And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them Romans 8:28.
In our weakness we have the help of the Holy Spirit. If we don't know how or what to pray for we can rely on the Holy Spirit who prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. Our Father who knows all hearts and every thought knows what the Spirit is saying. The Holy Spirit knows us far better than we know ourselves, and keeps us present before God. We can rest assured in knowing that the Spirit's requests for us are always in agreement with the will of God.
The good is God conforms (to comply, to act in accord with standards, attitudes, to become similar in character) us "to the likeness of his Son." This is how we know God causes everything to work together for the good. Who are those who love God? Paul defined them as those who are called according to His purpose. The "called" are all Christians! The promise of this verse is that God orders everything for believers so that all of life's experiences work together for our ultimate good.
God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. The knowledge here is expressed in love and purpose. God not only knew us before we had any knowledge of Him, but that He knew us in the sense of choosing us by His grace, (enabling power and spiritual healing offered through the mercy and love of Jesus Christ) before the foundation of the world. He predestined (determined in advance by divine will) to shape the lives of those who love Him to become like His Son through spiritual rebirth,
After God made the decision of what His children should be like, He called us to Him. In Paul's writing "calling" never means just an invitation. It is a sovereign ultimate power that draws the sinner from death to life. We are justified (made right) in His sight because Jesus paid the price by dying on the cross for our sins. It is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God. This is God's purpose for all of us.
Comments