“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
Above is an often-quoted passage from the Apostle Paul’s Letter to the Roman Church. It is one that means a lot to me, and I find it helpful to break this passage down into bite sized pieces for a more thorough reflection.
And we know, we understand, we are convinced of the fact that those who love God with all their heart and mind and strength, God is always working to their advantage for their good. Or, as the Prophet Jeremiah stated, “I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for a future and a hope, plans for your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:11).
The last part of the verse twenty-eight speaks about those who are called according to His purpose. Note, not our purpose, His purpose. And so we won’t be confused, the following verse tells us what His purpose is for our lives. “For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…” (Romans 8:29).
Above all, that is the destiny of the Child of God in Christ. After we are born again, God begins a sanctifying process in our lives whereby we begin a spiritual metamorphosis, a transformation if you will, into the very image of the Son of God. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (II Corinthians 3:18).
Something that is often very surprising to me is when I walk past a mirror and give the reflected image a quick glance and in that glance, see my Father looking back at me. I often stop, pause, and look intently at the image and ask, “Dad, how did you get in there?” Isn’t heredity a wonderful thing? Some of you know exactly what I am talking about.
This is what happens to us spiritually as we submit to God’s sanctifying processes in our lives. The tools that He uses for this transformation are the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, the Word of God, prayer, the fellowship of other believers, and various spiritual disciplines. The result? When we look into our spiritual mirrors, the image looking back at us begins to look more and more, with every passing day, like Jesus.
When the Bible talks about you and me having a glory about us, that glory is what makes us unique as individuals, as humans. We are surrounded by a glorious world where each and every created thing, be it floral or fauna, has a glory all of its own, its personal character. What God does in the life of the believer is to transform their glory, step by step, to the place that we begin to reflect the glory of the Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord.
This my friends, is God’s purpose for your life and mine. He does not wish to leave us as we are but to transform us into the image of His dear Son. That, I believe, gives one a whole new appreciation to Romans 8:28.