Can You Preach a Passage Using Only a Footnote? Romans 8:28

Last updated on: July 6, 2011 at 8:17 pm by Kurt Willems

Can You Preach a Passage Using Only a Footnote? Romans 8:28 2011-07-06T20:17:23-07:00 Kurt Willems

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In seminary you come across great teachers and books that you probably wouldn’t encounter otherwise. I have been blessed to sit under Dr. Tim Geddert in multiple settings over the last couple of years. One of his books, Double Take: New Meanings From Old Stories, is a book that I HIGHLY recommend if you are a teacher or preacher or simply enjoy fresh insights!!!!

In one of the chapters, he draws out a ‘new meaning’ of a text that has huge implications for how we read Romans 8. Unfortunately, it is one of those passages that are often considered “life verses” or sacredly embedded with a particular meaning. This is Romans 8.28 which reads in the NIV:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

This is a verse that is deeply impactful and can help us when we are in a dark or unknown place in our lives. God truly does work for good… but, what if this passage was trying to communicate something more? Tim Geddert thinks it does, and I happen to agree with him. He points out that the word “sunergei” means basically work together. But it is a bit more complicated than that:

“Sunergei in Greek is not about one party working various ingredients together; it is about more than one party ‘working together’ on a common project. It means, quite literally, ‘work together.’ If Romans 8:28 says that God ‘works together’, then the appropriate question is not, ‘What does God work together?’ The appropriate question is, ‘With whom does God work together?’…The traditional reading of Romans 8:28 takes the phrase ‘those who love God’ in the first way (God works ‘for us’ that is, ‘for our advantage.’)…” Tim Geddert, Double Take, 175-176

If we consider the above approach, there is something wrong or missing in our translations of this beloved passage. Tim suggests that the NIV footnote (also TNIV) gets this one correct. It renders this passage to say:

“In all things God works together with those who love him to bring about what is good…” (TNIV 2nd footnote)

What does this mean in the context of the larger section of Romans 8? Well, I think it demonstrates that as we groan with the creation, by the Spirit of God within us; we are called to be God’s co-workers by joining in his mission to bring about good in our world! God’s mission is to point the broken places and people of the creation who are groaning, to the God who is groaning with them; and who promises to one day liberate the whole cosmos in new exodus fashion! This is missional theology at its finest!

Well, in case you are wondering how Tim justifies this translation for the passage, consider the following quote:

“In all four other occurrences of this word in the New Testament, it has the latter meaning (cf. Mark 16:20; 1 Cor. 16:16; 2 Cor. 6:1; James 2:22). Of these, the first three speak explicitly of God working with people or people working with each other. In the fourth, ‘faith and works’ are viewed metaphorically as two parties ‘working along with each other.’ The only way that sunergei is used in the New Testament is when there are two or more parties ‘working together.’ Moreover, the noun associated with this verb (sunergos i.e. co-worker, helper, fellow worker) is also always used to represent two or more parties that are working along with each other! (cf. Rom. 16:3, 9, 21; 1 Cor. 3:9; 2 Cor. 1:24; 8:23; Phil. 2:25; 4:3; Col. 4:11; 1 Thess. 3:2; Philemon 24; 2 John 8). Thus the word is not about making things work together; it is about two parties working together.” Tim Geddert, Double Take, 176

A Few Questions:

1. What are the implications for this approach to translating the passage in regards to interpretation?

2. What thoughts do you have in general on the above ideas?

3. Can we preach this translation of the text without causing controversy… can we preach from a footnote?

Previous Post

June 19, 2009

Quote To Ponder: Missionaries to the Creation? Chris Wright

Next Post

June 25, 2009 Do You Have the Mark of the Beast? 666: Greg Boyd

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category (Series) All Out War-Spiritual Warfare (Series) Church Plant Journal (Series) Dear Reader... (Series) Earthquakes...Signs of the Times? (Series) Entering the... Conversation (Series) Evangelical Culture Myths (Series) Everything is Meaningless [Pete Enns] (Series) Evolving Evangelicalism (Series) Hell Yes. Hell No! Who Cares? (Series) Hidden Worldviews (Series) If Evolution is Right, what about Adam? (Series) in less than 300 words (Series) Jesus and Nationalism (Series) Liberating Women for Ministry? (Series) Life-Changing Books (Series) Markers of Church Plant Movement (Series) Nonviolence 101 (Series) Philemon - Reconciliation (Series) Quote to Ponder (Series) Red Letter Dialogues (Series) Resource of the Week (SERIES) Revelation Sermons (Series) Share Something Sundays (Series) Simplicity in the Burbs: $2 a day (Series) The Binding of God [Open Theism] (Series) The Creed: Anabaptist Reflections (Series) Values for Church Leadership (Series) Video to Ponder Anabaptism Animal Advocacy Books Church Ministry Church Planting Community Culture Eschatology Eucharist Evangelical Reject Evolution Fundamentalism Greek Greg Boyd Guest Contributors Hell Holy Spirit Israel/Palestine Kingdom of God Lent Missional N. T. Wright Nationalism New Creation Nonviolence Open Mic Open Theism Parenting Passover Paul Philemon Podcast Politics Restorative Justice Revelation (the book of) Rob Bell Ron Martoia Sermon Shane Claiborne Social Justice Speaking Engagement Spiritual Warfare Spirituality Temple Theology Tim Geddert Tribulation Uncategorized universalism Video Blog Women in Ministry Worship Music Youth Ministry

Select a Month August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 October 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 December 2016 October 2016 August 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

According to 1 Timothy, what is a trustworthy saying deserving of full acceptance?

Select your answer to see how you score.

The Lord is our shepherd Faith without works is dead Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners God is love

Support this
Column