Romans 8:28 Is God In Control?

Rev. David Holwick

First Baptist Church

West Lafayette, Ohio

August 2, 1987

Is God In Control?

Romans 8:28, KJV

Is God in control?

Rev. Steve Schmidt is a very successful pastor. But he wasn't always a pastor. In Vietnam he received numerous medals for bravery and was twice wounded. After the war he became prosperous selling cars. He owned his own dealership but he wasn't satisfied. He sold his business for a bargain price. His wife worked so he could go to a Christian College. He graduated and was ordained. In 1986 at least one person came forward to be saved in his church every Sunday and they had over seventy baptisms. He has led revivals around our state, including one at Coshocton.

Last Saturday the body of his three-year-old daughter, Laura Beth was pulled from the Ohio River - a tragic drowning.

Is God in control? Many sincere people have their doubts. The following poem by Jo Carr brings out the dilemma:

"It is God's will," she said, oozing piety.

Thy will, Lord, that a young mother should die in a senseless car wreck?

Thy will, that a house should burn or a tornado strike?

Thy will that a beautiful child should have been thoughtlessly conceived and then neglected once born?

O Lord, whose other name is Love, it is incompatible with thy nature to will these things to happen.... .

Is God in control?

Sometimes it is not easy to answer this, yet it is common for people to believe that things will work out OK for them. Once when I was a little kid I was about to be caught doing something wrong. I knew I was going to be caught and my young mind worked overtime. Should I lie my way out of it? I decided it would be better in the long run to tell the truth and face the music. On faith, I figured things would work out for my benefit, and usually they have -- but not always -- and I have had a fairly boring life.

Should Christians expect everything to run smoothly? Will every trouble quickly and nicely turn out our way? Many believers seem to think this and Romans 8:28 is the verse they turn to. They memorize and claim it and the hassles disappear, or at least they are supposed to.

Merrily Anderson was diagnosed as having systemic lupus. It is painful, it cripples and it has no cure. Merrily was a Christian and she prayed to God for help. Her disease got worse so she turned to her Bible. Some passages mentioned pain as the result of sin. Merrily wasn't perfect but she wasn't particularly evil, either. Was God punishing her? The Bible offered other answers. Sometimes believers suffer so they will be brought closer to God. Mrs. Anderson considered this but decided she was trying her hardest to get close to God and her condition was unchanged. Other verses said suffering doesn't just bring you closer to God, it also refines you and tests your faith. Merrily did not feel her disease was refining her. Instead, she felt it was destroying her and her faith had been tested so much it was almost gone. Then one day her faith completely disappeared. Merrily checked into a motel with a month's supply of three powerful medicines; she then swallowed all of them and lay down for the final escape.

Romans 8:28 says, "All things work together for good."

Was it true for Merrily Anderson? Did her systemic lupus work for good? This is such an important verse I want to explain it as carefully as I can. Paul begins by saying, "As we know. . . ." This means it is a widespread Christian belief. All believers should understand and accept it. He continues, "All things work together." "Work together" is more complicated than it needs to be. It simply means to work out or to be a benefit. What are the "all things?" This is where it gets sticky. If you look at the context it becomes clear. Paul is not limiting himself to the easy things in life. Verse 18 mentions the topic of this chapter - the suffering we face in this present world. When verse 37 mentions "all these things," it is referring to the list in verse 35 - tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, and sword - even death itself. It is not a list of fun things. Verse 28 continues - "all things work for good." Paul is not saying that suffering and starvation and death are good in and of themselves - they are not. When a small child drowns, that's horrible. God hates these things so much, he sent his one and only son, Jesus, to wipe them out.

These things are not good but they can work for our good. It is important to know what kind of good is being talked about here. It does not mean things will be pleasant and comfortable for us (...the silver lining is just around the corner...). Our ultimate good is in view, in other words, salvation. This verse is saying that nothing can ultimately harm a Christian. Why? It's because God is in control. Paul doesn't mean things just work out by themselves. Some translators add the word "God" here - God works all things out. Many of the ancient manuscripts insert this but it doesn't really matter because it is understood from the context. God can work anything out for good, no matter how tragic - but it won't happen for just anyone. Paul adds an important limitation here - "all things work together for good, to them that love God." In the Greek, this phrase occurs first in the sentence to give it emphasis.

Romans 8:28 is not a universal promise. It is only for Christians because when we confess our sin to God and admit that without Jesus we are utterly lost, God saves us - we inherit eternity.

Since even our death is something that can work out for good, this promise cannot be tied to just this life. When you think about it, this is the reason so many people think God is not in control. They want to see results right now. When the Jews saw millions of their people murdered by Hitler, many lost their faith. It was so horrible God could never make any good come out of it. In this life, they may have been right but God is not limited to our present age. What we are experiencing now is only a sliver of reality. Only God has all the answers.

Even Merrily Anderson discovered this. After taking that overdose of pills she awoke sixteen hours later. She was rushed to a hospital and spent months recovering. She concluded that God really was sovereign - He is in charge and takes orders from no one.

She still had that question - Why me? Finally she turned to the book of Job. We all know how Job suffered a lot and challenged God to answer him. Do you know what God said?

"Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare it, if you have understanding."

God never tells Job why he let him suffer. He says "I made everything, I know what I am doing and that's enough." Merrily Anderson found peace in this - asking "why?" only drove her nuts. The pain from her lupus was still there but she learned that pain is not the most significant thing in life.

Everything in life is under God's control. What about deformities? When Moses complained about his inability to speak well; God told him,

"Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf and dumb?

Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord?"

Deformities are not good things - in heaven they will pass away - but here and now God can use them for his glory.

Many Christians believe in Romans 8:28 because their lives are running smoothly. God's sovereignty is easy to swallow then. Yet every one of us will some day encounter the valley of the shadow of death. What will you say about this verse then? Will you continue to trust in God when everything is dark, when it is hard to believe?

Celeste and I, hearing about Rev. Schmidt's daughter, asked ourselves how we would react (you really think about it when your kids are away). I am sure I would be overwhelmed by grief and even guilt but I do not think I would doubt the promise of Romans 8:28. Even death can work out for our benefit because unlike this world, we have hope of heaven.

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Typed on August 14, 2006, by Sharon Lesko of Ledgewood Baptist Church, New Jersey

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