In the journey of deconstructing my evangelical faith, it’s astonishing how many times a better reading of a Biblical text is right there just waiting to be embraced once someone points it out. And it’s so refreshing to realize that this can mean you don’t have to discard the Biblical text to hold a different viewpoint - you only have to be willing to think about another possible interpretation.

This morning’s example comes from Brad Jersak’s latest newsletter where he answers the question “Does Romans 8:28 teach that God is in control?”

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. (Rom. 8:28, NRSV)

As an evangelical, Romans 8:28 was trotted out as a sort of determinist get-out-of-jail-free card to deal with theodicy. “If we have an omnipotent, omniscient God”, one might reasonably ask, “why do bad things happen to good/innocent people?” “Well, we can’t know”, comes the answer, “but we can trust that Romans 8:28 is true and that God is orchestrating behind the scenes somehow for our good.”

It’s an unsatisfying answer, one that manipulates the recipient into blind acceptance of the evil circumstance and shames them for a lack of faith if they despair in it. But the words are right there. What else could they possibly mean?

Oh, blessed context

Rather than cherry pick this single verse, says Jersak, let’s look at the flow of the whole chapter.

Romans 8 tells us that all of creation is groaning under the catastrophe of human sin. And when the love of God fills our hearts, we begin to mourn too. We don’t even know how to pray. But the Holy Spirit in us cries out with ‘groans too deep for words’ and ‘we cry, ABBA!’ It appears that all is lost. It seems like evil reigns and death has defeated us.

Then he quotes verses 19-23:

19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

Then he interprets:

Creation is groaning and waiting for God’s children to ‘be revealed’ or ‘manifest’ – to ‘show up’ and participate in ‘your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ It’s waiting for us to step into our calling now through the labor pains of history, even as we await our final resurrection. The wholeness and freedom of eternity that we await begins now as healing and redemption. Here. In this life.

Even before we get to v. 28, I find this such a helpful interpretation of v. 19-23. Verse 19 in particular was always opaque to me - what event of “revelation” is creation waiting for? Something eschatological? But no, this reading is much more sensible: creation is waiting to see which people will be revealed to be the children of God by how they go about doing God’s work of healing and redemption. Yes.

Then we get to v. 28. Back to Jersak [bold emphasis mine]:

“All things work together” is NOT “everything works out.” Rather, “all things” refers to the whole of creation that is groaning and waiting for us. When we, as Christ’s royal priesthood, step into our vocation, we will discover “all things working together” – cooperating, participating, serving with us in the cause of redemption. We can’t manipulate (force, control) our circumstances to serve our ends. But when we live as God’s beloved children, serving divine love in this world, it’s amazing how ‘all things’ start diving in to help.

I love this so much. That v. 28 isn’t a call to just shut up and try to trust that God is magically working things out in unseen ways. Rather, it’s a call to start God’s work as God’s representatives here in the world, with the encouragement that the rest of creation will be working with us toward ultimate reconciliation and redemption.

That’s a beautiful, hopeful picture that both encourages and motivates me when I consider all our current groaning and waiting.