Romans 8:28

Romans 8:28 says, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.  This is an often-quoted verse.  People sometimes interpret it to mean that God is going to make everything work out well for believers in Christ.  This is a promise about the everlasting good that comes from salvation, though.  We cannot claim that God is going to make everything work out as we feel it should in this world. We must belong to God first, which I believe is what is meant by being the called.  Some translations just say called, but I believe all are called, which we will look at shortly.  We need to remember the previous verse had just told us that the Holy Spirit made intercession for us, and in order for that to happen, we must have accepted Christ as our Savior and Lord.  When we are looking at life spiritually, everything will work together for God's glory and our good.  Verse twenty-nine adds, For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.  Some interpret this to mean that certain people were predestined for salvation before man was even created and they are the only ones who will be saved. I believe that everyone was predestined for salvation, as we are made in the image of God.  Not all choose to accept this call to salvation, though. If certain people were predestined for salvation, then Christ's death was but an empty act, since He would have died only for those God had already chosen to be saved.  Spreading the gospel would be a useless act, since it could not change the outcome of a person's everlasting relationship to God.  This would reduce God more to being a puppet master than a loving Father. Verse thirty continues, Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Again, we could interpret this to mean some are always predestined to be saved and justified by God and some are always predestined to be lost. I believe that all are predestined to be saved, called to God through Christ, and those who respond to that call are justified by God.  I firmly believe that God gives people the free will to choose, and that choice determines our relationship to God.  Verse thirty-one concludes, What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?  This should be the truth that all followers of Christ live by.  If God is for us, who can be against us. We don't need to fear anything in the world if we are rooted in the will of God.