Down an Unfamiliar Road

RESIST BEING RESENTFUL

The pain of Absalom’s deceit, and anger against those who joined him to drive him from the throne still burned in King David’s mind. But he decided to take it to God in prayer and seek His guidance on how to avoid becoming resentful. He knew that such resentment could develop into hatred, and hatred could result in doing something so evil that he would regret it later. So he penned this prayer in the morning to pour out his heart before the LORD to get divine guidance and strength. The wisdom of David’s prayer involves his looking for ways to deal with himself to find his areas of needed change. He believed that such modifications might produce a more significant impact on his adversaries than just criticizing them for being vain and destructive.

“O LORD Eternal, would You take time to listen to what I’m trying to say so that You can better understand what I am thinking. Since You are my King and my One True God, I want to convince You that I am serious when I cry out to You. I ask You to listen to my prayer this morning as I lay my request before You at daybreak to await Your answer. I know that You are not the type of Sovereign King who wants to see wickedness, for evil ideas, do not meet with Your approval. That’s why conceited people don’t last long in Your presence because You detest those who operate with wicked intent. You also condemn those who mislead others with lies, and You, O LORD Eternal, especially despise those who try to ruin other people’s lives with deceit. But because of Your abundant grace, I plan to go to Your house and reverently bow down at Your altar. I will ask You, O LORD Eternal, to treat me fairly and guide me because those who oppose me watch my every move, that’s why I want to do things Your way. A person cannot believe anything these people say because their hearts are so filled with spite that they will eat you alive; they really know how to mislead people. Deal with them, O One True God; and because they are so openly defiant in their rebellion against You, let them fall into their own trap and lose their influence. But let those who really believe in You live positive lives; yes, let them continue with joy in their hearts because they know You are ever with them; for loving You for who You are is enough to make anyone dance for joy. For You will see to it that the faithful get what is rightfully theirs, O LORD Eternal, by wrapping them up in Your favor like a blanket.” Psalm 5:1-12

Reflection: After less than four months in office, on Saturday, July 2, 1881, President James A. Garfield was shot in the back with a revolver by assassin Charles J. Guiteau. At a hospital in New York City, a doctor unsuccessfully probed the wound with his little finger trying to locate the bullet. When that didn’t work, Garfield was then transported back to Washington D.C., where teams of doctors tried but failed to retrieve the bullet. Even Alexander Graham Bell was called in to try and locate the slug with a metal detector. But forty-eight days later on Monday, September 19, 1881, President Garfield died – not from the bullet, but from the infection caused by repeated probing of the wound. What the physicians tried to do to save him ended up killing him. So it is with people who continually probe their wounds caused by others instead of releasing it to God. There is no need to educate God on the character of such miserable people, He already knows who and what they are. But we should admit to Him how it affects us because He wants us to confess our hurt and embarrassment. This will show our trust in Him to help us survive such pressure and conflict. In the words of the song by Dr. Charles Hayes: “Are you carrying heavy burdens, and you don’t know what to do? Are you sad and despondent, wondering how you’ll make it through? Is your heart laden with many, many cares? Why not do like many others, oh, take it to the Lord in prayer.” – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER EIGHT (Lesson XXXVIII)

The writer of Hebrews, whom many believe to be the Apostle Paul, echoes this same thought: “Christ came with this new agreement so that all who are invited may come and have forever all the wonders God has promised them.”¹ But this was not just Paul’s theology. The Apostle Peter also taught along the same lines: “You have been chosen by God Himself – you are priests of the King, you are holy and pure, you are God’s very own – all this so that you may show to others how God called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light. Once you were less than nothing; now you are God’s own. Once you knew very little of God’s kindness; now your very lives have been changed by it.”² When he wrote them again, Peter said: “Dear brothers, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen, and then you will never stumble or fall away. And God will open wide the gates of heaven for you to enter into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”³ This surely sounds like divine planning, not a system of “do as you please.”

But there is another factor involved here, so Paul makes the point that none of this has been done based on man’s merits, but on the merits of Christ. In other words, God is justified in doing all of this for those who were once sinners because of what someone else did, not what they did, in order to be among those chosen. Paul explains this to the Corinthians: “Don’t fool yourselves. Those who live immoral lives, who are idol worshipers, adulterers or homosexuals – will have no share in His Kingdom. Neither will thieves or greedy people, drunkards, slanderers, or robbers. There was a time when some of you were just like that but now your sins are washed away, and you are set apart for God, and He has accepted you because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for you.”⁴

Paul passes on this same message to Titus: “When the time came for the kindness and love of God our Savior to appear, then He saved us – not because we were good enough to be saved but because of His kindness and pity – by washing away our sins and giving us the new joy of the indwelling Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us with wonderful fullness – and all because of what Jesus Christ our Savior did so that He could declare us good in His eyes – all because of His great kindness.”⁵ This is why it is important that we teach new Christians that it was not they who chose God, but it was God who chose them. They have no justification for saying they acquired salvation based on their own decision. Paul says God had His own justification for offering them salvation.

Jesus made His feelings known to the Father: “This is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those He has given me, but that I should raise them to eternal life at the Last Day. For it is my Father’s will that everyone who sees His Son and believes on Him should have eternal life – that I should raise him at the Last Day.”⁶ In other words, Jesus is more or less saying: I was the one who suffered and died on the cross; who carried the sins of the world on my shoulders; I was the one who died so I could be raised to life again. So, Father, do it for my sake. This is the justification God needed to offer salvation to whoever believes on Christ as their Lord and Savior. Mankind could offer no other reason to justify God doing what He did to save them.

In another prayer, Jesus touches on how He feels about those who have been called: “I have given them the glory you gave me – the glorious unity of being one, as we are – I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one – so that the world will know you sent me and will understand that you love them as much as you love me. Father, I want them with me – these you’ve given me – so that they can see my glory. You gave me the glory because you loved me before the world began!”⁷ So, Jesus not only wanted to share His work of salvation with the chosen but also His glory.

This gave Paul the courage to tell the Corinthians: “We do not look at what we can see right now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.”⁸ And to the Ephesians Paul wrote: “Even though we were spiritually dead and doomed by our sins, He gave us back our lives again when He raised Christ from the dead – only by His undeserved favor have we ever been saved – and to lift us up from the grave into glory along with Christ, where we will sit with Him in the heavenly realms – all because of what Christ Jesus did.”⁹ Then to the Colossians Paul writes: “When Christ who is our real life comes back again, you will shine with Him and share in all His glories.”¹⁰

Paul also had this message for the Thessalonians: “We talked to you as a father to his own children – don’t you remember? – pleading with you, encouraging you and even demanding that your daily lives should not embarrass God but bring joy to Him who invited you into His Kingdom to share His glory.”¹¹ And to Timothy, Paul had these encouraging words: “I am comforted by this truth, that when we suffer and die for Christ it only means that we will begin living with Him in heaven. And if we think that our present service for Him is hard, just remember that someday we are going to sit with Him and rule with Him.”¹² The writer of Hebrews echoes this hope: “Christ came with this new agreement so that all who are invited may come and have forever all the wonders God has promised them.”¹³

Here is an illustration from everyday life that may make this idea of glorification clearer. Think of a young man looking for a bride, and willingly goes through all the tests and meets all the standards the bride’s father required. After getting approval to marry the bride, the groom gives her a ring and tells her she can spread the good news everywhere and show them the ring as proof of her claim. But, he informs her that she will not be invited to the wedding and will not live in the groom’s brand new house. Such would be the same if Christ had only desired to share His death and resurrection with us, but had no interest in returning so that we could go to live with Him on His Father’s heavenly estate and enjoy all of God’s goodness for eternity.

The early church Bishop of the Apostle Paul’s hometown of Tarsus had much to say about our being conformed to the image of God’s Son. He says that Paul did not write this to take away our free will. He used the word “foreknew” before he used “predestined.” So it is clear that “foreknowledge” does not suggest our having to meet any expectations in order to be among the called. That’s why Paul said that Jesus died for us while we were yet sinners.¹⁴ Then Bishop Diodore suggests that what Paul says here would be clearer if we started from the end and worked backward by first asking. Who will God glorify? Those He justified. Who did He predestine? Those He foreknew, who were called according to His purpose, namely, those He found worthy to be called for His purpose so they could be made conformable to Christ.¹⁵

Chrysostom puts the emphasis on our relationship as God’s children by pointing to the fact that Jesus is God’s only begotten Son. In one of his sermons he told his listeners what a superb honor it was, for what the only begotten Son was by nature, we have become by grace. Christ in His human nature has become the firstborn of many, even though in His divine nature He remains the only begotten¹⁶.¹⁷ It is important that every Bible scholar know how the English term “only begotten” is to be interpreted by understanding the meaning of the Greek word monogenēs. It is fairly easy to grasp, for it means “only one of its kind.” Furthermore, in Thayer’s Lexicon, we find that this term, used 9 times in the NT, was employed by Greeks when referring to having only one son or daughter. We can see this reflected in the story of the widow of Nain whose only son died,¹⁸ and in the case of the synagogue ruler’s only twelve-year-old daughter,¹⁹ as well as the man whose only son was possessed by an evil spirit.²⁰ Thayer goes on to say that when used of Christ, it implies that He is the only Son of God, God has no other children. And that’s what was so amazing to Paul. Because of Christ’s willing sacrifice, God has adopted many sons and daughters who can rightly call Jesus their big brother.

Then Bishop Theodoret addresses one factor in our being conformed to the image of God’s Son. He wrote that God did not simply predestine everyone; He only predestined those He selected before they were born. That’s why Paul says everything so precisely and writes “conformed to the image of His Son,” and not just “conformed to His Son.” That’s why no one believes that when we are born-again our human body is conformed to Christ’s divine body. Rather, it will one day be to His glorified body. He was God’s only Son before He was ever born as a man. As God’s only begotten, Christ does not have any divine brothers. He’s the only one. It was only when He became a man that He is able to call us His brothers and sisters²¹.²²

Then Paul adds predestined to the list of called, justified, and glorified. Origen hints that not all the scholars of his day understood the difference between being predestined and being called. The way he takes what Paul says here means that someone who is justified is only justified because they have been called. Furthermore, when someone is called, it is because they were already picked out and, therefore, have been predestined. Origen chides those who think that God’s foreknowledge is limited to knowing what will happen in the future. How can there be any divine foreknowledge if it is not tied to predestination and the same thing in reverse? These two things go together. Origen also wants to know how can it be that all who are called should be justified when we know that many are called but few are chosen?²³ For indeed many are called, but are all called according to God’s purpose? In Origen’s view, only those who are called according to His purpose are justified.²⁴ It is better to understand Origen’s reasoning here if we delineate between those who accept the call and those who do not. When God calls, it’s up to the person being called to respond or refuse. Those who respond are chosen, those who refuse, are not.

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER EIGHT (Lesson XXXVII)

On a personal note: In my early years, I had no interest in following my father into the ministry. I decided on a military career. But while I was serving in Germany I became involved in the chapel ministry. It was in this climate that God spoke so forcefully to my heart that I should surrender to His will and become a minister. But I was ill-prepared, and I reminded God of His giving Solomon an opportunity to ask for whatever he might need to be king of Israel, and granted it to him. So I asked if He would do the same for me? I told Him, I wanted to have such a hunger for His Word, that no matter how often I read and studied it I would never get tired of learning from it. He did exactly that. Later, when I applied for a ministerial license and passed the first exam, I wrote my mother to tell her the good news. It was then she revealed something to me she had purposely never mentioned to me before.

A few days after I was born, my mom carried me to church for dedication. One of the elders, who was a saintly man, came to my mother, laid his hand on my little forehead and said to her, “Miss Hilda, this boy is going to be a great preacher some day.” When I asked my mother why she never told me, she said she trusted in God to make this prophecy come true in His time. I’ve never lost my desire to study God’s Word to this day, and I’ve never doubted again that this was the path God chose for me. In my eyes, I didn’t become the great preacher Brother Morris said I would be, but I can say, I gave it my best. Yet, had it not been for God’s grace, mercy, patience, forgiveness, and guidance, I would have never made it through all these 80 years. He gets all the honor, praise, and glory.

Remember, Paul told young Timothy: “God’s truth stands firm like a great rock, and nothing can shake it. It is a foundation stone with these words written on it: “The Lord knows those who are really His.”¹ And let us recall that the Apostle Peter wrote to his Jewish readers: “Dear friends, God the Father chose you long ago and knew you would become his children. And the Holy Spirit has been at work in your hearts, cleansing you with the blood of Jesus Christ and making you to please Him.”² What Paul wanted the Roman believers to know is that God was not dealing with strangers who just happened to meet Him. He knew them before they were born.

And because God keeps His eye on all of those He chooses, He makes plans for them so they can serve Him the way He desires. After all, Paul told the Ephesians: “His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us. And He did this because He wanted to!”³ And the Apostle Peter wrote the scattered Jewish believers: “God paid a ransom to save you from the impossible road to heaven which your fathers tried to take, and the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver as you very well know. But He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.”⁴ Even though God knew us and decided to select us for His glory, He still paid a price to make it happen. Can we then who have been chosen not be ready to pay any price to affirm His choice?

That’s why Paul now goes on to say that God’s plan involved allowing Jesus to become the role model and pattern for those who are called out from the crowd to follow Him. We see this in Jesus’ prayer to the Father on behalf of His chosen disciples: “I have given them Your commands. And the world hates them because they don’t fit in with it, just as I don’t. I’m not asking You to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from Satan’s power. They are not part of this world any more than I am. Make them pure and holy through teaching them Your words of truth. As You sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world, and I consecrate myself to meet their need for growth in truth and holiness.”⁵ Jesus goes on to say that this prayer was not just for the original twelve, but for all those in the future who would come to Him by faith through the Word they heard preached.

Paul was so convinced that this calling was everlasting, that he told the Corinthians: “Just as each of us now has a body like Adam’s, so we shall some day have a glorified body like Christ’s.”⁶ That’s why he encouraged them later: “And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like Him.”⁷ And to the Ephesians Paul wrote: “In the Messiah He chose us in love before the creation of the universe to be holy and without defect in His presence. He determined in advance that through Yeshua the Messiah we would be his sons — in keeping with His pleasure and purpose — so that we would bring Him praise commensurate with the glory of the grace He gave us through the Beloved One.”⁸ Paul was not talking about wearing the same sandals, cloak, robe, and having the same hairstyle that Jesus had. He was speaking of the spiritual virtues, morals, and ethics that Jesus displayed and displayed to those around Him. He points this out later: “Now your attitudes and thoughts must all be constantly changing for the better. Yes, you must be a new and different person, holy and good. Clothe yourself with this new nature.”⁹

Paul then concludes by saying that God’s purpose in having Jesus be this great example is that by so doing He would be the first for all to emulate. Jesus spoke as an older brother when He said to His disciples: “Whoever does what my Father in heaven wants, that person is my brother and sister and mother.”¹⁰ And after His resurrection, He told Mary Magdalene, near His empty tomb: “Go find my brothers and tell them that I will be ascending to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.”¹¹ So we can see why Paul told the Colossians: “He is the Head of the body made up of His people—that is, His Church—which He began; and He is the Leader of all those who arise from the dead, so that He is first in everything; for God wanted all of Himself to be in His Son.”¹² So we can see why then God wanted us to be like His Son. In so doing, both He and the world could recognize us as His children.

For the writer of Hebrews, there was no doubt about Christ’s superiority. He wrote: “Thus He became far greater than the angels, as proved by the fact that His name ‘Son of God,’ which was passed on to Him from His Father, is far greater than the names and titles of the angels. For God never said to any angel, ‘You are my Son, and today I have given you the honor that goes with that name.’¹³ But God said it about Jesus. Another time He said, ‘I am His Father and He is My Son.’¹⁴”¹⁵ He goes on to say: “We who have been made holy by Jesus, now have the same Father He has. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers.”¹⁶

To Jews, this structure of those who excel so as to live by the highest standard was not new. In their “Kabbalah Unveiled,” we find that the second branch (Sephira) on the tree is called “Wisdom.” It is part of those things that form the world of thought. They also say that this second Sephira is represented by the Divine Names such as Yahweh.¹⁷ We know that “Wisdom” in the OT is often a metaphor for the Son of God. In the language of the Kabalah, it is designated as “the Father.” Since the Father and Son are One, it can apply to either one. Since Paul was writing to Jewish converts, they certainly would understand from what they had been taught that all of this coming of Christ to be the Messiah had been long anticipated. So it only made sense to follow Him who is our Wisdom and is one with the Father.

Then Paul continues with God’s authorship of Salvation, and His requirement that all those who are to be part of the Kingdom of God must be called, and this calling is based on their loving Him, God did not leave them on their own to figure out what to do next. He clearly gave instructions and directions on where to go and how to get there. The outline for this was already seen in what God said to Israel: “O Israel, you are Mine, My chosen ones; for you are Abraham’s family, and he was My friend. I have called you back from the ends of the earth and said that you must serve but Me alone, for I have chosen you and will not throw you away. Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed. I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.”¹⁸ As Paul sees it, this is still God’s message for the Chosen.

This allowed Paul to address his letter to the Corinthians this way: “To: The Christians in Corinth, invited by God to be His people and made acceptable to Him by Christ Jesus. And to: All Christians everywhere – whoever calls upon the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and theirs.” Paul goes on to assure them: “Now you have every grace and blessing; every spiritual gift and power for doing His will are yours during this time of waiting for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Therefore, says Paul: “He guarantees right up to the end that you will be counted free from all sin and guilt on that day when He returns. God will surely do this for you, for He always does just what He says, and He is the one who invited you into this wonderful friendship with His Son, even Christ our Lord.”¹⁹

This is part of God’s predestination, or predetermination, for every believer. Paul told the Ephesians: “We are all parts of one body, we have the same Spirit, and we have all been called to the same glorious future.”²⁰ This means that all those who are the Called according to His purpose, will not be left to find their own way to heaven, and to develop their own form of sanctification, no more than the blossoms on different branches of the same tree can become any type of fruit they want. Paul explains how all those who are called by the same God to the same Savior by the same Spirit, can be used for different purposes. Just like the apples from the same tree can be used to make a pie, a tart, a cake, sauce, a cobbler, muffins, or eaten raw, etc. He says: “Christ has given each of us special abilities – whatever He wants us to have out of His rich storehouse of gifts.”²¹

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER EIGHT (Lesson XXXVI)

For Bible scholar Charles Hodge, those for whom afflictions work together for good are described first. Then those who love God are listed second. And finally, those who are the called according to His purpose are third. In these, we see the character of the persons intended for such blessings. This means they are serious about their faith. Then we notice the cause for which the person was chosen. It is one of the most important truths that guide the Apostle toward the great goal in this chapter. That is, they are the called according to God’s purpose. This word “called” in Greek is prothesis. It is never applied in the Epistles of the Final Covenant to anyone who simply receives an invitation through the Gospel to salvation. It always means those who have been effectively called, that is, those who responded to the call and openly accepted the blessings they were invited to receive. To the Corinthians, Paul put it this way: “To those called by God to salvation.¹”²

To put this in perspective, no one should identify themselves as a student of a particular university just because they made an application, nor in light of the fact that they were accepted. Only those who responded to the acceptance letter, went to the school, registered, enrolled in classes, and sat in on the lectures, and completed the exams can be identified as students. The same is true of those who for whom all things work together for good. They are the ones who were called by the Holy Spirit, chosen by God, accepted by Jesus Christ to be their Savior, offered themselves as living sacrifices for sanctification, and guided by the Holy Spirit began the work they were chosen to do for God’s purpose.

In one of his sermons, preacher Octavius Winslow includes some thoughts on what Paul says here. As he sees it, the Holy Spirit always operates with a purpose. That’s why Paul’s words present an important and glorious aspect of the Spirit’s work, something we cannot simply reflect on without seeking a clearer, more elevated, and sanctifying view of the Spirit’s operations in the ongoing work of regeneration. Winslow wanted to remind his listeners that the great change which takes place in the soul at regeneration is always attributed to the invitation of the Holy Spirit, and in various parts of His Word, “a calling.” In fact, it will take only a few passages will prove it. Paul wrote the Galatians and told them about his being “called by grace.”³ Then here in Romans Paul speaks of his being “called by grace,”⁴ and then says that they were “called out of darkness.”⁵ Then Peter refers to the saints of God as “the called according to His purpose.”⁶ Jude also refers to those whom God loved and are kept by Jesus are the “called.”⁷ And in writing to Timothy Paul said that those who are preserved in Jesus Christ are the “called.”⁸ The writer of Hebrews says that we are all part of a “holy calling.”⁹ And Peter also tells us to make our “calling” and election sure.¹⁰ How can it be made any clearer that the person who is made spiritually alive, brought out of darkness into God’s marvelous light, and born-again are “the called.” The blessed Agent by whom they are called is the eternal Spirit of God. It is the Spirit that quickens,¹¹ and calls. This should clearly make the point that what we have to deal now is the effectual nature of our “calling” if we want all things to work together for our good.¹²

Henry Alford gives some insightful comments here. He states that in Paul’s further description of a believer the Apostle designates them as those who are not merely loving God but being loved by God. The divine factor in their security is brought out as something God planned all along. They are sure that all things work together for their good. This is not only because they love Him who works all things out for their good, but also because He who works all these things out does so because He loved them and chose them as His own. Not only that, but He guides them through the successive steps in their spiritual walk with Him. As Alford see it, the calling here is the working in mankind of the everlasting purpose of God for their lives. This was not a late decision, it was decided before the foundation of the world was laid. Then came the time for Him to announce His secret to us, to deliver us from the curse and damnation that was laid on all creation because of Adam’s sin. That’s why He sent His Son so we could be chosen through Christ so that we may receive everlasting salvation.¹³

Alford continues by pointing out that the Scriptures bear a constant witness to the fact that all believers are chosen and called by God. This means their whole spiritual journey in its origin, progress, and completion, are planned by Him. Even though the same Scriptures testify that it is God’s will that all be saved because He does not want any of His creation to perish, yet, He will only allow those to be destroyed who have willingly rejected the Gospel. So we can see that it all begins as an act of GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY, and it only continues on by an act of MAN’S FREE WILL. This should be plain to everyone that believers are to receive, believe, and act on both of these. It is our duty and involves our wisdom. Any attempt to build a bridge over the gulf between the two is futile because of the imperfect condition of mankind. In other words, it’s God’s way or it’s no way.¹⁴

Charles Spurgeon expresses it differently. He alerts his listeners to note how the Apostle Paul speaks here; he does not say that all things may work together for good; no, but that they do work together for our present good. This does not simply mean that someday everything will eventually turn out right; it is alright now. No sooner does Paul mention the word “purpose” when he feels the need to start a long explanation of it. He was not afraid or ashamed to speak of the purposes of God. There are some preachers who say nothing about God’s purpose for His children. They seem to be too afraid to mention it. Instead, they mumble something about Calvin’s doctrine of predestination. How can it be Calvin’s doctrine when it was here in the Scriptures long before Calvin was born. They have no right calling it that.¹⁵

With the aspect of predestination being raised by many Bible scholars during the 16th-19th centuries, Frédéric Godet gives his explanation of how to accept what Paul says here regarding predestination. For him, predestination is built on the foreknowledge of God. Once a person becomes aware of this fact they then exercise their free will as to whether or not they accept or reject it. Godet goes on to say, that Paul’s view implies that a person exercises their free decision process to make up their minds. For Godet, Paul makes the distinction between the two divine acts of foreknowledge and predestination very clear. Both as to their nature, with the one being an act of the understanding God’s calling, and with the other being an act of the person’s will. The first aim is faith, the second aim is glory.¹⁶

John Stott lays out five principles he sees in this verse. First, that we may not always know what God is thinking or doing, let alone understand and welcome all of it. And Paul does not declare that God is at work to make us comfortable. However, we do know that whatever He’s doing is for our benefit. One reason we know this is because we can find many examples of it in Scripture. Secondly, this work is for our good because they are expressions of His goodness. Thirdly, God’s effort to make sure things work out for His good and our good, He looks at everything, not just some things. That includes both negative and positive, good and bad. Fourthly, God does all of this for those who love Him. Just wanting to be God’s friend in order to get special treatment will not work. We must be willing to do everything He asks and do it with all our heart. And fifthly, that we have accepted His call according to His purpose, not our purpose. So it is not surprising that Paul starts this verse by saying “we know.” In other words, all of these things are clear to us before we even say “Yes” to anything He asks of us.

For instance, Joseph was convinced that his brothers purposely sold him into Egypt to be a slave. He told them: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good … the saving of many lives.”¹⁷ In a similar case, Jeremiah wrote a letter to the Jews in Babylonian exile containing a message from God after the catastrophic destruction of Jerusalem, “’I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”¹⁸ This same concurrence of human evil and divine plan is most conspicuously displayed on the cross of Jesus. Then Peter attributes both of these to the wickedness of men and to “God’s set purpose and foreknowledge”¹⁹.²⁰

Verses 29-30: God knew them before He made the world. And He decided that they would be like His Son. Then Jesus would be the firstborn of many brothers and sisters. God planned for them to be like His Son. He chose them and made them right with Him. And after He made them right, He gave them His glory.

Now the real secret comes out. The revelation of Jesus as the Messiah and His death on the cross and rising from death were not happenstance or coincidence, as the skeptics might imply. It was all planned before the world began. You might say that it’s the same principle that applies to the controversy between evolution and creationism. Evolutionist say it all started as an explosion and things came together by pure chance. Creationist say it was all started by the Creator who then evolved everything He created into the forms He desired. It also represents the same issues that divide predestinationists from free-will evangelicals. They first say that man has little to do with it because God has it already mapped out and planned, while evangelicals say it’s all man’s choice to accept the whole purpose of being born-again to give believers the needed guidance to persevere to the end. Let’s look to see if we can’t join these two together as part of God’s plan for humanity.

In King David’s instructions to his son Solomon, David made this clear by saying: “The LORD watches over all the plans and paths of godly men.”²¹ And God made it clear to Jeremiah: “I knew you before you were formed within your mother’s womb; before you were born I sanctified you and appointed you as my spokesman to the nations.”²² We know that Jesus chose the twelve disciples who followed Him for three years and became the pioneers of the church that eventually spread around the world. But even the Lord Himself said that many would claim kinship with Him as their Lord. He told His disciples one day: “They may refer to me as ‘Lord,’ but still won’t get to heaven… At the Judgment many will tell me, ‘Lord, Lord, we told others about you and used your name to cast out demons and to do many other great miracles.’ But I will reply, ‘You have never been one of mine.’”²³

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER EIGHT (Lesson XXXV)

Now Paul adds his second qualifier: They must not only love God, but must also be those whom God has called for His purpose. Jesus made this perfectly clear when He said that while many are called, only a few are chosen.¹ Paul shared his own calling with the Galatians.² He also told the Ephesians that this was all planned by God through His Son in order to populate the select spiritual family that He would gather to Himself for eternity.³ And to Timothy, Paul uses Numbers 16:5 and Nahum 1:17 to give his protegé this advice: “God’s truth stands firm like a great rock, and nothing can shake it. It is a foundation stone with these words written on it: ‘The Lord knows those who are really His.‘”⁴

Early church scholar Ambrosiaster says it is never the case that God knowingly or intentionally gives believers the opposite of what they ask for just because they are ignorant of what they really need or even want. Paul is teaching the Roman believers what they should really be asking for in prayer if they truly love God. This is what the Lord says in the Gospel: “For your Father knows what you need, even before you ask Him.”⁵ That’s because those He called according to the promise are those whom God knew would become believes.⁶

The well-known early church preacher Chrysostom explains that when Paul speaks of “all things” working together for good, he includes even those things that might be painful. For if tribulation, or poverty, or imprisonment, or famine, or death or anything else should overcome us, God can transform them into blessings. This is a clear instance that shows His unmatched power. He can actually make painful experiences appeal to us by turning them into something that really helps us. Paul also talks about being called for a purpose. This is to show that the calling in itself is not sufficient. The calling is not forced on anyone, nor is it compulsory. There is no such thing as being drafted into God’s army. Everyone was called, but unfortunately, not everyone is willing to answer the call.⁷

And in his explanation of what it means to be called according to God’s purpose, Patriarch Cyril says that to be called according to God’s purpose is to be called according to His will for our lives. But we must ask, is this the will of the one calling or the will of the one being called? It is only natural that every impulse which leads to righteousness will come from God the Father. Christ Himself once said: “No one can come to me unless the Father draws him.”⁸ Says Bishop Cyril, it is not a mistake when we say that there are some who say they were called by God according to His purpose, but in reality, it was according to serve their own purpose.⁹ I agree with the Bishop up to the point that all those whom God calls fit into His purpose, but that purpose must then become their purpose as well no matter what their original intentions were.

Martin Luther points out that the Greek verb synergeō translated as “work together” is in the singular. The point is, that God takes every request and deals with them one at a time so that what we are asking for, and what the Holy Spirit intercedes for, and what God wants for us will work together to fulfill His purpose for our lives.¹⁰ Let’s put it this way: You have a church growth plan you want to get your congregation involved in. Things seem to be coming together and it looks very promising. Some of the members are for it but have trouble with what it will take to finance it. Others are for it and think everything should be done to facilitate and finance it. While still others do not see it as compatible with the mission of the church. You pray, moan, and groan over it because you feel it is part of the vision God has given you. The Holy Spirit inspires you on what to say to your elders and congregation, many of whom are heartily for it. But you want more proof that this is God’s purpose and not yours. So that’s what you pray for.

What they don’t know is that just a few days before the vote was taken, you were offered an opportunity to go overseas to help direct and coordinate a new missions outreach that included a new training center and Bible School. You told the Lord you wanted to stay where you were, but you will take His answer as being what fits His plan for your life, not yours. When the vote was taken, the council votes against it. That frees you to accept the overseas appointment where you are given the opportunity to reach thousands, instead of the hundreds had you stayed. No, this is not a fictional story, it really happened – to me.

John Calvin says that although God does not immediately assist His people by relieving them from whatever may be standing in their way, He does not forsake them. In fact, often what was intended to be evil, He turned into good. Calvin puts it into perspective when he says that although the sinner and the saint are indiscriminately exposed to the same calamities, there is still a great difference. God uses such afflictions to train and educate the faithful, thereby promoting them to greater things in His kingdom.¹¹ The reason why the elect are in a better position to cope with adversity is that God is always looking for ways to tailor anything they encounter into a promotion rather than a demotion. The biggest factor is, they are trying to seek God’s purpose for their lives.

Adam Clarke points out that Paul does not only say, “all things work together for good,” but that they only work on behalf of “them that love God.” He also notes the verbs are in the present tense. It’s because God‘s providence is being carried out one experience at a time. His Spirit also working together with God and the one in whom He resides as comforter and guide. Therefore, whatever troubles, or afflictions, or persecutions may arise, God does to them what He did to the water at the wedding, He changes the ordinary into something special.¹² In fact, He presses theses problems into His service. He makes them part of His plan so that they end up contributing to the believer’s good. Not just any person, but the one who loves Him; the one who is serving by love and faith under the influence of the Holy Spirit.¹³ Clarke also feels that to best understand what Paul means by “things,” it is best to look at what is also mentioned in verses 29-30.

Robert Haldane comments that verse 28 is one of the most quoted verses from Romans. He concludes that nothing is more important for believers than to be fully persuaded of the joy and privileges that come with being a child of God. That way they can serve the Lord with cheerfulness and freedom of spirit as they pass through the troubles and trials in this world. Paul offers further consolation by telling believers that when they go through such sorrows, sufferings, and persecution, that in itself may not be a source of joy. In fact, it can be very grievous and painful. But the joy comes when they realize that although the afflictions in themselves may be meant for harm, yet their effects, when overruled and directed by God, become very useful. Yes, everything, of any variety, that believers face in this world are not outside God’s sovereign domain.

Haldane says that when overruled by God, these bad things are transformed into doing good for the believer. Paul had previously spoken of the various sources of consolation in the two preceding verses. How the Holy Spirit helps us with our weaknesses, and how by dictating those prayers which are heard of God, the Apostle now eliminates another objection. There are those who question that if God hears a believer’s sighs and groanings, then why are they not immediately delivered? In Paul’s answer we find that afflictions can be both beneficial and profitable. This is because although they are not quickly removed, God changes their intended purpose and makes them work together for our good. But just to make sure that no one is misled into a false sense of security, the Apostle adds that this promise is only for those who love God by putting Him first in their lives, and are “the called according to His purpose.” It is Haldane’s prayer that not only is what Paul says here is true in itself, but he asserts that every believer must be convinced of its truth.¹⁴

Albert Barnes has an interesting take on how all things work together for good to satisfy God’s purpose for allowing them to occur. He points out that the Greek word prothesis rendered “purpose” meaning – a proper proposition, or a laying down of anything in full view of others. This is applied to how the bread was laid on the Table of Show-bread in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle.¹⁵ We can take this then to mean that when this is applied to the mind, it is a clear plan with an obvious purpose. In that sense, it implies that all along God had a plan, purpose, or intention, for those who became Christians. They were not saved by chance or good luck. God does not redeem and call people out of sin’s bondage without having a pre-planned design and purpose for them. His designs are not last-minute decisions, they were formed in eternity past. What God ends up doing, He meant to do all along. Whatever He does that turns out right was always meant to be right. Everything God does is an integral part of His predetermined purpose or plan. We can see and affirm that He has had such a purpose in regard to the salvation of His people since the beginning.¹⁶ It is clear that with God’s purpose for His creation being a proposition, it, therefore, should not be considered predestination without choice. Mankind’s free will is to choose what God offers, not to have it enforced against man’s will.¹⁷

Puritan preacher Charles Simeon proclaims that true believers know they’ve received a lot of great encouragement to draw closer to God. They’ve also been assured of having the supernatural assistance of the Holy Spirit when pouring their hearts out before Him with the assurance by God Himself that their prayers will heard and answered. Yet sometimes, like the Israelites in Egypt, the more they renew their requests, the more they find their burdens and struggles are increased.¹⁸ That causes them, like the Israelites, to start murmuring and becoming despondent and want to give up.¹⁹ But it’s the same Spirit that comes to their side and by grace encourages and enables them to wait patiently for the Lord’s right timing. When they do, they will see how the dark clouds of doom they dreaded, will burst with glorious blessings on their heads.²⁰

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER EIGHT (Lesson XXXIV)

Verse 28: We know that everything works out for the good of those who love Him. These are the ones God chose for His purpose.

Now Paul places the emphasis on how praying to God with the help of the Holy Spirit will result in His answers working everything out for our good according to His will. This is certainly something Joseph experienced and told his brothers: “You meant to do me harm, but God meant it for good – so that it would come about as it is today, with many people’s lives being saved.”¹ And in the case of the children of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness, God did not answer their prayers as they thought He should, but to teach them a valuable lesson that they would use later in the Promised Land for His glory.²

And later, the Psalmist expressed it this way: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we are unafraid even if the earth were to give way, even if the mountains were to tumble into the depths of the sea, even if its waters were to rage and foam, and mountains were to shake at its turbulence.”³ And to the prophet Zechariah God explained it this way: “I will bring the third that came through the fire and make them pure, as gold and silver are refined and purified by fire. They will call upon my name and I will hear them; I will say, ‘These are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”⁴ In other words, don’t focus on the circumstances, focus on the One who controls the circumstances.

No wonder that Paul told the Corinthians: “These sufferings of ours are for your benefit. And the more of you who are won to Christ, the more there are to thank Him for His great kindness, and the more the Lord is glorified. That is why we never give up.”⁵ And he wrote to the Philippians: “I know that as you pray for me, and as the Holy Spirit helps me, this is all going to turn out for my good… While I am going through all these trials here, just as I have in the past; and that I will always be an honor to Christ, whether I live or whether I must die. For to me, living means opportunities for Christ, and dying – well that’s better yet!”⁶ Then to the Thessalonians he penned: “This is only one example of the fair and just way God does things, for He is using your sufferings to make you ready for His Kingdom.”⁷

The writer of Hebrews uses Proverbs 3:11-12 to explain to his readers: “When He punishes you, it proves that He loves you. When He spanks you, it proves you are really His child. Let God train you, for He is doing what any loving father does for his children. Whoever heard of a son who was never disciplined?”⁸ And the Apostle Peter echoed this same thought: “These trials are only to test your faith, to see whether or not it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests gold and purifies it – and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold.”⁹

God allowing us to suffer through temporary afflictions for our good was very much a part of Jewish teachings. In the Babylonian Talmud, we find the pathetic story of a man named Nahum of Gamzi. There is a town mentioned in the OT by the name of Gimzo,¹⁰ but Jewish scholars believe this is not the name of a place but a combination of the words “also” and “this.” Anyhow, he was blind in both eyes and both his hands and legs had been amputated, and he was covered with bed sores because he was lying in an old dilapidated house, in a bed where its feet were in standing bowls of water to keep ants from crawling up onto the bed. His disciples became so concerned about his health that they offered to sanitize the house. But he warned them that his presence in the house was the only thing keeping it from collapsing.

So they asked Nahum, since he was such a pious believer, how all this happened to him. He explained, that on a journey to his father-in-law’s house with donkeys loaded down with food, drink, and treats, a poor man met him and asked for something to eat. He asked the man to wait while he unloaded something from one of the donkeys. But it took him so long to unpack that the poor man died from hunger on the spot. This troubled Nahum so much that he laid down on the poor man’s body and put this curse on himself: “May my eyes which had no pity upon your eyes become blind, may my hands which had no pity upon your hands be cut off, may my legs which had no pity upon your legs be amputated, and my mind was not satisfied until I added, may my whole body be covered with boils.”¹¹

Once his disciples understood his plight, they thanked him for telling them his story. He responded that he was pleased that they were able to see him this way. So the question was asked by those listening to the Rabbi tell this story and asked him, “Why was he called Nahum of Gamzi?” The Rabbi said: Because whatever befell him he would declare, “This is for the best.” So wherever he went and no matter what bad things happened to him, he would always say it as God’s way of working things out for his good.

We find this same theme in another Tractate in the Talmud where Rabbi’s are discussing all the things we should thank God for. He mentioned such things as the way the body was formed, for healing, for sleep, for dreams, for clothing, hand washing, etc. Then we read that Rabbi Huna quoted to his students a proverb from Rabbi Akiba that says: A person should make it a habit of always saying, “Whatever the All-Merciful does is for my good.’’ Then Rabbi Huna shared Rabbi Akiba’s story of when he was traveling along a road and came to a certain town where he looked for a place to stay overnight. But everywhere he went they refused to let him in. Nevertheless, each time he would say, “Whatever the All-Merciful does is for my good.” So he decided to spend the night out in an open field. He had brought along a rooster, a donkey, and an oil lamp. But after he got settled, a sudden gust of wind came up and blew out the lamp. Then in the dark a weasel came and stole his rooster, then lions came and carried off the donkey. Yet, when he found out in the morning what happened he said: “Whatever the All-Merciful does is for my good.” That same night some bandits raided that city and carried off the inhabitants of the town where he wanted to stay. The next morning as he was passing by the town, he saw one survivor and said to him: Didn’t I tell you, “Whatever the All-Merciful does is all for our good?”¹² In the footnotes, we find this explanation of why Rabbi Akiba was so thankful that things worked out for his good, because the lamp had not gone out, or the rooster or the donkey been stolen by other animals, they might have disclosed his location to the bandits and he too would have been taken hostage.¹³

But such discipline and training were not offered to everyone just because they prayed, not even to some of those who claim to be His children. Paul adds two qualifiers: First, they must love God. This principle was already prevalent under the first covenant. God made this very clear to the Israelites: “I lavish my love upon thousands of those who love me and obey my commandments.”¹⁴ Since love is an act of the will, just saying we love God is not enough. When done willingly and wholeheartedly, obedience is one form of showing true love. This was explained later by Moses: “O Israel, listen: There is one ADONAI and He is our only God. You must love Him with all your heart, soul, and might. And you must think constantly about these commandments I am giving you today.”¹⁵

The prophet Nehemiah expressed this same concept: “I cried out, ‘O LORD God, O great and awesome God who keeps His promises and is so loving and kind to those who love and obey Him! Hear my prayer!’”¹⁶ Even the Promised Land was only pledged to those who loved His name.¹⁷ So the Apostle Paul was repeating for the Jews in Rome the words they had read and studied from the time they were young. But that was not new, Jesus Himself quoted them: “Hear, O Israel! The LORD our God is the one and only God. And you must love Him with all your heart and soul and mind and strength.”¹⁸

So we should not be surprised that Paul wrote the Corinthians: “That is what is meant by the Scriptures which say that no mere man has ever seen, heard, or even imagined what wonderful things God has ready for those who love the Lord. But we know about these things because God sent His Spirit to tell us, and His Spirit searches out and shows us all of God’s deepest secrets. No one can really know what anyone else is thinking or what they are really like except that person themselves. And no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit.”¹⁹

The Apostle James had this to add: “Happy is the person who doesn’t give in and do wrong when they are tempted, for afterward, they will get as their reward the crown of life that God has promised those who love Him.”²⁰ He goes on to say: “Listen to me, dear brothers: God has chosen poor people to be rich in faith, and the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs, for that is the gift God has promised to all those who love Him.”²¹ And the Apostle John shared this with his readers: “God showed how much He loved us by sending His only Son into this wicked world to bring to us eternal life through His death. In this act we see what real love is: it is not our love for God but His love for us when He sent His Son to satisfy God’s anger against our sins… So you see, our love for Him comes as a result of His loving us first.”²²

Since Paul was writing to a large contingent of Jewish members of the church in Rome, we can see that by him also being a Jew he would know about these sayings and stories just as they would. So why not choose something they were familiar with the make an essential point about the importance of loving God before certain blessings could be expected. Nevertheless, it was a lesson to the Gentiles and to all believers who would read this letter in the centuries to come.

As an avid reader, I have always been impacted and inspired when I read books by those, and about those, who have gone through heartaches, trials, persecution, rejection, and many disappointments but remained true to their faith in God. I don’t ever remember being emboldened or motivated by a book about someone who never had any problems and sailed right through to success with little difficulty.

That’s why when I read this quote by a famous Swiss psychiatrist who did groundbreaking work in dealing with death and dying, it struck me as so real. She said: “The most beautiful people we have admired are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.”¹

Why is it that so many want to be prosperous by way of good luck? They’re always looking for ways to win a lottery or be selected as a sweepstakes winner. Blood, sweat, and tears are not part of their formula for success. Which of these pictures would inspire and awe you the most: a mountain climber standing tall at the peak of the world’s highest mountain, his climbing outfit unmarred and glistening in the sun, who got there by way of a helicopter; or, the climber next to him, bent over from exhaustion, with rips and tears in his outfit, and bumps, bruises, and cuts underneath, who got there by climbing up the steepest face on the mountain?

I don’t think it would be hard to guess which one would be the most meaningful. So the next time you are faced with roadblocks on your way to achieving something significant, don’t try to find a way around them. First, see if you can move them or break through them. If that doesn’t work, climb over them. While it’s not necessary to look for hardships, don’t avoid dealing with them when they come your way. If you want what you learn to be an encouragement, motivation, and influence to others to keep going, be that example yourself. Stay on the hard-road, don’t detour over to the high-road. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

BLAMING OTHERS INSTEAD OF BLAMING OURSELVES

The grief David felt that was caused by Absalom’s treacherous conniving with others to remove him as king of Israel and Judah, left scars on David’s soul. But he decided to seek reconciliation instead of retaliation. He did not want to become like those who attempted to end his reign. From what David said in Psalm three, and now what he shares in Psalm four, he never wanted to end his day without taking his needs to the Lord to receive guidance and understanding. David was not looking to get even but simply to stay balanced emotionally and mentally. This tempered his thought process and softened his plea for God’s help. So in this Psalm, he had a message for anyone facing the same dilemma:

“O One True God, You were the One who taught me how to live right so I could cope with stress, so I’m asking You to be patient with me and give attention to my prayer as I call out to You. For I have asked the elders, ‘How long will you continue to question my integrity? Will you carry on without a purpose? Will you continue acting on unfounded accusations? Remember this: the LORD Eternal chose godly people for Himself and He listens when they call out to Him. Show some respect, don’t do anything stupid. Take a break, breathe in deeply, and think things over. Give the LORD Eternal the respect He deserves and learn how to trust in Him. Many are asking if we would ever be respected as a people.’ O LORD Eternal, You have directed Your smile of approval toward us. You made me glad, and I rejoice with my brethren in their success. That’s why I can put my head on my pillow with peace of mind, O LORD Eternal, for I know Your loving arms are around me.” Psalm 4:1-8

Reflection: The story is told of a man named Yada who found himself in peril. Yada’s boat was sinking, and as the water rose up around his legs he begins to blame the boat builders for using inferior materials and creating a badly designed craft. Then he berated the weatherman for not precisely predicting the path and intensity of the storm, while simultaneously criticizing the Coast Guard for not forcing him to stay in the harbor even though he ignored their warnings not to sail. Finally, he blamed God for not sending the storm to another area to keep it from interrupting his spur-of-the-moment plans. So you can imagine what he said when the boat sank because he did nothing to stop the leak or bale out the water.

The phrase “Yada, yada, yada” certainly applies here to this man’s endless complaints instead of taking responsibility. Troubles and trials may come our way but this does not mean we should resign to our fate instead of relying on our faith by holding on to the promises of the Promise Maker. Even though our difficulties may be due to someone else’s actions, there is no need to take ownership of how they are handling their predicament and incur the same grief and anxiety their actions will bring them. Rather, contemplate on how to be an inspiration for others to talk about, instead of being an imbecile others will jest about. In the words of a chorus we used to sing as children, “The more we pull together, together, together; the more we pull together the happier we’ll be.” – Dr. Robert R Seyda

NEW TESTAMENT CONTEXTUAL COMMENTARY

Dr. Robert R. Seyda

EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

CHAPTER EIGHT (Lesson XXXIII)

The Apostle James takes knowing what God wants for our life another step: “If you want to know what God wants you to do, ask Him, and He will gladly tell you, for He is always ready to give a bountiful supply of wisdom to all who ask Him; He will not resent it. But when you ask Him, be sure that you really expect Him to tell you, for a doubtful mind will be as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind; and every decision you then make will be uncertain, as you turn first this way and then that. If you don’t ask with faith, don’t expect the Lord to give you any solid answer.”¹

And the Apostle John is in agreement. He tells his readers: “Dearly beloved friends, if our consciences are clear, we can come to the Lord with perfect assurance and trust, and get whatever we ask for because we are obeying Him and doing the things that please Him.”² Later on John reiterates: “We are sure of this, that He will listen to us whenever we ask Him for anything in line with His will. And if we really know He is listening when we talk to Him and make our requests, then we can be sure that He will answer us.”³

So the point here in Paul’s teaching is that when the Holy Spirit joins us in our petitioning God for what we need to do His will, He will answer. The Spirit always helps us ask for things that are in accordance with God’s will for our lives and our destiny. That’s because the Spirit knows the mind of God and what He wants for us.⁴ This led early church scholar Origen to say that Paul is telling us that God pays less attention to the words we use in prayer than He does to what is in our heart and on our mind.⁵ And the early church writer of a commentary on Paul’s Epistles notes that Paul makes it clear: since the prayer of every spirit of man is known to God, from whom nothing is secret or hidden, how much more then should the Father know what the Holy Spirit, who is the same essence as Himself, is saying.⁶

Then an early church Bishop of the Syrian Orthodox Church makes the point we often see that all the good promptings which bring us to repentance result from the activity of the Spirit, and pure prayer which brings all these good promptings to completion, is also stirred up in our soul as the result of the Spirit’s activity. He too, in a hidden way, initially arouses us to groan at the memory of our sins.⁷ And then we have the thoughts from the Bishop of Arles, who was known for his pastoral skills, that even when one of God’s saints kneels or stands in silence, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit causes the shouts of their heart to be heard in the presence of God.⁸

Reformer John Calvin finds what Paul says here as a rational motive to enhance our confidence that we are being heard by God when we pray with His Spirit because this allows the Father to thoroughly know our desires because they are also known by His Spirit. Calvin advises that we should notice how Paul uses the world knows to indicate that God does not regard these emotions of the Spirit as new and strange. Therefore, He does not reject them as being unreasonable. Instead, He permits them to rise upward to Him as prayer. Then He graciously receives them as something that He allows and approves of.⁹ As Calvin sees it, Paul is saying that God not only listens when we come to Him as children, but that He willingly draws us close to Him so that our unanswered prayers do not become a reason for doubting that our heavenly Father loves us with all His heart.

Wesleyan theologian Adam Clarke explains his understanding of what Paul is saying here. To him, it implies that our Lord is making intercession for us to the Father. He does so by negotiating and managing all the affairs pertaining to our salvation, as a friend and personal representative. To think about it, that’s a lot to ask of the King of Glory. And the Holy Spirit also makes intercession for the believer. Not by petitioning God on their behalf, but by directing and qualifying their prayers in a proper manner. He does so by His authority and influence on their hearts. This is all in accordance with what the Gospel says about the particular work and office of the Holy Spirit.¹⁰ But Clarke also focuses on the fact that the Holy Spirit speaks for us in a way that conforms with God’s mind, intentions, and design for our lives. This is true even when saints express themselves in words, desires, groans, sighs, or tears. For Clarke, God reads the language of the Holy Spirit, even if we do not understand, and prepares an answer according to the request the Spirit communicates to Him on our behalf.

Clarke then draws this conclusion: what we can learn from all this is that a person need not be fluent and trained in how to recite prayers. That is not essential to praying. In God’s eyes, even a simple and uncomplicated prayer can be considered a powerful expression of need or praise. This is true even when the person praying is unable to utter a single word. How precious this is, that God understands even the unutterable groan of a person who is mute because it contains God’s language spoken by the Holy Spirit. We all know that sometimes our needs or desires are so deep and personal that they are hard to express. Even if we could speak many languages there’s none expressive enough to say all we’d like to tell God. Often, such requests and desires have been put in our heart by God. And since they came from Him, they express what God really wants for us. In Clarke’s mind, this provides a sense of great encouragement to all those who are agonizing for the day they will enter heaven’s gates.¹¹

Robert Haldane gives us an outline to help us see what Paul is saying here about intercession. For Haldane, someone might object and ask: “To what purpose are those groanings which we cannot understand?” He believes that if the Apostle Paul were here today he might share some of these reasons: First, God knows exactly what these prayers mean because He is able to search a person’s heart, something He knows very well.¹² Even when a believer sighs and groans due to his being in such bewilderment and distress that he cannot utter a single word, those sighs and groanings are full of meaning to the omniscient God. Secondly, God knows what is “on the Spirit’s mind.” Therefore, whatever the Spirit is dictating in the believer’s heart is approved by God because He and the Spirit are of one mind. Thirdly, because He makes intercession, it is not necessary that we fully understand His intercession. It is for this reason why God knows the mind of the Spirit. It is also the reason why He will hear and answer the groans which the Holy Spirit evokes. A further reason is, that this intercession is custom made for believers. That is why He said: “Gather to me my faithful, those who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”¹³

And finally, it is added that the Spirit makes intercession “according to the will of God” (verse 27). These prayers are heard then because when the Spirit intercedes for the children of God, He inspires no desires except what is agreeable to God’s will. This helps us see how sure we can be that those groanings which cannot be articulated will be heard and answered. For “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”¹⁴ Haldane is convinced that the most effective prayers are not those of human eloquence, but those which spring from the sincere desires of the heart.¹⁵

Charles Hodge notes that although there are times when our desires and needs are too difficult to express, that the eye of Him who searches the heart can read and understand them. This is not a new concept, it was already revealed in the First Covenant. For instance, Jeremiah tells us: “Only the LORD knows! He searches all hearts and examines deepest motives so He can give to each person his right reward, according to his deeds—how he has lived.”¹⁶

Albert Barnes notes a similar understanding of how the believer is benefited. He says we should not believe that when the Holy Spirit assists and inspires our prayers we are infallible and cannot make improper requests. Rather, with the influence that the Holy Spirit has over the believer’s mind, they can avoid asking for things they really don’t need or that do not fit God’s calling on their lives compared to how much they are willing to yield to His guidance. Barnes says, that believers are safest when they yield themselves completely to the directional influence of the Holy Spirit. And the doctrine Paul states here is one that brings great consolation to the believer’ heart. We may be considered poor and needy, or ignorant and blind, but in the midst of our feebleness, we can ask God for help through His Spirit. When He answers, we can rejoice in His presence. And we can be assured that His power will sustain us through our hours of sighing, and to guide us as we march toward that city whose builder and maker is God.¹⁷

John Stott makes us aware of those involved when we pray. First, there’s us, kneeling in our weakness, not knowing exactly what to pray for. Second, the indwelling Holy Spirit comes to our aid by interceding on our behalf, using our voice to do so. But when we are speechless because our need or burden is too difficult to utter, He will not only speak for us but do so according to God’s will. Third, there’s our Mediator, Jesus, God’s only Son who is at His right hand ready to endorse the prayers that the Holy Spirit brings to the Father in His name. And fourth, there’s God the Father who both searches our hearts, knows the Spirit’s mind, and is moved with love when He sees the nail prints in the hands of His Son. He hears and answers accordingly to what the Spirit says and the Son agrees we need. Of these four, Paul emphasizes the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Stott points out that Paul states three facts about the Holy Spirit. First, “the Spirit helps us” (because of our weak state of mind and spirit); secondly, “by interceding for us” (because in our ignorance we are not sure what to pray for); and thirdly, “according to God’s will” (this causes God to listen and respond without hesitation).¹⁸ What can be said then that would make us any more confident when we pray?