Romans 8:28

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.

And - rather, 'Moreover,' 'Now,' or some other such word, to mark, better than the ordinary copulative "And," what this verse clearly is-a transition to a new train of thought.

We know ... The order in the original, which is more striking, is this: 'We know'

That to them that love God, all things work together for good, to them who are the called according to his purpose - his eternal purpose. Two characteristics of believers are here given-one descriptive of their feeling toward God, the other of His feeling toward them; and each of these is selected with the evident view of suggesting the true explanation of the delightful assurance here conveyed, that all things are, and cannot but be, cooperating for good to such. Let us look at each of them, for it will be found that there is a glorious consistency between the eternal purposes of God and the free agency of men, though the link of connection is beyond human-probably even created-apprehension. First, 'To them that, love God all things are working together for good.' Because such souls, persuaded that He who gave His own Son for them cannot but mean them well in all His procedure, fall naturally and sweetly in with it; and thus learning to take in good part whatever He sends to them, however trying to flesh and blood, they render it impossible-so to speak-that it should do other than minister to their good.

But, again, "To them who are the called according to his purpose all things are" - in the same intelligible way - "working together for good." Because believing that there is such an eternal purpose, within the cloud of whose glory the humblest believer is enrapt, they see "His chariot paved with love" (); and knowing that it is in pursuance of this purpose of love that they have been "called into the fellowship of His son Jesus Christ" (), they naturally say within themselves, 'It cannot be that He "of Whom, and through Whom, and to Whom are all things," should suffer that purpose to be thwarted by anything really adverse to us, or that he should not make all things-dark as well as light, crooked as well as straight-to cooperate to the furtherance and final completion of His high design. Glorious assurance! And of this the apostle says, "We know" it. It was a household word with the household of faith: not that, as here exhibited, it had perhaps ever before struck one of his readers; but, as already observed, with the teaching they had already received and the Christian experience which was common to all who had tasted that the Lord was gracious, it had but to be put before them to be at once recognized as an undoubted and precious truth.