Romans 8:28-30
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.
Paul is trying to encourage this group of believers in Rome. They were under struggles and the threat of death. To encourage them Paul tells them they have victory in Christ, despite their circumstances because God has, through Salvation in Christ, has done some great things for them. Note what he has already told them in Romans 8, before he gets to these three verses:
1. No matter what happens they are no longer under Condemnation and are free to live for God. (8:1-4)
2. They have, through the ministry of the Spirit, a new Disposition with the Mind of the Spirit. (8:5-14)
3. They are now in a new family because of the Adoption of the Spirit. (8:15-17)
4. They no longer have to worry about suffering because of the Anticipation they have in Christ. (8:18-25)
5. They no longer have to struggle with suffering because of the Intercession of the Spirit. (8:26-27)
Now, in the above verses, he outlines a sixth aspect of salvation in and by Christ:
6. They can live through suffering because all suffering and circumstances are the result of the Ordination of a Sovereign God. (8:28).
This verse says "God Causes ...". God causes circumstances to happen to us for a greater purpose we don't know and don't always see. God has designed our lives for a greater purpose than we can ever imagine. One common theme in all men is that they are striving to find a purpose. They may deny that truth, but it is a truth none-the-less. Note four truths we can take from the remaining verses about this God-given purpose:
A. God’s purpose for me was established before I believed in Him (8:29a)
B. God has a purpose for those who love Him and that purpose is to conform me and shape me into the image of His son. (8:29b)
1. That means my purpose is to allow Him to shape me into the image of His Son.
2. That means I am not supposed to be trying to shape myself into your image for me.
3. That means I am not supposed to be allowing the world to shape my image (Romans 12:1; 2 Peter 1, 2)
C. God has a purpose that will bring glory to the Son by making Him the first of many (8:29c)
D. God will finish, through Christ's work in me, what He started in me with this purpose, despite my stumbling and failing, to His glory (8:30)
The truth is, God has a purpose for us to be in the image of His Son. It started it in us before the foundation of the world and will finish it after we are presented in heaven to God in Christ.
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