PRÉCIS ON THE FOUNDATION OF REAL HOPE IN AN AGE OF PERIL

SCRIPTURE. “And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good to those who are called according to His plan and purpose.” – ROMANS 8:28, AMP

KEY TERM: “WORK TOGETHER.” ‘Sunergeó [συνεργεῖ]: “Based on a root word meaning, ‘A Co-Labourer’ [capitalization used to denote a Divine Coworker]; i.e., a Coadjutor; Companion in work or labour; a Helper or Workfellow; to a Partner in labor [and life]; ‘to put forth Power together with and thereby to assist.’”

QUOTATIONS:

• FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE “Aus der Kriegsschule des Lebens. — Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich starker.” – i.e., “‘Out of life’s School of War—What doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger.’” – Twilight of the Idols, 1889; edited

• C.S. LEWIS. “You must ask for God’s help. Even when you have done so, it may seem to you for a long time that no help, or less help than you need, is being given. Never mind. After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again. ‘Very often what God first helps us towards is not the Virtue itself but just this Power of always trying again.’” – Mere Christianity, 1952; edited

COMMENTARY. “Another argument to comfort us under the Cross, from the benefits of it. ‘We know that all things,’ &c. It is not matter of guess only and conjecture, but of certainty and assurance … ‘All things.’ Even sin itself! Because from their falls, God’s children arise more humble and careful. Afflictions are chiefly intended; the worst and crossest providences, those things that are evil in themselves, they work for good to the children of God.

‘Work together.’ Here is their operation, and their co-operation: First, they ‘work together with God.’ What the Apostle says of himself and others in the ministry, 2 Corinthians 6:1, that may be said of other things, especially of afflictions; ‘they are workers together with God.’ Some read the words thus, God co-operates all to good. Again, they ‘work together’ with us; we ourselves must concur, and be active herein; we must labour and endeavour to get good out of every providence. Once more, they ‘work together’ amongst themselves, or one with another. Take this or that providence singly, or by itself, and you shall not see the good it doth; but take it in its conjunction and connexion with others, and then you may perceive it. One exemplifies it thus: As in matter of physic, if you take such and such simples alone, they may poison rather than cure; but then take them in their composition, as they are made up by the direction of a skilful physician, and so they prove an excellent medicine.

‘For good.’ Sometimes for temporal good, Genesis 1:20; always for spiritual and eternal good, which is best of all. All occurrences of providence shall serve to bring them nearer to God here, and to heaven hereafter. ‘According to His purpose.’ These words are added to show the ground and reason of God’s calling us; which is nothing else but his own purpose and good pleasure; it is not according to our worthiness, but ‘His Purpose:’ see 2 Timothy 1:9.” – MATTHEW POOLE, English Annotations on the Holy Bible, 1685 (posthumously); edited

DK’S TAKE. The good Mr. Poole wrote his brilliant commentary on this passage and that is why I chose his work. But he erred. He forgot to clearly note ‘The Caveat’, The Divine Conditional to all this Working Together Promise.

“For those who love God!”

This Promise ‘does not work’ for what Thomas Paine (1776) in another context called “Summer soldiers and sunshine patriots” (The American Crisis, 1776). Make that read, the Part-Time Christian, the backslidden believer, the double-minded disciple, the politicized follower or certainly not the apostate Christian whose heart is not entirely, absolutely, and fundamentally committed to Christ and Canon, unto life or unto death. Selah.

LOVING GOD TOTALLY. “Then God spoke all these words: ‘I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. ‘You shall have no other gods before Me.’ You shall not make for yourself any idol, or any likeness (form, manifestation) of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth [as an object to worship]. You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous (impassioned) God demanding what is rightfully and uniquely mine], visiting (avenging) the iniquity (sin, guilt) of the fathers on the children [that is, calling the children to account for the sins of their fathers], to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me’ …

And Jesus replied to [us all], ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” – EXODUS 20:1-5; MATTHEW 22:37-38, AMP

CODA. The Beauty of this Promise is that God will go to any length to turn an impossible crisis into a triumph, though it always requires us to ‘Travel the Gauntlet’ of a Trial to get there. No matter, beloved. His power, His wisdom, His compassion, and His comfort shall always and forever aid and abet all we need for a successful journey.

So long as – We ‘completely’ belong to Him.