What Does Romans 8:28-31 Mean?

We’re looking at the often misunderstood Romans 8:28-31.

Romans 8:28: “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.”

The preceding verses, Romans 8:26-27, talk about the Holy Spirit interceding for faithful believers according to the will of God. Those who love the true God are those who walk by faith in Christ in subjection to His commandments.

2 John 6: “And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.”

This requires suffering.

Going back to Romans 8:17: “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

“Them who are the called according to His purpose” of Romans 8:28 is connected to Romans 8:17 and the preceding counsel in Romans. They are those who suffer in order to not yield to sin and fulfill the righteousness of God’s law through faith in Christ. An acceptable, living faith reckons oneself dead with Christ to sin and alive to God through His resurrection. You cannot have such a faith without turning from your sins and submitting to His authority as the rightful Lord of all.

Romans 8:29: “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.”

The Spirit prays for Christ’s people in accordance with the goal summarized in Romans 8:29. Those whom God foreknew are simply those who are partakers of His Gospel promises because they are walking by a living faith in Jesus Christ. This makes one an heir (or, partaker) in the plan of redemption in Him which was appointed before the world began. The Calvinists are wrong because it was the plan of redemption which was appointed before the world began rather than the salvation of individuals. People being included in the plan or not on an individual basis was not determined before the foundation of the world. The promises of the Gospel are to “whosoever will.” The promises are also conditional. Many reject Christ outright while many who profess belief in Him don’t love Him or turn away from loving Him. This is known because they do not keep His commandments. Those who disobey what He commands do not sufficiently believe.

Galatians 5:6: “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.”

Moving on to Romans 8:30: “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.”

Those who enter into and endure on the narrow way to life in Christ will be glorified with Him when He returns. These were all called by His Gospel. Yet many are called but few are chosen. They were not forced to believe. Likewise, not all who truly believe endure to the end in faith since not all continue to suffer in order to continue to walk under His authority. There is free-will at each step in the process of obtaining ultimate redemption. God is faithful to justify those who heed the call of the Gospel of Christ and put them on track to glory. He will be faithful to keep them on the narrow way to life and bring them to glory as they continue to obediently believe in Jesus.

Romans 8:30 is an assurance that God will not let a Christian down in the middle of the narrow way. They can still refuse to cooperate with Him and fail to inherit glory. Yet that would be no failure of His. He is just as concerned that they finish well and obtain ultimate redemption as He was concerned to send to Christ to die for them, to call them to Christ, and to justify them when they first believed in Christ.

This is an important assurance for obedient Christians in the trials and struggles of life. This is especially needful for them to understand when they are persecuted or otherwise suffer greatly. The rest of Romans chapter 8 will prove this and elaborate on this more.

Romans 8:31: “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”

The things leading up to Romans 8:31 make the verse easy to understand. The same can be said of the rest of Romans chapter 8. Don’t overlook that key phrase “our Lord” in Romans 8:39. Everything here is confirming Lordship salvation in Christ rather than teaching against it.