ROMANS ROAD
to RIGHTEOUSNESS |
Romans
1:18-3:20
|
Romans
3:21-5:21 |
Romans
6:1-8:39 |
Romans
9:1-11:36 |
Romans
12:1-16:27 |
|
SIN
|
SALVATION
|
SANCTIFICATION |
SOVEREIGNTY |
SERVICE |
NEED
FOR
SALVATION |
WAY
OF
SALVATION |
LIFE
OF
SALVATION |
SCOPE
OF
SALVATION |
SERVICE
OF
SALVATION |
God's Holiness
In
Condemning
Sin |
God's Grace
In
Justifying
Sinners |
God's Power
In
Sanctifying
Believers |
God's Sovereignty
In
Saving
Jew and Gentile |
Gods Glory
The
Object of
Service |
Deadliness
of Sin |
Design
of Grace |
Demonstration of
Salvation |
|
Power Given
|
Promises Fulfilled |
Paths Pursued |
Righteousness
Needed |
Righteousness
Credited |
Righteousness
Demonstrated |
Righteousness
Restored to Israel |
Righteousness
Applied |
God's Righteousness
IN LAW |
God's Righteousness
IMPUTED |
God's Righteousness
OBEYED |
God's Righteousness
IN ELECTION |
God's Righteousness
DISPLAYED |
|
Slaves to Sin |
Slaves to God |
Slaves Serving God |
|
Doctrine |
Duty |
|
Life by Faith |
Service by Faith |
|
Modified from Irving
L. Jensen's excellent work Jensen's
Survey of the NT |
AND WE KNOW: Oidamen (1PRAI) de:
(Ro
8:35-39;
5:3,4;
Ge 50:20;
Dt
8:2,3,16;
Ps 46:1,2;
Jer
24:5-7;
Zech 13:9;
2 Co 4:15-17;
5:1;
Phil
1:19-23;
2 Th 1:5-7;
Heb
12:6-12;
Js 1:3,4;
1 Pe 1:7,8;
Rev 3:19)
Denny
introduces this last section of Romans 8 noting that this is Paul's
Conclusion of the argument: the
Apostle glories in the assurance of God's eternal and unchangeable love
in Jesus Christ.
We have been dealing in the first part of the chapter with the human
will and its consent to walk by the Spirit. Beginning in Verse 28 to the
end of this chapter it will be God from now on!
Robert Haldane writes
that...
Nothing is more necessary for
Christians than to be well persuaded of the happiness and privileges of
their condition, that they may be able to serve God with cheerfulness
and freedom of spirit, and to pass through the troubles and difficulties
of the world. Here, then, is further consolation: Christians are often
in sorrows, sufferings, and trials. This is not in itself joyous, but
grievous; but in another point of view it is a matter of joy. Though
afflictions in themselves are evil, yet in their effects as overruled
and directed by God, they are useful. Yea, all things, of every kind,
that happen to the Christian, are overruled by God for his good! (Haldane,
R. An Exposition on the Epistle to the Roman. Ages Classic Commentaries)
Vine introduces this
section with the following comment...
Having shown that suffering is not
incompatible with a life of hope, the apostle now extends this to make
clear that suffering is part of the working out of God’s all-wise
purposes for us, and that neither affliction nor anything else can
prevent this or thwart God’s ultimate designs for us. Here, too, he
confirms the doctrine of the justification of the believer and
establishes that of his eternal security. (Vine, W. Collected writings
of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson)
Calvin comments on this
verse noting that...
Though the elect and the reprobate
are indiscriminately exposed to similar evils, there is yet a great,
difference; for God trains up the faithful by afflictions, and thereby
promotes their salvation.
Raymond Ortlund writes that...
The hand of God is at the helm. He’s
steering us through the storms of life toward home, toward a safe haven.
And He takes care to order all the events of our lives right now to
speed us on our way there. This is what we call
Providence-- God’s
overruling hand at work everywhere in a fallen world. The
Providence
of God is clearly taught from one end
of the Bible to the other. And our confidence in the
Providence
of God
is a faith so bold, so demanding, so unapologetic, that we cannot
believe it without being transformed. Either all things work together
for our good, or nothing makes sense. So let’s be bold about it. Let’s
either be transformed Christians or bitter skeptics, because we cannot
just sort of believe Romans 8:28. We either believe it or we doubt it.
There is no middle ground. (Romans
8:28)
Ray Pritchard makes an
interesting observation and then draws a pithy conclusion...
Let me read the first phrase in three
different versions:
KJV: "All things work together for
good to them that love God."
NASB: "God causes all things to work together for good."
NIV: "In all things God works for the good of those who love him."
Did you catch the difference there?
In the King James version God is way down at the end of the phrase.
In the other two versions, God is at the beginning. It is partly a
question of text and partly a question of grammar. There is nothing
wrong with the traditional versions, but the modern translations bring
out a proper emphasis.
Let me put it this way: We will never properly understand this verse
as long as we put God at the end and not at the beginning. But some
people look at life that way. They believe that life is like a roll of
the dice—sometimes it's seven-come-eleven and sometimes it's snake eyes.
And they believe that after a tragedy God shows up to make everything
come out right. But that's not the biblical view at all.
In reality, God is there at the beginning and He is there at the end and
He is at every point in between. (Romans
8:28) (Bolding
added)
Romans 8:28 is the NT equivalent of
Joseph's great affirmation of God's
sovereignty, (see RBC booklet
How Much Does God Control?) His overruling
providence
and His everlasting, immutable faithfulness, when he declared to his brothers
(who had attempted to kill
him)...
"And as for you, you meant evil
against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this
present result, to preserve many people alive. (Ge 50:20)
When fear and worry test your faith
And anxious thoughts assail,
Remember God is in control
And He will never fail. —Sper
We
know (1492)
(oída =
perfect tense of obsolete eído) (Uses
in Romans) refers to knowledge which
comes from one’s state of being, intuitive knowledge. Oida means absolute,
positive knowledge which one has beyond a doubt. It refers to that which
is the common knowledge of the Christian, a settled intuitive knowledge
which the Holy Spirit makes real. God Himself has placed the knowledge
of this verse in our hearts. Notice that although all believers know
the following truth intuitively, they may not always fully
understand and sense it experientially.
Denny
writes that the verb we know..
in a sense is one ground more for
believing in the glorious future: God is ever with us, and will not
abandon us at last.
The words we know are used
about thirty times as the expression of the common knowledge of the
saints of God as such, in the Epistles (in Romans, five times) and
always indicate always Christian knowledge.
We know Romans 8:28-30 is true
because we know God and He has said it. His word is trustworthy and that
guarantees His promise. Indeed, His character rests upon it. We know
because we know Him. We know not by looking at the events
of our life but by knowing our God. We know not by
studying the pattern of the cloth, but by knowing the "Designer" of the
fabric. We know it not by listening to the notes of the symphony,
but by knowing the "Composer" of the music. There are so many things we
don't know. We don't know why babies die or why cars wreck or why planes
crash or why families break up or why good people get sick and suddenly
die. But this we know—God is at work and He has not forgotten us.
Hallelujah!
And so we can declare like Paul...
For I consider that the sufferings of
this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is
to be revealed to us. (see note
Romans 8:18)
God is able to even make the
sufferings work together for our good and glory! (Why
Would A Good God Allow Suffering?)
Robert Haldane comments on "we
know" writing that...
This does not mean that believers
know it merely in a speculative manner, but that it is a knowledge which
enters into their heart and affections, producing in them confidence in
its truth. It is a knowledge of faith which implies certainty and self
application, by which the believer not only knows but applies the
promises of God, and is able to say, This promise is mine, it belongs to
me. For otherwise, what advantage would there be in a general knowledge
of this fact? where would be its consolation, and where its practical
use? “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and He will
show them His covenant.” (Psalms
25:14 -
See Spurgeon's note on Psalm 25:13)
(Haldane,
R. An Exposition on the Epistle to the Roman. Ages Classic Commentaries)
Newell comments that...
Lodge members, having been
“initiated,” go about as those that “know.” The Christian is
traveling to glory along with a blessed company that can say “We
know,” in an infinitely higher and surer sense. And here, what a
knowledge! (Romans
8) (Bolding added)
Charles Spurgeon used to say,
“I do not need anyone to tell me how
honey tastes; I know.”
Dr. Torrey always said that Romans 8:28
is a "soft pillow for a tired heart". Or as someone else has
said "God's good promises put
a rainbow of hope in every cloud and a "pillow of grace" in every bed of
affliction!"
Though I do not
know the reason,
I can trust, and so am blest;
God is love, and God is faithful,
So in perfect peace I rest. —Anon.
The comforting truth of Romans 8:28
is based especially on God's
sovereignty. If all things work together
for good (all events, all circumstances, all trials, all happenings,
etc.), then it follows that God must be over all things and must control
all things. This is not fearful fatalism and determinism. This is the
wonderful fact that an all-wise, all-loving, just God is in complete
control of all things!
><> ><> ><>
From a devotional in
Our Daily Bread
we read...
When quoting Romans 8:28, we often
begin with the words, "All things work together for good." But the verse
really begins like this:
"We know that all things work
together for good to those who love God."
Our knowing comes by faith. By faith
we are confident that God will never disappoint us.
I read a story about a shipwreck. When the sole survivor reached a
small, uninhabited island, he prayed for God to rescue him, but help
didn't come. Eventually he built a hut out of driftwood for protection
from the elements. One day he returned from scavenging for food and
found his hut in flames, the smoke rising into the sky. Angrily he
cried,
"God, how could You do this to me?"
The next morning he was awakened by
rescuers.
"How did you know I was here?" he
asked.
"We saw your smoke signal," they
replied.
Pastor Lud Golz wrote,
"Sometimes God's love almost seems
like hatred because of the difficulties He allows to come our way. The
final result, however, always confirms its true nature."
The next time it seems as if your
last hope has gone up in smoke, remember what "we know" to be true
(Romans 8:28). When God says that all things work together for good to
those who love Him, He means all things! —J E Yoder (Our
Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by
permission. All rights reserved)
The trials we are going through
Can be misunderstood
Unless we realize that God
Works all things for our good. —Sper
God may test our faith
so we may trust His faithfulness.
THAT GOD CAUSES ALL THINGS TO
WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE WHO
LOVE
GOD: hoti tois agaposin (PAPMPD) ton theon panta sunergei (3SPAI) eis
agathon: (5:5;
Ex 20:6;
Dt 6:5;
Neh 1:5;
Ps 69:36;
Mk 12:30;
1 Co
2:9;
Js
1:12;
Js
2:5;
1Jn 4:10,19;
5:2,3)
All (3956)
(pas) means all with no exceptions - not just some things but all
things!
Spurgeon comments that all
things...
is a very comprehensive expression,
is it not? It includes your present trouble, your aching head, your
heavy heart: “all things.” “All things work.” There is nothing idle
in God’s domain. “All things work together.” There is no discord in
the providence of God. The strangest ingredients go to make up the one
matchless medicine for all our maladies. “All things work together for
good” — for lasting and eternal good, — “to them that love God,” that
is their outward character
McGee comments that all things
include
All things”—good and bad; bright and
dark; sweet and bitter; easy and hard; happy and sad; prosperity and
poverty; health and sickness; calm and storm; comfort and suffering;
life and death.(McGee,
J V: Thru the Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson
or
Logos)
MacDonald comments in regard to "all things...for good"...
It may not always seem so! Sometimes
when we are suffering heartbreak, tragedy, disappointment, frustration,
and bereavement, we wonder what good can come out of it. But the
following verse gives the answer: whatever God permits to come into our
lives is designed to conform us to the image of His Son. When we see
this, it takes the question mark out of our prayers. Our lives are not
controlled by impersonal forces such as chance, luck, or fate, but by
our wonderful, personal Lord, who is “too loving to be unkind and too
wise to err.” (MacDonald,
W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson or
Logos)
John MacArthur writes that...
All things is utterly
comprehensive, having no qualifications or limits. Neither this verse
nor its context allows for restrictions or conditions. All things is
inclusive in the fullest possible sense. Nothing existing or occurring
in heaven or on earth “shall be able to separate us from the love of
God, which is in Christ Jesus” (8:39). Paul is not saying that God
prevents His children from experiencing things that can harm
them. He is rather attesting that the Lord takes all that He allows to
happen to His beloved children, even the worst things, and turns those
things ultimately into blessings... No matter what our situation, our
suffering, our persecution, our sinful failure, our pain, our lack of
faith-in those things, as well as in all other things, our
heavenly Father will work to produce our ultimate victory and blessing.
The corollary of that truth is that nothing can ultimately work against
us. (MacArthur,
J: Romans 1-8. Chicago: Moody Press
or
Logos)
Constable reminds us that...
This verse does not say that God
causes all things, period. Nowhere in Scripture do we read that
God causes sin or evil. He permits these things, but that is much
different from initiating them. Therefore when tragedy touches a
believer we should not conclude that this is one of the “all things”
that God causes. Rather this verse says that God brings good out of
all things, even tragedies, for the Christian. The causes of tragedy
are Satan, the sinful choices of people, and the consequences of living
in a sinful world (cf.
James 1:13-14).
(Tom
Constable's Expository Notes on the Bible)
(Bolding added)
Vine comments that...