“According to His Purpose”

Romans 8:28

Whenever you read, or quote, or even think of Romans 8:28, be sure you do not leave out these last four words. You will never understand anything in the Book of God, you will never understand anything God does, you will never understand the mystery and wonder of divine providence until you understand that God does everything “according to his purpose”.

When I read those last four words of Romans 8:28, the first thing that comes to my mind, the first thing I want to know is — “What is his purpose?”

You may think, “It is impossible for us to know the purpose of God.” In a sense that is certainly true. It is written, “Secret things belong unto the Lord” (Deut. 29:29). We must never attempt to pry into those “secret things.” We must never behave as those superstitious fools who seek the counsel sorcery, desiring to see the future. What God has purposed for us is God’s business. Our business is to trust him.

However, the very next line of that text reads, “but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever.” Let us see clearly that which is plainly revealed in Holy Scripture about the purpose of our God.

These things that are revealed in Holy Scripture are revealed are revealed, according to Deuteronomy 29:29, “that we may do all the words of this law;” that is to say, That we may learn to trust the Lord our God.

Here is a golden chain of grace. It has five unbreakable links: — foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, and glorification. This is like the ladder Jacob saw, reaching up to heaven, upon which the angels of God ascend and descend as ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who shall be the heirs of salvation. Each rung of the ladder was fixed by our great God in his eternal purpose of grace, before time began.

God’s goal for his elect is absolute, full, eternal glorification in Christ and with Christ. Nothing less will satisfy his purpose or honor his name.

(Romans 8:28-31) “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (29) For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. (30) Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (31) What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”