Christian Philosophy: Everyone Has a Philosophy. It's The Lens Through Which They View The World and Make Decisions. (17 page)

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

Most people have heard this scripture used as a blanket statement to convey that whatever happens must be God’s will—that God works all things together for good, so there must be some purpose behind the tragedies in our lives. But just because God can bring good out of tragedy doesn’t mean He caused the tragedy or wants us to endure suffering. It’s true that exercising our faith through trials causes us to emerge stronger on the other side, but this verse does not say that God causes everything that happens in our lives.

God works all things together for good, but He doesn’t cause all things—and things don’t work together for good for
every person
. It’s pretty obvious when you look around that not everything that happens ultimately works out for good. Some people have tragic lives that end in bitterness, anger, and destitution. A life of destructive choices often adds up to a disastrous ending, so there are some qualifications on exactly how “all things work together for good.”

This scripture doesn’t say that all things end well for all people; it says that things work together for good for
“those who love God.”
That single qualification dramatically limits the number of people this scripture applies to because the majority of people do not love God.

I can remember being at a Full Gospel Businessmen’s meeting a long time ago when the speaker used this scripture to talk about God working everything together for good. He had just come from conducting the funeral of a teenage boy and girl who died in a vehicle accident. They had been drinking and were speeding down the roadway in a rainstorm. The car went into a turn too fast, the driver lost control, and they crashed into a telephone pole—killing both of them. Neither of them was known to be Christian, so as far as we know they didn’t go straight to the arms of Jesus—they went to eternal punishment. Clearly, there was nothing good about the accident, and if they did end up in hell, then zero redemptive value came out of it.

Yet this minister used Romans 8:28 to say that God had a purpose in this tragedy and it was working together for good. That’s not right. God didn’t do this. I’m sure the Lord convicted these teenagers that what they were doing was wrong and tried to sway them from that path. But God doesn’t control us like pawns. We have free will and He won’t force us to make the right choices.

It should be clear that good doesn’t come out of every situation for every person. If you don’t love God, then things aren’t necessarily going to work together for good. The reason I’m stressing this point is because if you believe that God controls every single thing that happens, then you are going to get the impression that God isn’t a good God. If you think God caused those two kids to get drunk and drive too fast on a wet road and killed them and sent them to hell, then you aren’t going to believe God is a good God.

Some people can see that God doesn’t cause suffering, but they think He “allows” it to happen, but Scripture says that God reveals Himself “…against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men” (Romans 1:18). In the case of the two teenagers who died in the car accident, I believe that God gave them an intuitive knowledge of right and wrong and convicted them that what they were doing was wrong. I believe God spoke to them hundreds of times before they crashed the car and died—not just on the night of the accident, but in all the years leading up to it. God didn’t “allow” the accident to happen, in the sense that He didn’t intervene in any way to stop it. It’s more like there was a mountain of obstacles that God put in their way, but they persisted and climbed over all of the things God was doing to save them.

Don’t we all want the best for our children? Scripture says that if we, being the imperfect and sinful people that we are, can wish good for our children, then how much more will our Heavenly Father do good for us when we ask Him (Matthew 7:9-11). Anyone who goes to hell has to ignore the thousands and thousands of times God has tried to convict them and draw them into His love. Going to hell isn’t a one-time decision; it is the result of rejecting God countless times. Our God is a good God, and He desires good things for us—even more than we desire good for our children.

Not only does the scripture in the book of Romans say that things work together for good for those who love God, it also says that it does so for “…them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). God’s purposes are redemptive. The Bible says that Jesus came to earth to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8), so to be called according to His purpose means that you are resisting the works of the devil (James 4:7). If you are rebelling against God and chasing sin, then the tragedy that occurs in your life is not necessarily going to work together for good.

Another qualification of the promise found in Romans 8:28 appears in the verses just previous to it. Romans 8:28 begins, “And we know that all things work together for good…”
And
is a conjunction linking the statement about good to the previous sentences, which talk about the Holy Spirit making intercession through us. The Holy Spirit doesn’t pray without you, but when you start to pray, the Holy Spirit comes alongside you and pleads your cause. When you have that kind of Spirit-led intercession working in your life, then things are going to work together for good.

So we see there are three major qualifications on things working together for good: you have to love God, you have to be resisting the works of the devil, and you have to pray—allowing the Holy Spirit to help you make intercession. Scripture does not say God is orchestrating everything that happens in our lives, and if we aren’t trying to meet those three qualifications, then everything isn’t necessarily going to work together for good.

God is not the cause of all the evil in our world. He isn’t killing people because He loves them so much. God is a good God. His plans for your life are peace and victory (Jeremiah 29:11), but God’s will doesn’t come to pass automatically; you have to cooperate with Him. Once you believe that God is only good, your faith will abound and you will see better results in your life. You can cooperate with God, and all things
will
work together for good.

A lot of negative things happen in life: people we love die, children get sick, jobs are lost, and tragedy strikes when we least expect it. It’s easy to look at the circumstances in life and wonder why our all-powerful God doesn’t prevent suffering, which can then lead you to think that God is responsible for that suffering, but Scripture reveals that God has nothing to do with evil.

When God created the heavens and the earth, everything was perfect. God told Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because in the day he did, he would die. Adam rejected God’s instructions and the result was that sin entered creation. Every one of us has leaned unto our own understanding rather than depending on God, and our rebellion is what has released evil on earth. Satan is the cause of suffering. He roams around seeking whom he may devour; he steals, kills, and destroys (1 Peter 5:8 and John 10:10). God is not the source of the tragedy in our lives!

The Bible is full of proof that God is a good God. The ultimate testimony is that Jesus came to this earth and suffered, not only on the cross, but also by humbling Himself and taking on human form for 33 years. Jesus suffered by being confined to a physical human body when he was God. Solomon said, “The heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have [built]?” (1 Kings 8:27). God is infinite—even the universe can’t contain Him—yet He limited Himself to a physical body. He was despised and rejected by men, and He ultimately took the punishment for our sins. If God loved you enough to suffer and die for you, He loves you enough to do anything for you.

Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.

Psalm 35:27

God is pleased when you prosper. He wants to see you succeed. Nobody is pulling for you more than God is, which might not be what you are used to hearing, but it’s the message the Bible teaches. God is love (1 John 4:7-8). God doesn’t just love some people or have a little love for all. He
is
love.

In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:9-10

God showed us His love by sending Jesus. I am convinced that if you focus on God sending Jesus to earth, instead of just hearing the words, you will experience the fruit of God’s peace and joy. If God’s love isn’t impacting you or how you feel about life, then take time to be still and meditate on this truth that God showed His love for us by sending His Son. God’s love will be revealed to you when you focus on the fact that Jesus came to earth to become the payment for our sin.

Salvation isn’t about us loving God first and then, because we initiate relationship with Him, God extends love to us in return. God’s loving nature is revealed in that He reached out to us while we were rejecting Him. Christ died for us while we were still living in sin.

But God commendeth his love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

God has already given you His Son, why wouldn’t He give you joy, peace, health, and prosperity (Romans 8:32)? It would be totally inconsistent for me to be willing to die for you, but unwilling to give you some money. God not only has the ability to heal and prosper us,
He desires to do it
. Faith works by love, and if we trust and believe in God’s love—by focusing on what He has already done for us—our faith will rise.

Jesus didn’t have to suffer death on a cross, He chose to. He could have called down an army of angels, but He humbly submitted to a humiliating death instead (Matthew 26:53). Jesus allowed the scribes and Pharisees to mock Him. They spit in His face, slapped Him, insulted Him, beat Him, and finally killed Him. Jesus took all of that because He loved us and wanted to save us.

The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus were a physical manifestation of God’s love pursuing us, and when Jesus ascended into heaven, He gave us the Holy Spirit to continue His ministry on earth until He returns. The Holy Spirit is our Teacher and Helper. He leads us into all truth, and He is the eyes of the Lord that search the whole earth, as He seeks to show Himself strong on behalf of those who love God (2 Chronicles 16:9).

The Lord is looking for you. He isn’t hiding from you. You don’t have to pursue Him. You just need to slow down and unplug from the distractions of the world for a little bit. You can’t make a connection with God in the three minutes between your two favorite television shows. You need to find time to be still and know God (Psalm 46:10). I’m not just referring to physical stillness, but stillness in your mind, which just means not being completely occupied with other thoughts. God wants to reveal His love for you more than you desire to know it, but He isn’t going to force His way into your life. You have to take time and give God the opportunity to show you His love.

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Revelation 3:20

This verse has been used to talk about being born again—which isn’t wrong—but this letter was written to Christians. Jesus was saying this to people who were already born again. He is asking you to let Him into your life. Will you give Him your attention? Will you unplug from the distractions of life that keep you from hearing the voice of God and simply focus on His voice? The results of knowing God’s love are tremendous. It is worth sacrificing a little entertainment in front of the television to sit quietly in the presence of the Lord.

I can’t tell you how many people come to me in fear of the circumstances in their lives. They are fearful over the future, the economy, kids, relationships, health, and all kinds of other things. A lot of people today are living in fear, but God’s love will push the fear out of your life. Scripture says that there is no fear in love (1 John 4:18). When you spend time in the presence of God, the experience of His love kills your fears. It is impossible for fear to thrive where God’s love dwells.

During the Vietnam War, I visited a forward fire support base that was overrun by the enemy just hours after I left. Before I was evacuated by helicopter, I remember seeing the muzzle flashes from the rifle fire of the enemy as they charged up the hill toward our position, but I wasn’t afraid. I was worshipping God. I was actually thinking,
Lord, today could be the day I come to meet You!
I had supernatural compassion for the people who were rushing to kill me. I had no fear of dying. All I experienced was love and excitement about the possibility of going to be with the Lord.

Once you know God and understand how good He is, you can become like the apostle Paul, who said: “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). This is normal Christianity. It sounds a little extreme by the world’s standards, but this is the attitude we should have.