Yes, "all things." Quite often Romans 8:28 is tossed out, casually, if not flippantly, when someone is struggling or hurting: "All things work together for good...." The way we use it, we are basically saying: "It may seem bad now, but everything's going to be okay. Eventually, it will all be good again."
God's purpose for our lives goes far beyond a task, a ministry, or even a calling. His purpose is to mold us into the image of His Son so that we may be able to fellowship with Him as intimately as His own Son does. This is an eternal goal. It is a far greater priority than anything we may do in the temporal, earthly realm. (See Romans 8:28-29 - "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose, For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.") According to Genesis 1:26-27, we were created in God's image. This was His purpose from the beginning that we be like Him. The fall (of the 1st couple into sin) interrupted God's purpose and made redemption necessary (not that God was surprised by it, or didn't already have a plan in place to reconcile man to Himself). The fall separated us from God, His image, and the dominion we were to have over all the earth.
Ephesians 1 (see yesterday's blog) tells us that God had a plan to sum up all things in Christ in the fullness of times. We saw how this plan would bring glory to God and praise to the glory of His grace. It would gloriously demonstrate that God's plan of redemption and sanctification could be attributed to nothing but the absolute grace of God. Coming to the cross Jesus prayed, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You."
Wow! Do you see it? How did the Father glorify the Son? "We see...Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor" (Hebrews 2:6-9). When did He do it? When the time was right, in the fullness of time. Ephesians 1:10 is NOT some event yet to take place. Jesus said, "The hour has come." The time was full, and in His death, God summed up all things in Christ, making Him heir of all things; and, making His cross our cross, He adopted us as sons and made us joint heirs with Christ. That is joint heirs. We inherit the same thing He did. Which was? That's right. All things!
In Him, God has worked out a plan so that all things become our inheritance. Good or bad, large or small, all things are turned to the working out of God's good purpose in our lives: to conform us to the image of His Son.
This isn't just some weak "everything is going to be okay." This is the promise of God that whatever we face in life, good or bad, God will use it to mold us into the image we were created for in the first place. He will restore us to His image. He will use all things to accomplish this. Why did I have cancer? God could use it in my life to mold me to His image. Does it matter that the cancer was removed? No. Does it matter if it comes back? No. God will use whatever happens for the purpose of molding me into His image. So, I can trust Him through the good and the bad. (We'll get into some additional implications of this in days to come.)
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