Thread: Do All Things Happen for a Reason?

Originally Posted by LionHeart

The context of these verses is the realm of prayer. When we intercede with the Spirit's help we will pray out the good will of God into our situations. Without looking at the context of prayer in these verses, we are throwing the dice in the air and hoping it's God's will to make a good thing happen out of a mess. That is not at all what is meant here. That is more like a Buddhist kind of fate teaching. 26Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Originally Posted by LionHeart

In other words, all things work together for good to them that love God and pray with the Spirit's help in intercession! With the Spirit's help the will of God will come into the situation.

Exactly!

Originally Posted by LionHeart

The context of these verses is the realm of prayer. When we intercede with the Spirit's help we will pray out the good will of God into our situations. Without looking at the context of prayer in these verses, we are throwing the dice in the air and hoping it's God's will to make a good thing happen out of a mess. That is not at all what is meant here. That is more like a Buddhist kind of fate teaching. 26Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Originally Posted by LionHeart

In other words, all things work together for good to them that love God and pray with the Spirit's help in intercession! With the Spirit's help the will of God will come into the situation.

The word 'helpeth' in that verse is an interesting word in the Greek. It is 'sunantilambanomai' (I think I spelled that right), a compound word made up of 3 Greek words that literally translates, 'take hold of-together with-against' (sun-'with'; anti-'against' [as in anti-Christ]; lambanomai-'take hold of/lay hold of'). So the Holy Spirit "takes hold with us againt" our infirmities/weaknesses. We dont' take hold of them by ourselves. And He does this by us yielding to Him and allowing Him to make intercession FOR us THROUGH us.

I also think it's interesting to note that this ministry of the Holy Spirit in our behalf is activated through PRAYER. "The Spirit Himself makes intercession through us with groanings which cannot be uttered". This is how important this kind of prayer is. Since we don't know WHAT we should pray for as we ought, we yield to the Spirit and He intercedes for us through us according to the perfect will of God, and then that perfect will is answered, causing those things to work together for our good.

Think about it. In one sense this is saying the greatest weakness in our lives, our greatest infirmity, is that we don't know WHAT to pray for. We are an eternal, immortal, Spirit-filled spirit with the life and power of God, but we are separated from His wisdom and knowledge of every situation in life by this veil of flesh, this fallen flesh which limits our knowledge of WHAT to pray for. But when we yield to the Holy Spirit, it's literally like shedding our limitation, shedding our flesh, and the instant we yield to the Holy Spirit we are praying with the full knowledge and wisdom of God about our situation apart from our own understanding (those of you that believe this is a reference to tongues).

Of course that can also include Spirit inspired prayer in our known language also. But this verse specifically mentions 'groanings', intercession beyond our own known language.

As Lionheart said, without the context of prayer... The whole context is prayer for all things to work together for our good. One could even actually say that what Paul is saying is not that the Spirit causes all things to work together for our good, but that the 'all things' that work together for our good is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our yielding to Him in intercession. Those are the 'all things' that work together for our good, the things He just mentioned. But it's OK to believe it the other way too. :)

Originally Posted by fuego

The word 'helpeth' in that verse is an interesting word in the Greek. It is 'sunantilambanomai' (I think I spelled that right), a compound word made up of 3 Greek words that literally translates, 'take hold of-together with-against' (sun-'with'; anti-'against' [as in anti-Christ]; lambanomai-'take hold of/lay hold of'). So the Holy Spirit "takes hold with us againt" our infirmities/weaknesses. We dont' take hold of them by ourselves. And He does this by us yielding to Him and allowing Him to make intercession FOR us THROUGH us.

I also think it's interesting to note that this ministry of the Holy Spirit in our behalf is activated through PRAYER. "The Spirit Himself makes intercession through us with groanings which cannot be uttered". This is how important this kind of prayer is. Since we don't know WHAT we should pray for as we ought, we yield to the Spirit and He intercedes for us through us according to the perfect will of God, and then that perfect will is answered, causing those things to work together for our good.

Think about it. In one sense this is saying the greatest weakness in our lives, our greatest infirmity, is that we don't know WHAT to pray for. We are an eternal, immortal, Spirit-filled with spirit with the life and power of God, but we are separated from His wisdom and knowledge of every situation in life by this veil of flesh, this fallen flesh which limits our knowledge of WHAT to pray for. But when we yield to the Holy Spirit, it's literally like shedding our limitation, shedding our flesh, and the instant we yield to the Holy Spirit we are praying with the full knowledge and wisdom of God about our situation apart from our own understanding (those of you that believe this is a reference to tongues).

Of course that can also include Spirit inspired prayer in our known language also. But this verse specifically mentions 'groanings', intercession beyond our own known language.

As Lionheart said, without the context of prayer... The whole context is prayer for all things to work together for our good. One could even actually say that what Paul is saying is not that the Spirit causes all things to work together for our good, but that the 'all things' that work together for our good is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our yielding to Him in intercession. Those are the 'all things' that work together for our good, the things He just mentioned. But it's OK to believe it the other way too. :)

Love it when you kick into teaching mode.

Originally Posted by A.J.

Love it when you kick into teaching mode.

Thanks. :)

Originally Posted by fuego

The word 'helpeth' in that verse is an interesting word in the Greek. It is 'sunantilambanomai' (I think I spelled that right), a compound word made up of 3 Greek words that literally translates, 'take hold of-together with-against' (sun-'with'; anti-'against' [as in anti-Christ]; lambanomai-'take hold of/lay hold of'). So the Holy Spirit "takes hold with us againt" our infirmities/weaknesses. We dont' take hold of them by ourselves. And He does this by us yielding to Him and allowing Him to make intercession FOR us THROUGH us.

I also think it's interesting to note that this ministry of the Holy Spirit in our behalf is activated through PRAYER. "The Spirit Himself makes intercession through us with groanings which cannot be uttered". This is how important this kind of prayer is. Since we don't know WHAT we should pray for as we ought, we yield to the Spirit and He intercedes for us through us according to the perfect will of God, and then that perfect will is answered, causing those things to work together for our good.

Think about it. In one sense this is saying the greatest weakness in our lives, our greatest infirmity, is that we don't know WHAT to pray for. We are an eternal, immortal, Spirit-filled spirit with the life and power of God, but we are separated from His wisdom and knowledge of every situation in life by this veil of flesh, this fallen flesh which limits our knowledge of WHAT to pray for. But when we yield to the Holy Spirit, it's literally like shedding our limitation, shedding our flesh, and the instant we yield to the Holy Spirit we are praying with the full knowledge and wisdom of God about our situation apart from our own understanding (those of you that believe this is a reference to tongues).

Of course that can also include Spirit inspired prayer in our known language also. But this verse specifically mentions 'groanings', intercession beyond our own known language.

As Lionheart said, without the context of prayer... The whole context is prayer for all things to work together for our good. One could even actually say that what Paul is saying is not that the Spirit causes all things to work together for our good, but that the 'all things' that work together for our good is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our yielding to Him in intercession. Those are the 'all things' that work together for our good, the things He just mentioned. But it's OK to believe it the other way too. :)

Here is an example from Philippians 1:18 Yes, I will continue to be happy 19 for another reason. I know that I will be set free through your prayers and through the help that comes from the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Paul was not saying all things work for his good. He tells them to pray, and that prayer will get him out of jail !Prayer releases the purposes of God into the Earth.

Originally Posted by LionHeart

Here is an example from Philippians 1:18 Yes, I will continue to be happy 19 for another reason. I know that I will be set free through your prayers and through the help that comes from the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Paul was not saying all things work for his good. He tells them to pray, and that prayer will get him out of jail !Prayer releases the purposes of God into the Earth.

I don't think I've ever read that in another version. Good stuff!