers of misunderstanding the promise of goodness in Romans 8:28 is that we can make ourselves the sovereign one. We define what is good for our lives, we tell God what is good for our lives, and then we give ourselves a false sense of comfort by resting on Romans 8:28 to accomplish what we think is “good.” Then, when the Lord does not work out our understanding of what is “good” for our lives, he seems unfair, unfaithful, and unloving. But when the finite defines what is good for themselves, intentionally or not, he is functioning as the god of his life, not Yahweh. We must come to Romans 8:28 with an understanding that the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write the word “good” with a particular definition of the word in mind. We must understand the authorial intent of Paul when he wrote “good” and apply such a definition to our understanding and use of the term. If we remember that “good” in Romans 8:28 is not a man-made idea of good, but rather the best possible course in the life of a believer from the perspective of an all-knowing God, we will avoid the extreme folly of trying to put God in a headlock.

What “Good” Refers to in Romans 8:28

The word “good” in Romans 8:28 has a finite meaning with many applications. In the context of Romans 8:23 and following, the word “good” refers to being conformed to the image of Christ. Look at verses 28-30 together, with emphasis from the present author:

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 firstborn 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. 

Romans 8:28-30

Paul is teaching the Romans that the sufferings, afflictions, and perplexities of life, the very things that do not seem good, are working to conform them to become more and more Christlike, something that is very, very good. The word “good” in Romans 8:28 refers to being conformed to the image of Jesus. Therefore, for those who love God, all things work to conform them to the image of His Son. And that is a very good thing.

Application

Commenting on Romans 8:29, John Calvin wrote, “for no one can be an heir of heaven without being conformed to the image of the only-begotten Son of God.” Thus, the Lord progressively sanctifies his people until we reach glory, where, according to 1 John 3:2, “we shall be like him” (on progressive and perfect/future sanctification, see Romans 6; 8:29; Philippians 1:6). Romans 8:28 teaches us that the difficult things in life are not detached from God’s lovingkindness and His commitment to our sanctification, even as we experience the consequences of Adam’s Sin, Others’ Sin, and Our Sin.

Adam’s Sin

As Romans 8:19-23 teaches, creation is not presently how it will be. All the elements of creation that the Creator deemed as good, now suffer the consequences of Adam’s sin in Eden. It is disease and disaster that find their roots in the Fall. And we who inhabit such a place are subject to the impact of diseases and disasters. However, God is not absent during such affliction. He uses physical calamities to teach us about his grace, like he did Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. It was blindness that drove the beggar to cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me” (Luke 18:38). This blind beggar received his sight and immediately displayed Christlikeness by “glorifying God” (Luke 18:43). This story is a great example that God works all things, including physical hardship, to conform us to the image of the Son.

Others’ Sin

Psalm 55 displays the sufficiency of Scripture to help those who are hurting, especially those who have been hurt in a significant way by a close friend or family member. The psalmist reveals the anguish and terror within their heart (v. 4). Eventually, the psalmist reveals some specific information about their present troubles, stating, “For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, Then I could bear it; Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, Then I could hide myself from him. But it is you, a man my equal, My companion and my familiar friend (vv. 12-13).” The psalmist is hurting because of the sin of another. In this life, we sin and are sinned against often. How does God use these events for our good? Among the many lessons about sin, confession, repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation, and restoration we learn from being hurt by others, for David in Psalm 55, the hurt from a close companion conformed him to the image of the Son by deepening his trust in God. He writes, “As for me, I shall call upon God, And the Lord will save me. He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me” (vv.16, 18).

Our Sin

Recently, I observed a biblical counseling session between Amy Baker and another woman named “Annie.” In this session, Annie recalled a recent trip to the treadmill at the local gym, where she spotted several other women who, in her opinion, looked prettier and had better skin than herself. Annie felt angry at God for not being as beautiful as the other women, especially since Annie is a Christian. Clearly, this is the sin of jealousy. In a display of spiritual wisdom, Amy Baker explained to Annie how God used the event to expose her sin of jealousy. From one perspective, Annie could ask, “How is seeing all these women around me a “good” occurrence? From a biblical perspective, God used the trip to the gym to expose Annie’s heart (Mark 7:21-23), showing her the need to put off jealousy, value external beauty less, and put on contentment in the Lord, all things that would cause Annie to be conformed to the image of the Son. This is only one example of how God, who does not will our sin, still uses our sin for our good.

Conclusion

The Lord conforms us to Christlikeness despite the sin of Adam, others, and ourselves. I once heard a faithful pastor say, “Don’t let what is good, get in the way of what God has ordained as best.” In the temporal realm, it may feel good to avoid the hard things in life, but in the eternal (and often even in the temporal) such difficulties bring about that which is best: Conformity to the image of the only begotten Son of God.

God is faithful.