Chapter 5 The Promise

BOOK III

THE MYSTERIES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

ROMANS 8:26-29 “Likewise the Holy Spirit also helps our infirmities: For we know not what we should pray for as we ought: But the Holy Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And God that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 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. 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.”

INTRODUCTION

Seated at my desk in 1979, I began to consider the direction of the Lord in my ministry as a traveling Baptist evangelist. I noticed that many evangelists were beginning to focus on particular themes in their week long revivals. The home, personal finances, soul winning, and prophecy were prominent topics of interest as pastors requested special emphasis in such areas of local church ministry. Evangelists focusing on such topics were generally invited more often to guest speak than those simply traveling and preaching on the standard doctrines. I considered what I might do along these lines and rationalized that, since the Holy Spirit was really the one who stirred people to revival, perhaps it would be wise for us to study His nature and personality.

Pulling my notebook from the shelf, I began to write down everything I knew about the Holy Spirit. Pastors were requesting Sunday-through-Wednesday meetings rather than full weeks, so five messages on the Holy Spirit was my goal. After reviewing everything I had jotted down concerning my knowledge on the nature and personality of the Holy Spirit, I abandoned my attempt. I did not even have enough written to support a single message with substance. I realized He was a mystery, and before I could teach, I would have to know him better. I shelved my notebook and left the room; rarely considering the Holy Spirit until three years later.

After being filled with the Holy Spirit in mid 1982, I went to my book shelf and extracted my notebook. Turning to the notes I had written some three years earlier, I sat down and began to construct outlines for sermons. Soon four messages emerged on His nature and personality and later a manuscript. What made the difference? Knowing Him!

Shortly after being filled with the Spirit and preparing the four messages, I sent out information to seventy-five pastor friends. I knew other Baptist brethren wanted the power of the Holy Spirit as much as I; thus I would be swamped with requests to come and share my message. I receive not a single request. Not one! Why? The Holy Spirit was a mystery. Perhaps it would be better for Him to remain so?

As I began to walk in the Spirit following the baptism, I discovered His ministry was one largely of intercessory prayer. He is likewise the administrator of His own manifestation, often incorrectly referred to by Charismatics as “the gifts” of the Spirit. Finally, however, in 1983, I began to pray and study God’s Word on the subject of prayer to discover exactly how the Holy Spirit worked in this area. It was not until mid 1985, however, after receiving my prayer language – the gift of tongues – that I began to learn from the teaching of the Holy Spirit on how to pray. As I prepared this manuscript, I realized that Romans 8:26-27 could not stand alone. Verse (28) and (29) had to be included if the other were to be interpreted properly. To unveil the “mysteries” of the Holy Spirit in prayer, we must begin by looking at how “all things work together for good” and how this promises intersects with conforming to the image of Christ.

CHAPTER 5

THE PROMISE

Perhaps the most misused text in all of Scripture is 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.”

This verse is generally applied when one is void of any satisfactory explanation of difficult circumstances, traumatic failure, unpaid bills, broken marriages, or even the loss of a loved one; not to mention broken hearts and unanswered prayers. Both the failure of proper interpretation and correct Biblical application of this verse has probably brought more spiritual frustration to the Christian life than any other. Such doctrinal error always results in increased doubt in God’s ability to provide for His own and intensifies disbelief in God’s Holy Word. A correct interpretation, on the other hand, and wise application has life changing potential.

As a child growing up in Sunday school, we often sang the song: “Every promise in the book is mine, every chapter, every verse, every line.” Although the song contains basic truth, it is certainly not wise to claim every promise in God’s Word as personally applicable. The Bible is filled with promises of eternal judgment, condemnation, destruction of nations that forget God, and rebuke for those unwilling to submit to the will and ways of God the Father. There is no doubt, however, that Romans 8:28 is a promise. It is, however, only germane to those who are in prayerful fellowship with God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. To apply the promise in any other way, would not only violate proper Biblical interpretation, but likewise would nullify it’s effectiveness and power.

PROMISE DEFINED

Covenants, pledges, vows, agreements – spoken or written – and even marriages are all secured by promises. A promise gives cause for hope, expectation, or assurance. Legally, a promise is a binding agreement. Spiritually, it has eternal value worth, and finality. Relationships established by promise, likewise afford security. Without promises, we would be forced to live by luck and chance.

CONDITIONAL

Romans 8:28 is a conditional promise. “And we know…” This is not a promise to all Christians who simply need a convenient verse to jam all unanswerable situations into indiscriminately. The promise is personal and exclusive. The promise found in this verse is only applicable to those who conform to the description found contextually.

Romans 8:1 immediately identifies those to whom Romans 8:28 is written: “There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus…” This is where most cease quoting the passage. It is not written to the general populous of Christendom nor can it be properly applied to all Christians. Romans 8:1 concludes by saying: “…who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit” – Holy Spirit. This is the theme [focus] of the entire chapter. Paul contrasts the carnal Christian with the spiritual and clearly demonstrates the two types of Christians: the one who follows the dictates of the flesh and the other who walks in agreement with the Holy Spirit.

Romans 8:28 is furthermore conditional, and exclusive, because verse (26) and (27) inform us that the way “we know all things work together” is only through prayer and the will of God the Father. Thus, Romans 8:28 is not a verse for situational relief but rather a comfort to those engaged in doing the will of God through prayer and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The “we” in Romans 8:28 is not those seeking relief but those seeking the perfect will of God by assistance of the Holy Ghost.

CONVICTION

Romans 8:28 states a spiritual law: “And we know that all things work together for good…” As should be seen, this promise is limited in scope. It is only applicable to those walking in the Holy Spirit through prayer. The promise, or effectiveness of the spiritual law, is only made available by conviction. Such is a strong belief or a code by which one lives. In short, Romans 8:28 is a standard by which one lives through God’s governmental rule. It is not an over coat which we shrug on when it looks cold nor can it be quickly swallowed as a pill to kill the pain of circumstances. Simply put, this promise must become a way of life.

EXAMPLE

After being caught up to the third Heaven, Paul states in his letter to the Corinthians that he besought God three times to release him from a messenger of Satan that was sent to buffet him. The Heavenly Father responded by saying, “My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (II Cor. 12:9). Paul’s confession immediately follows: “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ sake: for when I am weak then am I strong” (II Cor. 12:9-10). This was Paul’s statement of conviction – by which he lived. Most of us, however, change our convictions whenever the circumstances dictate, thus, releasing us, we hope, from any Scriptural responsibility. In such cases of change, Romans 8:28 is not applicable. The promise is a spiritual law of performance and can only be experienced when lived by as a conviction. If lived by, Romans 8:28 performs spiritually which in turn releases authoritative power to the Believer. Paul parenthetically states, “we,” know all things work together. The Greek Word for “know” means to (see). This is a spiritual vision, or awareness, available only to those submitted to the will of God as they walk in the Spirit. Such spiritual vision can only be accomplished by conviction through faith. The difference between a moral practice and a Biblical conviction is eternal fruit. How is such spiritual vision manifested? Only through one’s life. If we live by Scriptural law, all things can and do work together for our good. Such conviction means we remain squarely centered on the authority of God’s Word even when it looks as though prayers are not being answered. God has promised, to those who will live accordingly, to cause all things to work together for their good.

CONDITIONING

The promise of Romans 8:28 is also one used for spiritual conditioning. “Conditioning” can be defined as: (The achievement of a desired goal by the placement of limitations, including the exclusion of distractions).

There ar at least two types of conditioning which are radially identifiable: indirect and direct. The direct form of conditioning takes on the shape of discipline and practice to achieve the goal. Ridged physical training is an example of such. Habits, trends, and fads on the other hand, usually are made reality through indirect conditioning. The continual advertizing of a particular product until the hearer finally makes a purchase is a simple example of indirect conditioning.

ILLUSTRATION

One of my secret dreams has been to swim the English channel. It would be fatal to attempt such a goal without direct conditioning. Such conditioning would encompass everything to do with such a goal. I would need to read and research everything available on the aspects of the channel itself. It would equally be wise to obtain information directly from those who have accomplished the swim already. The physical training would be, of course, an absolute necessity. In another words, it would take practice and discipline to achieve my goal and the employment of everything necessary to achieve such a goal.

This is the meaning of Romans 8:28. God uses “all things” to condition for His perfect will. This is not to say God uses sickness and disease, tragedy and loss, poverty and destruction to form His will in His own. God is not the author of such. He will, on the other hand, use what the Devil meant for evil and cause it to bring forth that which is good for our benefit if we look to Him as we walk in His Holy Spirit. Furthermore, if we are found unwilling to submit to such conditioning, the promise – spiritual law – of Romans 8:28 “all things work together for our good” will not, indeed cannot, apply.

ALL THINGS

God’s promise is to incorporate “all things” – good and bad, strong and weak, success and failure, right and wrong – “together for good to them that love God.” Through the promise of Romans 8:28, we can “know” or be spiritually aware of God’s personal management and concern of our affairs through prayer. It is that which is “known” or “understood” supernaturally through the intercessory ministry of the Holy Spirit in prayer for us. The problem is, however, we generally seek to “know” through the justification of circumstances. We, instead of living by the promise of Romans 8:28, attempt to justify the workings of God by rationalization. We suggest that the wheelchair has been given that we might become a better Christian. We consider the death of a loved one to be the hand of God; thus to be better equipped to help others. Cancer, when spiritualized, is that which God has blessed us with to bring us to a closer walk with Him. No one truly believes these twisted distortions of spiritual truth but somehow it seems to ease our emotional pain and suffering, thus, enabling us, we think, to live with such suffering more successfully. If such rationalization and spiritualizing were indeed true, then we should all be praying for God to give more of these infirmities to us that we might become better witnesses for Him. Yet John the Apostle wrote, “Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health” (III John 1:2). Most of us as Christians are guilty of considering the circumstances as good or bad. We conclude, that the more “good” things we can experience, the more in tune we must be with God’s perfect will.

To live a life as Paul described – “My strength is made perfect in weakness” (II Cor. 12:9-10) – and – “I have learned that in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (Phil. 4:11) – would take wisdom beyond human reason and understanding. This is the essence of Romans 8:28. If we are to “know” that all things work together for our good, we must do so with supernatural vision. Such spiritual vision takes faith. As we pray in the Spirit, we become spiritually aware, through the intercessions of the Holy Spirit, that “all things” indeed do work together for our good. This creates faith, or the supernatural ability to know – see beyond circumstances – to the finished work – the will of God. If such conviction is not maintained, we become spiritually myopic and unable to discern the will of God in difficult, and especially in impossible, circumstances. Such circumstances then become a controlling factor and we easily loose sight of God’s greater picture for our lives. Through the employment of “all things,” we practice being the children of God and thus we are conditioned to become more like His Son through every situation good or bad. This also implies what often is considered to be failure. You may have tried and failed, again and again; not simply in the Christian life but in business, marriage, child rearing, employment, pastoring, friendships, self control. Such failure for the Christian, living by the promise of Romans 8:28, in no way implies one has failed. Circumstances certainly fail, people assuredly, but for the Christian walking in the Spirit; there is no failure. Why? Because we “know” that all things work together for our good. Learn to pray in the Spirit and you will be able to spiritually see – know – beyond circumstances God’s will for your life.

Although I am going to address the subject of how God uses all things together for our good in the next chapter, I do not want to leave this area without giving several Scriptures which I think will assist us in comprehending the true meaning of “all things.”

Matthew 21:21-22 Verily I say unto you, if you have faith, and doubt not, you shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if you shall say unto this mountain, Be removed, and be cast into the sea; it shall be done. 22 And all things, whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.

Matthew 19:26

Jesus said, With God all things are possible.

Mark 9:23

Jesus said, All things are possible to him who believes.

Romans 8:32 He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall God not with Christ freely give us all things.

II Peter 1:3-4 According as His divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and Godliness, through the knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promisee; that by these you may be partakers of the divine nature.

I John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.

John 14:14 Jesus said, If you shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. We often make the mistake of claiming these verses to help free

ourselves of a jam by which we are being squeezed and When they do not perform as anticipated, we jump to Romans 8:28 to try and justify the reason for God’s failure to perform His promises. Do not make that mistake. Begin with Romans 8:28 and then live by these other promises.

What if one has put their whole body, soul, and spirit into their efforts of prayer and still nothing happens? If we are truly walking in the Spirit according to Romans 8, and if the Holy Spirit is our intercessor who always agrees with the will of God for our lives, then we will see – “know” – that God is going to use “all things” to work together for our good. If you do not see it – “know” it – then you are not walking, praying, in the Spirit, and your faith is not in evidence. “The just shall live by faith.” If the prayer or petition is yet unanswered, continue to walk by faith in the Spirit; making use of His intercessory partnership as you pray in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit will quicken faith to your soul, by means of your regenerated born again spirit, as you walk in the promises of God’s Holy Word. In this way, all things can then be worked together by God into your life to bring about God’s perfect will.