Romans 8: Bottom Line—We Win!

Read Romans 8:28-39

 

Bottom Line: We Win!

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.
~Romans 8:28

Digging Deeper: Romans 8 has to be one of the most uplifting chapters in the entire Bible. And this section, Romans 8:28-39, is the summit of encouragement.  I hope you will read all twelve of the section’s verses today—and perhaps every day for the rest of the week.

I’m not sure what I would do without the theology of Romans 8:28—that God causes everything that happens to me, both good and bad, to work to my good and His glory. How disheartening—even depressing—life would be if we were nothing more than the helpless victims of the circumstances life flings our way.  But no, God causes good to come to me through my circumstances!

Now please understand, Paul isn’t saying that God causes all things, but that He causes all things that occur in my life to work as instruments of His purpose for me.  God sovereignly orchestrates every single event in my life to my benefit both in this world and in the one to come. On the one hand, leverages my successes, accomplishments and blessings for good, and on the other hand, He turns suffering, sickness, and yes, even my sin for good as well.

But keep in mind that He gets to define what is beneficial and good for me.  After all, He is God and I am not.  And what He has defined as good for me is found in the very next verse, Romans 8:29,

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed
to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brothers.

For the time being, put aside your questions about predestination and focus on the word “conform.” The word in the Greek text is the same from which we get our word, “morph,” or “metamorphosis.”  What is the good that all things are being divinely leveraged in your life?  Simple, yet profoundly this: That you are being chiseled by circumstances and events and interactions each and every day into the very likeness of Jesus Christ.   And that is the highest good possible, my friend, because that’s the one thing that lasts for both time and eternity.

That is God’s great and unstoppable purpose for you.  He is committed to that as much as He is committed to anything in this universe.  So therefore, “if God is for you, who can be against you?” (Romans 8:31)  If God was willing for His Son to die such a horrible death on the cross just to morph you into that which was worthy of eternal life, what else could prove both the depth of His indescribable love and the irresistibility of His divine purpose for you? (Romans 8:32)  Is there anything in all of creation that can stop God’s love or thwart God’s purpose in remaking you into the image and likeness of Jesus?  Nothing…nada…zero…zilch…zip! (Romans 8:33-39)

The fact is, “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37)  How is that? God is using “all these things” as his divine chisel to morph you into an uncanny likeness of His Son.  What’s the bottom line: We win!  And I mean, really win in the only way that counts—which is looking, thinking, acting and being just like Jesus!

You are a winner!  Go with it!
 

“There is nothing that is more dangerous to your own salvation,
more unworthy of God and more harmful to your own happiness,
than that you should be content to remain as you are.”
~Francois Fenelon

This Week’s Assignment:

  • Read Romans 8:1-39
  • Memorize Romans 8:1-2, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”
  • Memorize Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.

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