One of the most beautiful and solid assurances of God’s Word for a believer of Jesus Christ is found in Romans 8:27-28 – “And He who searches hearts know what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.”
Here, we are blessed with three things – three unshakeable things; unshakeable because it is the work of God, not of men.
- That God searches the heart. If there’s something truly private about every person, believer or not, it is definitely the heart. This verse is definitely for believers for it follows-up with the term ‘saint’ – hagios – those separated to God through Christ Jesus by the Spirit. You see that it’s the Triune God who searches the heart. This heart is the desperately wicked heart transformed by the power of God to repent, believe and love Jesus Christ for the glory of His praise. For us men, fallible as we are, although we have the unfolding of the Word to make us wise according to Christ, we are still persona-non-grata to probe another person’s heart. It is God’s domain. John writes that if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and He knows all things. So for one man to assume the content and intents of another man’s heart is to presume too much. In context, we do not know always what we need for ourselves, neither others should presume to have the best solution for others, let alone for themselves. But because God searches the heart, He alone knows what is best for each saint in confroming us to the likeness of His Son – our glorification (Rom. 8: 29-30, 2Cor. 3:18).
- Second, the Holy Spirit intercedes for the saints. What a marvelous and joyful truth! It is meant to describe His perfect help in our weakness (Rom 8:26), and that we do not always know what it is exactly what we have to pray for. If then the Holy Spirit intercedes for the saints, what a gracious assurance that the answer is definitely forthcoming. Jesus said to Peter, “I prayed for you” – and He prays for each and every believer (John 17:6-26). Through the eternal Holy Spirit’s mediation, what Jesus prayed for every believer is to be accomplished without any lack or delay. This was meant to strengthen our hearts that may have grown weak because of the corruption of this world. Yes, even the Philadephians who have become weak were assured (Rev. 3:8). You see, Jesus is the One prosphesied who does not break a bruised reed nor quench a smoldering wick (Matthew 12:17-21, Isaiah 42:3). Not even the weakest nor the least fruitful of His saints will be neglected. Praise be His Name!
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Finally, because God searches the heart, the Holy Spirit intercedes, and since the saints belong to Jesus Christ, Rom. 8:28 is the inevitable result; God’s plan and working for His people in Christ Jesus shall be accomplished. Some person or persons may doubt another person who is reproachable in his (or their) eyes, but we must not forget that this one has been separated by God in Christ through the regenerating work of the Spirit using the Gospel as the means to bring faith and repentance. This saint may be bruised or weak but nonetheless bought with one price. Most assuredly, it is God’s work and purpose.
I wrote the above prologue in connection to a booklet written by Gregory Koukl entitled Never Read A Bible Verse. It is very basic compared to other books like Exegetical Fallacies by D. A. Carson or Bible Theology by Geerhardus Vos, yet equally valuable in helping us see the Word of God in a wider and more accurate perspective.
Also, I write this because a visitor to my weblog said in his second comment, “It is a dangerous move to initiate an ill conceived solution based on mere rational or logical experimentation and twisted application of Scriptures.” To this I heartily agree…but then he concludes in his third comment by saying this about me and I quote verbatim: “Besides, your response fails to satisfy to the particular point which I believe will correcrt [sic] the error of your ways before you put on the garment of sheep clothing. Anyway, Chameleon Christians roams [sic] freely on this world and can change their colors wherever they are.”
Hmmm, has he been searching my heart? I don’t think so, and the Scriptures prove that to be impossible.
Now then, I encourage and kindly recommend (not demand, as some would do) the readers of this post to download the NRBV and surely it will help each one in rightly handling the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). As I said, very basic but equally important.
The grace of God in Christ Jesus be to all His saints – both great and small!
Never Read A Bible Verse
by Gregory Koukl – Founder and President, Stand to Reason
If there was one bit of wisdom, one rule of thumb, one single skill I could impart, one useful tip I could leave that would serve you well the rest of your life, what would it be? What is the single most important practical skill I’ve ever learned as a Christian? Never read a Bible verse. That’s right, never read a Bible verse. Instead, always read a paragraph (at least) if you want to unlock the meaning of a passage. (Introduction, p. 3)
By focusing only on pieces of a passage, readers may actually miss the point of the passage. If we’re just reading snatches of text, what’sour guarantee that the inspirational feelings we experience aren’t just false hopes or mere emotion? The difference is critical. It’s the distinction between believe and make-believe. We can’t know what God is talking about or teaching us by looking at an isolated sentence or phrase. And if we take the Scripture in a way God did not mean it—if what we’re teaching from the verse is not really the teaching of the verse—then the words lose their authority. As Christians our commitment should be to the truth of the passage, not to the feeling a certain reading of that passage gives us. If we ignore that priority, then whatever feeling we may have had will have been based on fantasy—make-believe. Fortunately, the liability can be overcome by remembering our basic rule: Never read a Bible verse. Instead, read a paragraph, at least. Always check the context. Observe the flow of thought. Then focus on the verse itself. (Biblical Fast Food?, p. 18)
Only when you are properly informed by God’s Word the way it was written—in its context—can you be transformed by it. Every piece becomes powerful when it is working together with the whole as the Holy Spirit intended. It’s the most important practical lesson I’ve ever learned…and the single most important thing I could ever teach you. (The Role of the Holy Spirit, p. 21)
Download NRBV pdf file or watch a portion of NRBV lecture on video
About Greg:
He started out thinking he was too smart to become a Christian and ended up giving his life for the defense of the Christian faith. A central theme of Greg’s speaking and writing is that Christianity can compete in the marketplace of ideas when it’s properly understood and properly articulated.
Greg’s teaching has been featured on Focus on the Family radio, he’s been interviewed for CBN and the BBC, and did a one-hour national television debate with Deepak Chopra on Lee Strobel’s “Faith Under Fire.” Greg has been quoted in U.S. News & World Report and the L.A. Times. An award-winning writer, Greg is author of Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air with Francis J. Beckwith, and Precious Unborn Human Persons. Greg has published more than 145 articles and has spoken on more than 40 university and college campuses both in the U.S. and abroad.
Greg received his Masters in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics at Talbot School of Theology, graduating with high honors, and his Masters in Christian Apologetics from Simon Greenleaf University. He is an adjunct professor in Christian apologetics at Biola University. He hosts his own radio talk show advocating clear-thinking Christianity and defending the Christian worldview.
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