A good work

DEVOTION

ROMANS

A GOOD WORK

Rom 8:28-30

28 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. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

NIV

This is one of those portions of scripture which may be used by the Calvinists in an attempt to prove only a select few who God decides will be saved. But that is not what this says. First we must look at the words about all things working for good for those who love God and who have been invited via the gospel which he set out before us, his purpose. The Greek word for purpose is the setting forth of a thing, putting in view. That is what he did with the gospel, he put it in view of people and invited them into his plan, his redemption of them. That is all pretty cool. God being all knowing knows who will accept his invitation and those who would not. Just as in the days of Noah, God knew Noah would answer his call, and he knew everyone else who would ignore his call and thus perish. He also knew ahead of time when he called Abram that Abram would heed the call and leave his home to come to a place he did not know. In the same way God knew that Moses would listen to him, even though Moses tried to talk God out of calling him, he did do what God planned for him. God knows everyone ahead of time who will answer the call, who will accept his redemption and believe in Jesus Christ. He knew all this even before the foundation of the earth, before he spoke anything into existence. We mere mortals cannot possible wrap our little finite brains around such an enormous concept as God knowing everything even before it happens in what we call time. However, another concept that is difficult to grasp is God is not in time, there is no such thing as time for God, and everything is present. So he knows ahead of time who will answer his invitation and for those of us who have, God predetermined to conform us to the image of his Son. That is when we accept his salvation, as he foreknew we would, he set about to do good work in us transforming us to be like Jesus. This is what God does in our life, he works for our good, so we will be like Jesus. Because we love God, we accept his working in our lives for our good. Verse 30 is where it gets a little dicey. But within the context it makes perfect sense. Those who God knew before hand, he would conform to the image of his Son, he invited. Here it is not that he just decided to invite only certain people, but that to all people the invitation goes out. God knows who will come in and who will be conformed into the image of his Son. For those who came in and are being transformed he rendered righteous, (justified) and to those he rendered righteous, he honors them, he imparts glory on them. We have to know God's will is that all should accept his call, which all should be conformed to the image of his Son, and none should perish.

1 Tim 2:2-4

 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

NIV

2 Peter 3:8-9

 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

NIV

The verses above should prove to us that God calls all men to repentance. Jesus came for all people, he died for the whole world, not just for a select few. Salvation is for everyone, the call of God is for all people and he wants everyone to know his truth. But the fact remains only some will come, will answer the call. Those who do, he knew ahead of time and he decided ahead of time that those who answered, he would transform into the likeness of his Son. That is us, we are being transformed. God is working in our lives, he is changing us little by little to be more like Jesus. It would be too much for us to make that transition all at once, we just could not handle it, and God knows that. So he is constantly at work in our lives, doing a good work.