(Today: the first of four truths from Rom. 8:28 that give better understanding.)
DO ALL THINGS REALLY WORK
TOGETHER FOR GOOD? (2)
Dr. Vernon C. Grounds, President Conservative Baptist Theological Seminary
NOT
A COSMIC FREAK
Notice first, that the apostle declares: "All things work together for
good" He does not declare that by
some cosmic freak or by the mere random whirling of senseless matter, good is
eventually produced. Paul declares that
all things work together for good.
And, consequently, he teaches here the same truth which he teaches in
Ephesians 1:11: "God worketh all
things after the counsel of his own will."
Why does everything, even heartbreaking
tragedy, turn out for good? The answer
is simple. God is at work in the
whole process? And by His infinite
wisdom, power, and love, God is making all things work together for good.
Visit a huge, sprawling plant where
automobiles are manufactured. Watch the
bewildering mass of raw material - metals, wood, fabrics, glass, and what not -
as it pours into the factory. Then,
without entering the doors of that mammoth structure, walk around to the ramp
where the finished product, a sleek and shining mechanism, rolls out, ready for
shipment to every corner of the world.
Can you possibly believe that just by luck or chance or accident all
that mass of raw material assembles itself into an automobile? Of course not!
But when you realize that extraordinary skill
and power have been brought to bear upon that raw material, you can understand
why the finished product is so beautiful and efficient.
Similarly, who can believe that all the mass
of our raw experience - sickness, disappointment, broken bodies, blasted hopes,
blighting sins - just by luck or accident achieves good? Introduce God into the picture, however, a
God of infinite wisdom, power, and love, and it is possible for even the most
searching mind to believe that everything works together for good. And it works together for good because God is
at work. He is making all things work
together for good, bringing to bear upon the raw stuff of our experience all of
His limitless resources.
Confessedly, there may be aspects of existence
which will baffle us until we see our Lord face to face. But still, embryonically, we have a solution
to this tantalizing mystery. Our cosmos,
we realize, is not a self-existing chaos of atoms which swirl about
senselessly. Undergirding our universe
is the everlasting purpose of a Person Who is perfect in wisdom, love, and
power, and Who uses the vast process of nature and history for the fulfillment
of His gracious purpose, a purpose which is supremely good.
A few years ago, the Rev. James Patton, pastor
of the Carmel Avenue Baptist Church of Detroit, left home early one Sunday
morning in order to pick up children for Bible school in the church bus. The man who ordinarily served as driver had
found it impossible to do the job that day, and so the pastor himself
volunteered. And tragedy struck. The bus was demolished by a train which
killed Patton and several other people.
Meanwhile, his wife was waiting at home for him to return.
Who can imagine the shock and horror which
overwhelmed her when she learned of her husband's death? Among the many condolences which she received
was this telegram which brought immense comfort to her heart: "God is too kind to do anything cruel,
and too wise ever to make a mistake."
Yes, introduce God into the context of life's
worst tragedies, the God whose love has been supremely revealed at Calvary, and
it is possible to believe Paul's triumphant assertion. A God like that can be trusted to make all
things work together for good.
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