He Who has it ALL has Me.
26 …The Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
Knows all that the mind: oida; to have seen or perceived, appreciate, understand.
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
Causes…to work together: sunergeo; helps in the work, works with.
All things: pas; every, all respects or things, constantly, continually, every, everything, forever.
For good: agathos; good, generous.
Purpose: prothesis; specifically the showbread in the temple.
[See three levels of “the good”]
God’s Glory
Me
Things and Circumstances
Physicists religiously hunt a theory to explain everything, to explain all. God already has.
In the Bible’ most misquoted verse, see some mistranslations in case one is yours. “Well, everything happens for the good.” “Every cloud has a silver lining.” “Everything always works out for the best.” Those are impotent Band-Aids … for a heart attack.
Again: start with verse 26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because He intercedes for the saints according to God’s will. God searches my heart by means of His Spirit. Again the Spirit intercedes for us. God understands. He absorbs all the Spirit brings Him; concerning you. Why? God as His Holy Spirit ferrets out what is most true about you… we know God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, who are called according to His purpose.
We know God sunergeo; causes things to work together. Calvinists, say God helps nothing. He’s in charge. He ordains. He predestines. God dictates. all else follows. Paul visits predestination later, but hear this verb — sunergeo. God works together with. He responds. He orchestrates the pieces.
See three possibilities. (Godet, 1870) All things work in concert together: like ecology. Everything is in ML King’s “inescapable web of mutuality”. Another possibility: all things work in common with God, under His direction: cue the universe’s Conductor. A last possibility is where we take a turn. All things work in common with a believer, aspiring for His good.
God causes and we work with Him aspiring for “the good”. This is Joseph’s word to his brothers. They sold him into slavery. Bloodied his coat. Lied to his parents that Joseph died. His brothers now stand before him in Egypt, him who they worse-than-killed and Joseph says, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.[1] How hard is this to trust?
God made his brothers hate Joseph and barely back off from killing him? OR God used the brothers’ hatred of Joseph? God used their animosity? God let his brothers “send” Joseph ahead to Egypt? Which? Ask this, “Which is more amazing — a puppet-master God, Who makes brothers hate and almost kill Joseph, or the One who works with the brothers’ actions?
All things is pas. Paul says God works together with — all, all respects, all things, constantly, everything. This God numbers hairs on heads. For me that’s increasingly easier. This God lets no sparrow fall to ground but that He knows. He causes all things.
May I suggest practicing using this bit word, all in your life in Christ? Some people deride baby Christians, who pray for everything, like parking places.
What if we place more of our lives for review by God? We might ask Him about little things like what we eat, smoke, and drink. We can pass our entertainment to God’s all things column. Many small things make up “my all”. Nissan taught me this.
I called Nissan to replace an AC condenser covered in my extended warranty. A pleasant lady told me Nissan would not pay for the condenser because, I love this, I could buy a condenser in smaller parts. If it were a clutch, or a bit or small part, they would cover it, but since I needed the whole enchilada… an entire condenser… she could not pay. She hung up. I needed a day. It cost two more calls and I got heated, but Nissan paid for one, entire condenser. The point is this: You can’t say you want God to make ALL work to the good and then exclude component parts.
Small bits of my life make my ALL. Each second with my wife makes the ALL of our life. Each business decision makes the ALL of my business. Back to parking places from God. If I never bother with millions of small bits, then I exempt most of my life from the ALL I hope He uses for good in my life. Don’t hang the heavens on parking, but examine small life bits in Him.
Good: agathos. Good: do you trust it? We define good in a zillion ways. Some of our ways are lies. We’ll bypass the trap of what is good, and look at a wiser version. Whose good?
For whom may things work out for the good? See three circles. In the outer circle, we have the good of my things or circumstances. Things work out for my dog, my car and house.
What’s good for my things? It is good if I’m happy or I get it. I want a house. Pray that I get a house. I want “us” to happen, so pray for us and pray we’re happy.
As goal-oriented people, we get caught in this. How did I do on grades? Did my job go well? Have a nice trip, date, buying spree or negotiation? Did “the thing” happen? Are you “happy”? Did you finish your race, or go to a doctor, and did those turn out well?
We busily hope church was good, club went well, and work went well. The outer ring to analyze this verse is “did things and circumstances turn out how I thought good should be? Did everything come out well, as good as I hoped?”
This verse does not insure that. Sorry. I often think wrongly what would be “good”. I twist ideas of good-for-me. Joseph got sold for dead, and yes, it turned out wonderful, but it didn’t start that way. Joseph took some nose dives, and people Jo helped forgot him for years.
That’s why Paul says I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to be revealed to us” (verse 18).
Circumstances go awry. We die in prisons so Paul says the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God (verse 21).
Saul hunted David. Wars happen. Deserts kill. Kings tortured Isaiah and other prophets. Jews died in Babylon, Germany, and Israel. Esther’s predecessor was discarded like a used tire. Other women in Boaz’ fields paid sexual favors to glean behind the men. Tell the truth.
In this outer circle, I learn to celebrate any kindness, any victory as God’s gift, not as what I earn or deserve. A promise of all things in my favor is magic; not faith. Satan dangles magic’s false promise to enslave people all day. Be smarter than that.
Pelagius: Whatever we do or suffer out of love for God grows into a reward for us.[2] Theodoret of Cyr: This is not true of every one but only of believers. Nor do things simply work together… they work together for good. If you ask for something which will not contribute to your good, you will not get it, because it is not good for you to get it. [3]
In the outer circle of circumstances coaches pray for victory. One country’s priests prepare men to fight with a mass, another’s chaplains hold a prayer meeting, who wins the battle? All those things lie in the outer circle. God does not bleed your school colors.
Consider the second (middle) circle. Where is my hope if not in how circumstances pan out? What is “good” in what I hope? If my things do not all happily succeed, how does good work? Perhaps it is IN us that things work out for the good.
What lies in the second circle? I do. Do things work out for my good? It depends on my criteria for good. If good means I will always be healed, then no. We wear out and surely die, unless Christ returns. What did Paul write before sharing I can do all things in Christ? [4] He wrote: I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Circumstances rise and fall. Who am I in the rising and falling? Who am I becoming in all this? What have I learned?
Paul gave us something else. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.[5] Does this truth color your definition of “the good?” Truth: going Home is better than staying. Dying and being with Christ is better. Slaves and soldiers hummed this. Can I? Passing from here to Heaven is better, it is gain, it is wonderful. Does that define your good? Going Home to Heaven is good.
Truth: circumstances do not define good. I was more alive in a hospital close to death than anywhere else. Maybe you experienced a deeper joy in a funeral home than in worship. Good lies not in externals, it is a choice I believe. I hunt the good in hope in my character.
Who are you becoming as a soul, a person of character and honor? The second circle is important. Your character is a good. Is it most important? No. With Christ as Lord, move to the most important circle. Move to the inmost circle.
“The good” is larger than me, my family, my church, and my country. The good ultimately rests in God’s hands. My grasp of the good must bring Him glory and honor.
Jesus struggled with this, Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.[6] Jesus leads us into “the good’s” inner circle. Jesus says “yes” to God. He died for us to show us how to do good, be good, even in horrid circumstances. Move to this good for God’s good, for His glory.
Jesus showed us this good. People die in Christ’s name, as He died obeying the Father. Are their deaths “good”? Balthasar Hubmaier was tied to a stake and recanted. He returned teaching a believer is baptized after knowingly professing Christ as Lord. They tied him to a stake again. This time he begged for a hot fire to finish well, to rub Sulphur in his beard. People laughed, told him he was a fool, and asked if he wanted to recant again. These people were the last thing in this world Balthasar saw! Was his death for good?
Does your definition of “the good” pull you into the inner circle? The inner circle brings God honor and glory. Chrysostom said “even things that seem most painful: tribulation, poverty, imprisonment, famines, or deaths, God can change them into the opposite. God can make painful things appear light to us, and turn them into helpful things.”[7]
God turns even opposition and disappointment into good. This happened in Paul.[8]
Step into the inner circle and face, “To be called according to God’s purpose is to be called according to “the will.” But is this the will of Him Who calls or the will of us who are called?”[9]
How about it, His will, His good or yours? Can you see why so many in the world consider us to be no threat? You can live for God’s will over your own!
In the inner circle we meet a strange word. Prothesis; specifically showbread, was sacred, consecrated. Priests displayed this “bread of face” by the curtain to the Holy of Holies. When I fell in love with God, I knew to do the good He asked. God makes us indistinguishable from Jesus. When you touch that inner circle, you rest in God, you rest in His purpose for your life, and you live out of depths others want.
Why use such old sources? They wrestled as do we. They knew long before us. They lived and died well.
Do you see how the Bible defines “love God?” You are called according to His purpose. You live as one who has seen His face.
[1] Genesis 50:20
[2] Pelagius Commentary on Romans AD 370
[3] Interpretation of the Letter to the Romans AD 430
[4] Philip. 4:12
[5] Philip. 1:21
[6] John 12:27
[7] John Chrysostom, Homilies on Romans 15.3 390 AD
[8] John Chrysostom Homilies on Genesis 67.19 392 AD
[9] Cyril of Alexandria Explanation of the Letter to the Romans 444 AD
Another Traveler 