The good all things are working for

There’s something I’ve been thinking of writing for a few days, since before all of this happened, and perhaps God was getting me sorted. That’s because last week I was reading on Romans 8 in Future Grace by John Piper. Romans 8 has long been one of my favourite chapters in the bible, but to be honest, there are times that I’ve felt like people were a little too hasty and glib with Romans 8:28 in the immediate face of suffering. (“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.” Rom 8:28)

But there’s a chapter in Future Grace called "Four Pillars of a Precious Promise", in which John Piper looks at what are the foundations of the promise of good and what is this “good”. There ought to be no surprises that they begin in the next verse, after the word “for”:

29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

30 And those whom he predestined he also called,

and those whom he called he also justified,

and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Piper goes on to unpack out each of these four things, and it’s mightily encouraging (in which he also says some interesting things about “foreknowledge" if you happen to be an Arminian). You need to read the chapter to see the way this builds, and this portion might be nothing so new, but here it is anyway (and I shall leave in the American punctuation, even though it drives me crazy):

The end of the chain is that the justified will be “glorified.” That refers to “the (future) grace ... at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (I Peter 1:13), when he comes to give us “the unfading crown of glory” (1 Peter 5:4). We “will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of [our] Father” (Matthew 13:43), because we will be completely “conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29). He will wipe away every tear from our eyes and there will be no death or crying or pain any more (Revelation 21:4). God himself will be with us; and “fullness of joy and pleasures forever more” will be ours at his right hand (Psalm 16:11); and we will “enter into the joy of [our] Master” (Matthew 25:21).

This is the ultimate fulfillment of Romans 8:28. Being “glorified” means coming to the final, everlasting experience of seeing God work everything together for our good. The “glorified” state of verse 30 is the ultimate “good” for which God works all things together in verse 28. It is our final likeness to Christ which brings him glory (“the firstborn among many brethren”) and brings us unspeakable joy.

And there’s another whole chapter on Romans 8:32, called "The Solid Logic of Heaven", which is also well worth reading.