work together – Ministry of Grace Church

And we know that to the ones loving God all things work together for good, to those who are the called ones according to His purpose.

Truth to Learn

God is producing goodness in Christians because He has decided to do so.

Behind the Words

The words “all things” are from pas, meaning “all” or “every.” It is expressed here as a neuter plural noun, thus “all things.”

The Greek verb sunergeō is translated “work together.” It is made up of sun, meaning “together with” and ergō, meaning “to work.” It is expressed as a third person singular verb so it could be translated as “He (God) works all things together.”

“Good” is from agathos, meaning “good and benevolent” or “useful.” There is another Greek word translated “good.” It is the word kalos, meaning “inherently good without necessarily being benevolent” or “beauty as a harmonious completeness.” An easy way to distinguish the two is to think of kalos as specific goodness or beauty and agathos as general goodness.

The word translated “called” is from klētos, meaning “one who is called, invited, or appointed.” It is a noun, not a verb.

Meaning Explained

What does Paul mean by “all things work together for good?” The key is the word translated “good,” meaning “general goodness.” Paul is saying that even though some of the things that happen to us don’t necessarily seem very good, all things work together for our general goodness.

As we mentioned above, the verb “work together” is a singular, third-person verb. The subject for this verb is not “all things.” How do we know? The word translated “all things” is a plural subject. In Greek, as in English, the number of a verb (singular or plural) must always agree with the number of its subject, so the subject of this verb must be singular. As it turns out, the subject is not stated but simply implied. That’s why some translators render the first part of this verse as, “And we know that God works all things together for good.”

Who are those people for whom He works together all things? Paul says they are “those who love God.” Only we who have recognized our own sinfulness and need for salvation can fully appreciate the sacrifice that God made to have our sins paid for. And only we can really love God for having done it for us.

He also says it is “those who are the called ones according to His purpose.” As we noted above, the word “called” is not a passive verb, but a plural noun (as in, those who are the called ones). Those for whom God works all things together for good are those who are the called ones according to His (God’s) purpose. Paul is saying clearly that our being called to Christ and salvation is not of our own doing. It is wholly God’s doing and it is according to His purpose. We don’t know why God called us to salvation but we do know, according to Paul, that He is purposeful in calling us.

Application

When we are in the midst of trials we should be encouraged for two reasons. The first is that the Holy Spirit is our prayer partner and the second is that no matter how bad things seem, God is going to use whatever is happening to us ultimately to produce good in us, and that brings the glory back to Him.

In God's service, for His glory,

You see that faith worked together with his works, and out of the works faith was perfected.

Truth to Learn

When we undergo trials in our Christian walk, our obedient works provide evidence of our faith.

Behind the Words

“See” is translated from the Greek word blepō, which literally refers to sight, but is often used metaphorically, as it is in English, meaning “to perceive” or “to understand.”

The words “working together” are translated from the Greek verb sunergeō. This word is made up of sun, meaning “together” and a form of ergon, meaning “work or toil.” Hence, the meaning is a reference to two or more things that work cooperatively together to achieve a common objective. In the current verse the word is in the imperfect tense indicating past continuous action.

Back in James 1:4 we looked at the noun teleion, which refers to “a state of completion.” The verb form of the same word is here translated as “was perfected.” James is saying that works demonstrate the finality or completion of faith. In other words, we could say that the final state of faith is good works.

Meaning Explained

When we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, we were saved by faith alone. But, as we walk through this life, like Abraham, we are constantly undergoing trials of our faith. Our responses to these trials, our works, are the proof of our faith. As we pointed out in the previous verse, Abraham’s salvation, his having been declared righteous by God, occurred some twenty to thirty years before he offered Isaac on the altar at Mt. Moriah. So what does James mean that Abraham’s faith was perfected by his works? The first thing we have to ask ourselves is, “What faith is he talking about?” Is he saying that Abraham’s salvation, his saving faith, was made complete by works? To answer that question, let’s look at what it says in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews:

By faith, being tested, Abraham offered up Isaac, and he having received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called," reasoning that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. (Hebrews 11:17-19)

It is clear from this passage that James is not talking about Abraham’s saving faith, but his walking faith; “for we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). When we believed in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ to save us from our sins, that was saving faith. As we walk through life, however, our faith is continually tested by trials. This is our walking faith. During these trials, our faith is tested, and it is proven when we obey through faith.

In response to James’ teaching here, John Calvin once said, “We are saved by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone.”

Application

Is your faith being tested right now? Don’t despair! It doesn’t mean that God is mad at you. It means that God loves you and wants to make you more like His son. Give Him thanks for building your faith and show through your obedient works how much you love Him and that you truly believe Him!

In God's service, for His glory,

Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: work together

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