Confident Calvinism

26 In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with inexpressible groanings. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

28 and We know that all things work together for good of those who love God, who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brethren.30 And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.

31 What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. How will he not also with him grant us everything? 33 Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies. 34 Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. 35 Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Can affliction or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:

Because of you
we are being put to death all day long;
we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 9:26-39

We live in a world of uncertainty, pressure, and pain. We face nagging questions: Is my job secure? Will my marriage survive? We feel the squeeze of mounting bills, struggling children, and evaporating time. We taste the bitterness of shattered diagnoses, fractured relationships, and crumbled dreams. In the storm, we whisper: Is God good? Is He in control? Or is my suffering meaningless?

How can we face suffering with unshakeable confidence?

Today, God’s Word speaks directly to your chaos. In Romans 8:28–30, the apostle Paul makes a staggering claim:

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. Your suffering is not random. Your pain is not wasted. God is sovereignly, purposefully, personally weaving every thread of your life, even the frayed ones, into a tapestry of eternal glory.

We’re going to unpack two anchors for your soul. First, confidence in suffering from Romans 8:28. Amidst the whirlwind, God guarantees your good. Second, confidence in God from Romans 8:29–30. From eternity past to eternity future, His plan for you cannot fail. Let’s open God’s Word together.

We are confident in suffering because we are confident in God’s plan to conform us to Christ.

The arrangement
1. Confidence in suffering (Romans 8:28)
2. Confidence in God (Romans 8:29-30)

Confidence in suffering

Amidst present suffering, those who love God, called according to His purpose, are certain that all things work for their good
28 and We know

We know. There is so much we do not know isn’t there. Just last week Andre took us through Romans 8:26-27. We don’t even know how to pray. There is so much we do not know. Why do we have to suffer the way we suffer? As we wander through this world. I was chatting to a dear saint yesterday. Her little family has faced terrible difficulties over many years. Why? Why do we have to suffer the way we suffer? Why the problems? Why the pains? Why the disappointments?

Yet here’s a paradox. In our not knowing, we know. In a world of uncertainty—when children get sick, when marriages strain, when jobs feel fragile—In a world of uncertainty, we know. Not, we guess. Not, we hope vaguely. We know. A deep, settled, biblical knowledge. We know this one unshakable truth. Not because we’re wise, but because God has revealed it in His Word. God has revealed it by His Spirit. When confusion swirls, we know, with a settled belief, that all things work together for good.
that all things

All things. Not some things. Not easy things. All things. Suffering works together for our good. Loss works together for our good. Persecution works together for our good. Even the mundane stresses of deadlines and traffic jams work together for our good. God weaves them—synergises them—like threads in a tapestry. Nero’s persecution of the early church seemed catastrophic. Yet God used it to spread the gospel, purify faith, and glorify martyrs.

Your all things might be a prodigal child. With all the heartache that will bring. Your all things might be a failing business. With all the bewildering stress that will bring. Your all things might be a diagnosis. With all the chronic pain that will bring. But your heartache, your bewilderment, your pain will not be wasted. Nothing is random. God partners with your pain, directing it toward His purpose. Your hardship is not an interruption of His plan. It is part of His plan.

work together for good

What is good? Christlikeness. Conformation towards the image of Jesus Christ.

This isn’t to say that the suffering is good. The suffering may be evil. But the purpose, the outcome, that is worked out for good. Think of Joseph, of Jesus.

of those who love God,

who are the called according to his purpose.

Called. Not an afterthought. Not a backup plan. Divinely summoned. random. It was planned before time, for His purpose. You are not a cosmic accident. You are chosen. Designed. Intended.

And this calling is according to purpose. And as such, your suffering is not meaningless. It is a tool in the hands of a sovereign.
So we see this unshakeable certainty: God sovereignly partners with your pain. He weaves all things—your suffering, your loss, your confusion—into His good design. For those He has called, nothing is wasted. Nothing is random. Your hardship is His tool to shape you for glory.

But how can we be so sure? How can we face suffering with this unflinching confidence? Our certainty rests not in circumstances, but in the unchanging character and eternal plan of God Himself. This brings us to our second anchor: Confidence in God.

Confidence in God

The called’s confident assurance rests in God’s sovereign work of foreknowing, predestining, calling, justifying, and glorifying them

29 For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brethren.

Foreknew: People not decisions. Knew as in Adam and Eve. Before existence.

Predestined: What is a destiny?

30 And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.

Call: Universal or effectual?

Justified: At salvation.

Glory: Aorists tense. Resurrection glory is as certain as the cross. Christ’s irrevocable inheritance is yours.

For those: Not some… Not some… Not some…

Here is the unbreakable chain of grace: God foreknew you. He predestined you. He called you. He justified you. He glorified you. Your salvation—from eternity past to eternity future—is His sovereign work. Your future glory is as certain as Christ’s resurrection. He will finish what He started.

This truth changes everything. If God’s purpose for you is unstoppable, if His grace is this unshakable, how then should we live? What does this mean for you today, in your suffering, in your doubts, in your daily grind? Let’s turn to the application:

Connect to the gospel

Romans 8:28-30 is anchored in the finished work of Christ on the cross and His resurrection from the grave. His death is the ground of your justification, the declaration of your righteousness before God comes from His sacrificial atoning death. And His resurrection secures your glorification, your life flows from His life. Jesus Christ passed through suffering to glory, and the power that now conforms you to His image, works within you. Your present suffering cannot void God’s sovereign purpose to bring you to eternal glory.

Application for believers

Trust God’s purpose in suffering. Actively declare, This is not chaos, God is sculpting Christ’s endurance in me, for His glory, and for my good.

Application for unbelievers

Precisely because salvation is a sovereign work of God, you can put your faith and trust in the finished work of Christ today, knowing He saves to the uttermost. Do you love God (Romans 8:28. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10, 1 Corinthains 8:3 Perfect Tense. 1 Corinthians 16:22)?

Conclusion

We began today in the chaos of a Monday morning: alarms blaring, babies crying, inboxes overflowing. We named the uncertainty, pressure, and pain of our broken world—the job fears, the marriage strains, the crushing bills, the devastating diagnoses. We whispered the question hanging over every heart: Is God good? Is He in control? Or is my suffering meaningless?
Over these last moments, God’s Word has spoken directly to your chaos. We’ve unpacked two unshakable anchors for your soul:
Confidence in Suffering (Romans 8:28): Amidst your whirlwind, God guarantees your good. Your pain is not random. Your stress is not wasted. He sovereignly weaves all things—your child’s illness, your failing business, your chronic ache—into His redemptive design.

Confidence in God (Romans 8:29–30): From eternity past to eternity future, His plan cannot fail. He foreknew you. He predestined you. He called you. He justified you. He glorified you. Your future glory is as certain as Christ’s empty tomb.
So hear this staggering claim again: We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28, CSB)

Believer, walk into Monday with this confidence: When stress screams, declare: “God is sculpting Christ’s endurance in me!” When doubts swirl, trace: His faithful threads in your past pain. When exhaustion hits, serve: Turn your wounds into worship for others. Your suffering is sovereignly, purposefully, personally making you like Jesus.

Unbeliever, today is your moment: Admit your helplessness. Rest in His sovereign grace. Bow to Christ as your Firstborn, your Heir, your Hope. His call is your rescue. His cross is your righteousness.

We close where we began—but now with triumph, not tears. That 5:30 AM alarm? God is with you. That crying baby? God is with you. That impossible deadline? God is with you. For from Him, through Him, and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever!

Amen.