“TO
THEM…”
Romans
8:28
“We know that
all things work together for good.” If we stop there and read no
further, we would be forced to say, “That is not so.” The simple fact of the
matter is that all things do not work together for good to everyone. There are
many against whom all things work for evil. The text makes sense, and is true
only when the entire sentence is read, “We
know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to his purpose” God’s providence,
in all its details, is designed and accomplished for his elect, those who love
him and are the called according to his purpose. Whenever we think about God’s
providence, we must never forget that divine providence is for…
A Designated People.
Everything that is, has
been, or shall hereafter be is brought to pass by the hand of our God for the
good of his people. Who are these people? Am I one of them? Are you? All
religious people claim to be God’s people. The Jews claim to be God’s people and
so do the Arabs. Catholics claim to be God’s people and so do Protestants.
Mormons say they are God’s people. So do Campbellites and Russellites. Who are
God’s true people?
God’s elect are identified by their faith (Phil. 3:3). Worshipping
God in the Spirit, they trust Christ alone for all grace and salvation, placing
no confidence in any privileges, experiences, or works of the flesh. God’s saints are identified by
their love - “Them that love God!” Believers
are people who love God. In many respects believers and unbelievers are very
much alike, especially if the unbeliever is religious and moral. But here is a
marked distinction. True believers, and they alone, love God ((Rom. 8:7) We
love God in his revealed character as the holy, absolute sovereign of the
universe (1 Cor. 16:22). Believers are
also identified by their calling - “Them who are the called.” Let the
Arminian, the free-willer, try as he may to get around the eighth chapter of
Romans. Here it stands to declare forever the glorious, gospel doctrine of
God’s free, sovereign, effectual, irresistible grace in Christ. Those who
believe are “them who are the called”. If
language means anything, this text asserts that there are some people in this
world who are called and others who are not called. Our faith in Christ and
love for God is the result of this call.
There
is one more golden nugget of divine revelation in this sweet verse of
Scripture. All things that come to pass in time are brought to pass by the hand
of our God according to…
A Divine Purpose.
The grace by which we
believe, by which we love God, by which we are called, this great providence
which works all things together for our good is “according to his purpose”.
The evidence of our calling is our faith in and love for God as he has revealed
himself to us in Christ. The evidence of our election and redemption is our
calling. The cause of our election, redemption, and calling is God’s sovereign,
eternal purpose of grace toward us in Christ (2 Tim. 1:9).
Grace Baptist Church of Danville - Grace For Today Radio Message #581
2734 Old Stanford Road -
Danville, Kentucky 40422-9438
Donald S. Fortner, Pastor -Telephone 606-236-8235 - Email grace@mis.net