Scripture — Romans 8:28 (NRSV)

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.

Devotion

As one who studied Greek for five years in grad school and taught it in seminary for several years, I appreciate the challenges of translating Greek into English. Part of the problem is that Greek words are rarely 100% equivalent to English words. The Greek word logos, for example, means “word,” as in “a spoken word.” But it can also mean “matter, thing, computation, reckoning, account, tale, legend, esteem, ratio, plea, pretext, argument, discourse, principle, law, thesis, reason, thinking, speech, report, description, saying, or sentence” (excerpts from the standard Greek lexicon by Liddell, Scott, and Jones).

Another problem is that Greek grammar allows for ambiguity in situations where English grammar might be more specific. Take Romans 8:28, for example. The NRSV, following the classic KJV, reads, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” The Greek underlying this verse supports that translation. But there is another equally valid option in Greek, which is found in the NIV, “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.” So which is it? Do all things work together for good? Or does God work in all things for good?

There is another ambiguity in the Greek of verse 28. The typical translation has good things happening “for those who love God.” Surely God does bless those who know and love God. That’s not up for debate here. But is this what the Greek actually means? An equally valid grammatical possibility is proposed by N.T. Wright in his study of Romans 8, Into the Heart of Romans. He renders verse 28 this way: “We know, in fact, that God works all things together for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose” (p. 154; italics added). Wright explains that Paul “is here saying that God is our collaborator. God works with and through ‘those who love him’” (p. 158). Now, according to Wright, Paul is not talking about salvation in this verse, as if we work with God to earn our salvation. Rather, “Romans 8.18-30 is speaking about the vocation of the saved community, the calling to implement the already-accomplished work of Jesus the Messiah within and for the benefit of the wider world of all creation” (p. 161).

I don’t have the space here to explain all of the reasons why this particular translation is so compelling to me. But it seems clear that this reading is consistent with everything we’ve seen so far in Romans 8, such as our sharing in God’s glory/authority and our groaning in prayer along with the Holy Spirit. This chapter consistently shows that God has chosen to work in, through, and with us. (If you’d like to learn more about the case for this interpretation, I’d point you to Into the Heart of Romans, especially chapter 7.)

Plus, when you consider the whole narrative of the Bible, you see that God consistently chooses to work in, through, and with human beings. This is true in creation when God creates us and entrusts creation to us. It’s true in God’s choice of Israel to be God’s chosen people. It’s true of God’s mission to make disciples of all nations through the church. And it’s true of God’s first advent on earth. The fully-grown Jesus didn’t descend in glory fully grown from the clouds. Rather, God chose to come among us by working in, with, and through Mary, who carried Jesus for nine months, gave birth to him in a stable, and raised him along with her husband, Joseph.

The final clause of Romans 8:28 – “who are called according to his purpose” –confirms the interpretation I am recommending here. God works all things for good with those who love him, who are called to share in God’s purpose or, we might say, to share in God’s mission in the world. This is our calling, our vocation. As people saved by God’s grace in Christ, we join in God’s work. This calling is made particularly clear in Ephesians 2:8-10: “For by grace you have been saved, through faith . . . not the result of works . . . For we are what God has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.”

As God’s beloved children we get to share in the lavish benefits of God’s grace. But Romans 8:28 adds something more. We also get to share in God’s work in the world. This work isn’t just what we might call “religious” work. It isn’t only about church, evangelism, and mission. Rather, God is working with us in “all things” for good, including what we do in our daily jobs, in our parenting and grandparenting, in our cultural engagement, and in our citizenship.

One final comment about “all things.” Even as God is working with us for good in “all things,” we look forward to the day when God will restore “all things” to what God had intended from the beginning. Ephesians 1:10 reveals God’s plan for the future, namely “to bring all things together in Christ, the things in heaven along with the things on earth” (CEB, emphasis added). This is an essential aspect of our Christian hope, indeed, our Advent hope. Nothing will be left out when Christ returns to finish God’s work in the world. “All things” will be restored and unified as the brokenness of this world is mended by the grace and power of God in Christ.

Banner image by Farzad Mohsenvand on Unsplash.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the High Calling archive, hosted by the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: God Works All Things Together for Good.

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