Romans 8:28

Romans 8:28 (World English Bible): We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. ¹

Calvin reads the verse as answering an objection from "the flesh" — that afflictions seem to show God does not hear prayer ². He says Paul's point is that God turns what looks evil into the means of salvation ². The proviso is that Paul speaks here only of adversities, not of sin generally, since "the subject of which is the cross" ². Albert Barnes takes "all things" to mean the afflictions and trials believers face, which "work together for good" by weaning the heart from the world and producing patience and humility ³. Barnes also treats "called" (klhtoiv) as meaning, in this verse, not a mere external invitation but those who have actually accepted it and become true Christians ³. He says this fits both the surrounding context and the word's usual New Testament use ³. John Wesley connects the verse forward, reading it as Paul's recapitulation beginning from God's eternal purpose or decree, likening it to a person who plans before acting and then carries the plan through ⁴.

Sanday and Headlam, writing in 1902, take a narrower philological line ⁵. They argue that δέ ("and") marks a transition to a new ground of confidence, and that the Christian's future "must have a good ending" because he stands continually within God's purpose ⁵.