“All Things Work Together for Good”: What Does Romans 8:28 Mean?

Kirk E. Miller

“Romans 8:28 is perhaps the most powerful promise in all of Scripture: ‘And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.’

But it’s also perhaps the verse most easily misapplied to hurting people. Despite good-intentions, it has been used to dismiss pain, rush the broken toward a “silver lining,” or suggest that if you’re still hurting, you must not be trusting God enough. Depending on how we understand this verse, it can feel like either a lifeline or a slap in the face. The difference isn’t abstract or merely intellectual. It’s the difference between hope that sustains and a theology that crushes.”

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We’re Never Not Dying

Kirk E. Miller

Sometimes we describe someone as currently dying, meaning, they’ve received a terminal diagnosis and are suffering its effects. (I don’t object.)

However, in reality, we would do well to remember that we are all in the process of dying. The difference is merely how delayed that end results seems to be for each of us. But no one is never not dying, not heading inevitably towards that final fate. Each day, each hour, each minute, we get a little closer. A terminal illness, for instance, is merely hastening what was already inevitable.

The danger lies in deceiving ourselves that we are not dying, that we are immortal—at least currently so unless otherwise interrupted.

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