The Meaning of "Good" in Romans 8:28

Romans 8:28. The oft referred to verse that pastors and lay people alike use like a mayonnaise spread to bring comfort and assurance to anyone suffering through a hard time. If you grew up in church as I did then you probably have heard that "everything works together for the good of those who love God". I have no quarrel with the verse and I think its very true. However, I do have a quarrel with many people's understanding of the word "good" in this verse.It is very easy for people in our culture to assume that this verse means that everything works together to bring you a "good life". So that, no matter what you are going through at the current moment, God will work that situation around so that you "come out on top".

And usually, this idea of coming out on top means that if we are suffering a job loss now, riches will come later, if someone wronged us now, God will get that person back and promote us in the future, if we are going through a hard breakup now, God will provide us with a better partner later, and so on. Perhaps God will do some of these things, but that interpretation of this verse is very misleading. This interpretation teaches Gods people to trust that when God says he will work all things for our good, that he means he is going to make all our circumstances good. So in effect our focus becomes very secular, very temporal. So as a practical application people are taught that they should just hold out for a while, and watch God change all their circumstances.In short, people take very natural understandings of what is "good" and read that understanding into this verse.

There is a reason for this. We come to the scripture not looking to be changed by seeing Jesus, but looking to find things that suit our own passions. We do not look to see what the author was saying to his readers, but rather, "what would I like the author to say to me through this?" As a result we neglect to consider the context of verses, to consider who the author is talking to, what he is responding to, what he says in the verses prior to and following the verses we are studying..etc.

So what does "good" mean in this verse?

Romans 8:28 "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."

I think the answer lies in the following verse...

29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren...

The "good" promised us in Romans 8:28 is far better than a promise to change our circumstances. It is a promise that no matter what we go through, God himself is working through our circumstances to conforn us to the image of his son, Jesus! God is making us like Jesus! That is the great good of Romans 8:28! By this promise we can take hope that regardless of our circumstances God's plan is coming to pass....in us! So the application of this verse is not to wait and watch God change our circumstances, but to wait and watch God change US! And this is good news! Contrary to popular belief we do not find joy through perfect external circumstances, but through internal change, change in our hearts. This is the overcomer's gospel. Not one that touts circumstancial change, but one that assures us of Gods faithfulness to change us, regardless of our circumstance.

It is with this understanding that we can say along with Apostle at the end of Romans chapter 8..."35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,"For your sake we are being killed all the day long;we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.