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All Things Work Together
AUTHOR: | Henderson, J. E.W. |
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IT WOULD BE A BLESSED THING for all of God’s dear children
in this world to understand and know what is taught in the
above text. While it is probable that some of them have not carefully
considered this text, others may have misinterpreted it, and
even perverted it. If all things, both good and evil, are meant, it
would appear necessary that evil should exist, and in fact, there
could be no evil if, all things, in the unlimited sense of this
phrase, work together for good. Whatever works good is good,
and where then could evil come in? But the text defines the
phrase “All things,” and that without associating any evil thing
with good things. Paul begins here with the foreknowledge of
God, and then His predestination, the calling of His chosen
people, their justification and glorification. Such are the things
that work together for good; for these are good things, and therefore
work nothing but good. A chain of God’s providence and
grace is presented, beginning with His foreknowledge, and every
link in this chain is necessary for the salvation of His people.
Election is a very important link in the chain, and is presented
by the Apostle Peter thus: “Elect according to the
foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the
spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus
Christ.”—I Pet., i., 2. In this passage several links are brought
to view, viz.: Foreknowledge, election, sanctification, obedience
and the application of the atonement for sin. The chain is
lengthened in the following verse: “To them that have obtained
like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God
and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”—2 Pet., i., 1. Thus we have faith
and its proper source, or the means by which it is obtained, i.e.,
through the righteousness of God.
Still another feature is presented by Jude: “Jude, the servant
of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified
by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ and
called.”—Jude, 1st verse. The preservation of the elect in Christ
is thus added to the chain of the “all things that work together
for good,” and also the calling of the elect. And to all these may
be added the quickening power of the Holy Spirit, repentance,
faith and hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. Hence follows the obedience
of faith, the love of God, and the love of the brethren,
the service of the Lord, patience, forbearance, and every Christian
grace and virtue that is bestowed upon the children of God.
This chain of providence and grace was devised, or rather existed,
in the infinite wisdom of God from all eternity. He
extended it down to this earth by the hand of the great “Mediator
between God and man, the man Christ Jesus,” whose advent, life
and death, burial and resurrection carried this glorious chain
down to the lowest depth, to which His chosen had descended,
and then carried it, back again to heaven, and there the two ends
of this chain are linked together, never to be severed. Such are the
things that work together for good to them that love God; the
called according to His purpose: And if it were possible to sever
one link from this chain, it would then be possible for God to be
dethroned, and heaven depopulated. But the chain is too strong;
it cannot be broken; it bears the ponderous weight of the universe,
strengthened and sustained by the Almighty God.
The works of the devil do not belong to this chain; neither
sin, the act of man; nay, so far from it that these things which
work together for good to the people of God, effectually remove
it from them as far as the east is from the west.—Psa., ciii.,12.
True it is that God makes the wrath of man to praise Him, yet
He has never been so dependent upon sin for His praise and
glory as to predestinate it, and
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