I could honestly spend a week studying Romans 8… and then do it all over-again.
I was eating dinner tonight with someone very dear to me, and we were talking about relationships which lead to marriage, and sadly but quite possibly divorce. He’s experienced divorce, and in a way so have I. But, the point is, we didn’t have answers to a lot of what we were talking about. He said to me, “well… everything happens for a reason,” and that was the end of our conversation.
“Everything happens for a reason – [Period].”
Everything… really?
What reason?
Who’s reason?
It’s like saying something really important while saying nothing at all.
It’s like making an absolute claim with no absolute – just ambiguity – absolute ambiguity.
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” – Romans
Ohhh… funny how we truly are a Christian culture. Yet God is denied and pushed out of our county in so many ways… but we won’t go there now.
Anyways, I’m re-opening the conversation – the one that was ended so abruptly with the statement “everything happens for a reason”. Is that statement true? True – what’s truth? Scripture is true [period].
We don't know that everything happens for a reason. But we do know [as truth] that “For those who love God all things work together for good”. So if man wants all things to happen for a (good) reason he must love God. But that’s not all Romans says… verse 28 continues… “For those who are called according to his purpose”. So it’s not longer that man must love God, it’s that God must first call man according to his purpose.
When we think of loving God we are disposed to begin with ourselves. However, Paul reminds us that those, whom he has spoken of as loving God, had been previously chosen by God. The order of this is made clear.
More simply, “We love because he first loved us” (1 John
Before sin everyone loved God (granted there were only two people & it didn’t last long *insert laughter*). However, once sin entered the world not everyone loved God. God still loves all, but not all men love God. God is still glorified, but not all men partake in God’s glory. God is the Alpha and the Omega and His glory will reign (Revelations 1:8), but not all men recognize Him.
God’s glory
God loved us (100%)
[sin]
God called us (x %)
We love God (x %)
All things work together for good
God’s glory
So why do all these foundations/conditions/deductions have to be discussed to understand the flippant comment “everything happens for a reason”? Because of the first and last lines “God’s glory”. Everything must be seen in light of God’s glory. Every man is exposed to evils, yet there is a great difference for men who love God. God trains and refines the faithful by afflictions, and thereby promotes their salvation. However, if a man has not been granted salvation, he can not be trained and refined by afflictions for the promotion of his salvation because he has no salvation! Afflictions avail, not to advance the salvation of anyone and everyone, but of those whom love God, whom God has previously loved.
[Foundation]
“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurances, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5) *** note that the audience is limited to believers (those with the Holy Spirit)
[Condition]
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4) ***note that the audience is limited to believers (my brothers)
[My Deduction]
Therefore, Brothers and Sisters in Christ (condition)…. YES, everything happens for a reason, a very good reason, GOD’S GLORY!
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