All Things Work Together

In the eighth chapter of the book of Romans, Paul writes in verse 28:

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love God, those who have been called according to His purpose." (NASB)

The NIV states it this way: "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."

There is a difference in manuscripts. One of the earliest states it as "we know that in all things God works for the good" and in another "we know that God causes all things to work together". Does God "cause all things to work together" or does He simply use what happens to work them together for good? What is God's real role in this verse? Are these two translations contradicting one another?

The answer really is no. Whether your version reads it as "God causes" or simply that "in all things God works" does not matter. Whether we see God as causing things to happen here or reacting to them should not concern us. God is the supreme Creator and Sustainer of all things. He is more than capable of both causing and reacting to all things that are brought about by mankind. He can both cause good to work and produce good out of the evil desires and consequences of man's actions.

Now that we've addressed that difference in translation, let's now examine the meaning of this often quoted and studied verse.

The verse begins by stating "And we know". The Greek word here is OIDAMEN. It is a Perfect Active Plural verb. The Perfect tense is one that simply refers to a "completed" action. More specifically, it usually refers to an event that was completed in the past and has ongoing ramifications. Thus, "we know" could be better translated "we have perceived". It is referring to events in the past which have been completed but now are showing the results.

We have all witnessed this phenomena in our own lives. Something awful will happen but God will somehow use it for good. God is amazing in His ability to take something awful and use it for something good. The word for "works together" is SUNEPREI which is a Present Active verb meaning "is working together". In other words, God is doing this right now. It is a present tense meaning that it is on-going. The completed past actions that we have made, those mistakes that we regret that we have done or have been done to us, are all being worked together to produce for God the desired results He wants within us.

This promise though comes with two conditions. It is only those who "love God" and who "have been called according to His purpose" who can expect to receive this blessing.

God asks all to follow but few do. He offers the free gift of salvation but it will require submission to the Lordship of Christ. When we accept Jesus as Lord, the master and ruler of our lives, we voluntarily give Him the authority to do with us as He pleases.

Therefore, let us say with Paul that we too have perceived or seen past completed events to be used together for good. We also love God and serve Him. We have been called and are following His calling to accomplish His purpose both in our own lives and in this world.

All things work together for good. It is a promise to remember and recite often to those who also meet these same two qualifications.