What is the “good” for which all things work together?

Explanation:

Paul explains in Romans 8:28 that all things work together for good. In other words, God works out all things for the good of believers. Yet we often experience frustration and suffering in this life, so this raises the question as to what sort of good Paul has in mind. We can deduce from Romans 5:3–4 that Paul has in mind godly goods that we receive in both this life and the life to come. For in Romans 5:3–4 Paul acknowledges that we often suffer in this life, but he characterizes those sufferings as something to rejoice over. In particular, he writes that we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, character, and hope.³ In other words, even our suffering can be for our good in the present and the future, for in the present suffering can produce hope and so forth, and this hope comes to fruition in the future we are resurrected in glory. So even our suffering is for our good in the present and the future.

Counterargument:

When we carefully consider Romans 5:3–4 in conjunction with what Paul writes in Romans 8:24–25, we can see that the good Paul has in mind will transpire in the future. In particular, Paul writes in Romans 5:3–4 that we rejoice in our suffering because our suffering ultimately brings about hope. He refers to hope again in Romans 8:24–25 when he explains that we are saved in hope, but hope is not about what is seen but what is unseen, which we wait for patiently. In other words, the hope that suffering produces allows us to wait patiently for a future event, namely, our resurrection into glory. This future resurrection glory is likely the good Paul has in mind.

Response to Counterargument:

The problem with this counterargument is that it overlooks the fact that hope is intrinsically good. That is, the fact that suffering produces character and hope in this life entails that suffering procures a good in this present life, because character and hope are intrinsically good. So we can take Paul to mean that God works all things together for our good, which includes that he uses suffering to produce character and hope, which are intrinsically good in this present life.

Explanation:

When Paul writes that all things work together for good, he has in mind that God works out all things for the good of believers in the present and the life to come. That is not to say that believers do not suffer or endure frustration, but that God providentially controls all circumstances to produce good in this life and the life to come. We can deduce that this is Paul’s meaning because Scripture often refers to the good that God brings about for his people in the present while promising other future good.⁴

For example, in Psalm 25:10 we read that all the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness to those who keep his covenant. In other words, all the paths of our lives are for good for those who love God.⁵ Likewise, in Deuteronomy 8:15–16 Moses explains to the Israelites that God led them out of Egypt and into the harsh wilderness where there were scorpions, serpents, and no water in order to test them and bring about their ultimate good. Also, in 2 Corinthians 4:16–17 we read that even if we seem to be withering from an outward perspective, the Lord is transforming and renewing us inwardly. In other words, while our external circumstances might be difficult, God uses those circumstance to produce spiritual good in the present.⁶ Now these are only a small portion of the dozens of passages where God provides good in the present and promises it in the future, which is to affirm that God works all things for the good in this life and the life to come.⁷

Counterargument:

While it might be that we read in many passages how God brings about good in the present the future, our goal is to understand what Paul means in Romans 8:28. The context of Romans 8:28 has to do with our future glory. We can detect this because in Romans 8:25 Paul refers to waiting patiently for what we hope for. Then, in Romans 8:29–30 he refers to being conformed to the image of his Son, and our glorification. Hoping for the future, being conformed to the Son, and glorification all have to do with the future. In other words, in Romans 8:28 Paul is saying that all things work toward the final good, which is the good of our future resurrection.⁸ The point is, while Scripture certainly refers to God providing good things in the present and future, we need to understand Romans 8:28 in light of the immediate context, which suggests he has the future in mind.

Response to counterargument:

All this counterargument shows is that the future is included in the good. Still, we know from other passages in Scripture that God also provides good in the present to those who love him. Thus, we conclude that when Paul writes that all things work together for good, Paul has in mind both present and future good.

One weakness of this view is that while Paul refers to present good in Romans 5:3–4, and Scripture generally references much present good brought about by God, the context of Romans 8:1–39 has to do with suffering and future glory. Thus, when understood in the context of Romans 8:1–39, the notion of things working together for good could be future good only.

Explanation:

Paul writes that all things work together for good. Given the context of Romans 8:1–39, Paul likely has in mind a future good related to our resurrection with Christ.¹⁰ We can detect this because he has already explained in Romans 8:17–23 that we are heirs of Christ, provided we suffer with him. That is, our present suffering is not worth comparing with the glory to be revealed. Further, Paul explained that creation itself is subject to frustration as it longs, with us, to be redeemed. All of this suggests that in this present life, believers suffer as Christ suffers, but we do so with confidence. For as Paul writes in Romans 8:28, we know that all things work together for good. That is, we know that our suffering will eventually end in our resurrection from the dead, which is the future good toward which all things work together.¹¹

Counterargument:

While it is true that one of the good things Paul has in mind is the future resurrection, this argument overlooks one important item. In particular, when Paul writes that all things work together for good, he uses the verb συνεργέω, to work with. When we analyze the construction of that verb, we notice that it is in the present active indicative form. That suggests that Paul has in mind that all things work together in the present for good. For the present active indicative normally implies that the action of the verb is ongoing in the present. So Paul is saying that all things are currently working together on an ongoing basis in the present toward good.

Response to counterargument:

While the present active indicative form of the verb συνεργέω (to work with) does suggest that things are working together on an ongoing basis in the present, the preposition εἰς can be taken to refer to the future. That is, Paul writes that all things are working together εἰς ἀγαθόν, which we could translate toward good. In other words, all things are working together on an ongoing basis in the present toward a future good, which is the redemption of our bodies and resurrection with Christ. So, although the verb συνεργέω (to work with) is present active indicative, this does not undercut the idea that the good Paul has in mind is future.

Explanation:

Paul explains that all things work together for good. We know that believers experience tremendous suffering and frustration in this life.¹² In fact, Paul himself refers to tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, and sword in Romans 8:35. Thus, Paul knows that this life is filled with difficulties and suffering as we strive to follow Christ. Still, there is hope, as Paul explains, for we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good. In other words, while we might know from experience that this life is full of suffering and frustration, the promise of the gospel is that all things are working together for our future good, which is resurrection with Jesus Christ.¹³

Counterargument:

This argument argues on the basis of universal human experience that Paul must have a future good in mind. For it essentially contends that all humans endure suffering and frustration, so we know that the good Paul has in mind does not transpire in this life. Unfortunately, this argument is not strong, for we also know from universal human experience that we endure and encounter many goods in the present. For example, even in our suffering we often experience joy, deeper faith, and growth in character. Thus, we could rely on universal human experience to contend that the good Paul has in mind includes present goods. Given that an argument from universal human experience generates two opposing interpretations, and we ought to rely on more than universal human experience to decide Paul’s meaning in Romans 8:28.

Response to counterargument:

The argument here is not that believers never experience good so Paul must have a future good in mind. Rather, the point is that based on universal human experience of suffering and frustration, combined with the immediate context where Paul has in mind persecution, famine, distress and so on (Romans 8:35), likely he is encouraging the Romans to hold fast to the faith even during present suffering, knowing that all things, including suffering, are working together toward a future good, which is the resurrection. So this argument is a combination of universal human experience in light of the immediate context of Romans 8:28.

The weakness of this view is that we know that God’s providential hand is constantly caring for his children. In fact, now only knows and sometimes corrects our suffering, thereby turning it to good, but he also uses our suffering to produce spiritual goods like faith and hope. So it is a fact that God works out all things for our good, even though we suffer, a fact this interpretation overlooks.