Christian Life

“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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All Things for Our Good (Romans 8:28)

Kirk E. Miller

Romans 8:28 is perhaps the most powerful promise in all of Scripture, yet it is also one of the most frequently misapplied. In the hands of a well-intentioned but shallow counselor, it can be used as a bludgeon, dismissing pain and rushing the broken toward a silver lining. But when rightly understood, this verse offers a hope that sustains rather than a theology that crushes. This sermon examines six common misconceptions about Romans 8:28 to clarify what God actually promises His people.

Podcast link.

Marriage Is Not about You (Colossians 1:15–20)

Kirk E. Miller

The following was a wedding homily, which I’ve adapted here for written and public format.

Believe it or not, your wedding day is not about you.

Now, of course, in one sense today is about you. Friends and family have traveled from near and far to witness and celebrate your marriage.

But at a deeper level, your wedding—your marriage—is not ultimately about you. Rather, marriage exists for Christ. So too, the marriage you are about to enter into exists for Christ. It exists to display the preeminence of Christ.

Christ’s preeminence (Colossians 1:15–20)

Colossians 1:15–20 has two main parts. First, in vv.15–17, Paul extols Christ’s preeminence over creation. Then in verses 18–20, he praises Christ’s preeminence over redemption, or we might say, the new creation—and specifically the church.

This is so that, as Paul says in v.18, Christ might have preeminence in everything. By preeminence, Paul means that Christ holds first place, supreme rank, absolute priority. Or as some translations say, “that in everything he might have the supremacy” (NIV) or “that he might come to have first place in everything” (NRSVue, CSB, NASB, cf. NET, NLT). In other words, Christ is not one important figure among many; he is the singular, ultimate reality toward which all of creation moves.

Let’s briefly survey what Paul says.

Over creation (Col 1:15–17)

Christ “is the image of the invisible God” (v.15). Christ perfectly reveals what God is like. What God is, Christ is. The fullness of deity dwells in him (v.19). The invisible God has made himself visible in Christ.

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