All Things Work Together for Good
God orchestrates all circumstances for the ultimate good of those who love Him.
Paul assures, 'We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.' This is not optimism that everything is pleasant but confidence that God redeems everything for ultimate good. The good is defined by God's purpose: conformity to Christ's image. Joseph's brothers meant evil; God meant good. This teaching does not explain suffering but provides perspective within it. The 'working together' suggests synergy—components that seem negative combining for positive outcomes.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Corrie ten Boom, who survived Nazi concentration camps, testified that 'there is no pit so deep that God's love is not deeper still.'
Epistle to the Romans
Written about in
- What Christianity says about grief
Paul defines the "good" narrowly as conformity to Christ's image, not a pleasant outcome. The teaching does not explain suffering; it offers perspective within it. Quoted as a promise that a death turned out for the best, it says considerably more than the verse does.