All Things For Good
| Weight | 0.18 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 18.1 × 12.1 × 1.0 cm |
| Binding | Paperback, eBook (ePub & Kindle), Paperback & eBook (ePub & Kindle) |
| format | Book |
| page-count | 128 |
| series | Puritan Paperbacks |
| isbn | 9780851514789 |
| topic | Encouragement, Spiritual Growth |
| scripture | Romans |
| Original Pub Date | 1663 |
| Banner Pub Date | Jun 1, 1986 |
| This Edition | 2021 |
Book Description
Thomas Watson, the 17th century minister of St. Stephen’s Walbrook, believed he faced two great difficulties in his pastoral ministry. The first was making the unbeliever sad, in the recognition of his need of God’s grace. The second was making the believer joyful in response to God’s grace. He believed the answer to the second difficulty could be found in Paul’s teaching in Romans 8.28: God works all things together for good for his people.
First published in 1663 (under the title A Divine Cordial), the year after Watson and some two thousand other ministers were ejected from the Church of England and exposed to hardship and suffering, All Things For Good contains the rich exposition of a man who lived when only faith in God’s Word could lead him to such confidence.
Thomas Watson’s exposition is always simple, illuminating and rich in practical application. He explains that both the best and the worst experiences work for the good of God’s people. He carefully analyses what it means to be someone who ‘loves God’ and is ‘called according to his purpose’.
All Things For Good provides the biblical answer to the contemporary question; Why do bad things happen to good people?
Table of Contents Expand ↓
| Extract from Preface of 1663 | 8 | |
| Introduction | 9 | |
| 1 | THE BEST THINGS WORK FOR GOOD TO THE GODLY | 13 |
| 1) The attributes of God | ||
| 2) The promises of God | ||
| 3) The mercies of God | ||
| 4) The graces of the Spirit | ||
| 5) The angels of God | ||
| 6) The communion of Saints | ||
| 7) The intercession of Christ | ||
| 8) The prayers of Saints | ||
| 2 | THE WORST THINGS WORK FOR GOOD TO THE GODLY | 25 |
| 1) The evil of affliction. | ||
| 2) The evil of temptation. | ||
| 3) The evil of desertion. | ||
| 4) The evil of sin. | ||
| 3 | WHY ALL THINGS WORK FOR GOOD TO THE GODLY | 52 |
| 1) The reason why all things work for good. | ||
| 2) Inferences from this proposition. | ||
| 4 | OF LOVE TO GOD | 66 |
| 1) The nature of love. | ||
| 2) The ground of love. | ||
| 3) The kinds of love. | ||
| 4) The properties of love. | ||
| 5) The degrees of love. | ||
| Use: A reproof to those who do not love God | ||
| 5 | THE TESTS OF LOVE TO GOD | 74 |
| 6 | AN EXHORTATION TO LOVE GOD | 88 |
| 1) An exhortation to become lovers of God – twenty motives for loving God. | ||
| 2) An exhortation to preserve your love to God. | ||
| 3) An exhortation to increase your love to God. | ||
| 7 | EFFECTUAL CALLING | 104 |
| 1) A distinction about calling. | ||
| 2) Our condition before we are called. | ||
| 3) The means of our effectual calling. | ||
| 4) The method God uses in calling sinners. | ||
| 5) The properties of this effectual calling. | ||
| 6) The end of effectual calling. | ||
| Use: An exhortation to make your calling sure. | ||
| 8 | EXHORTATIONS TO THEM WHO ARE CALLED | 119 |
| 1) Admire God’s free grace. | ||
| 2) Pity those who are not yet called. | ||
| 3) Walk worthy of your high calling. | ||
| 9 | CONCERNING GOD’S PURPOSE | 124 |
| 1) God’s purpose is the cause of salvation. | ||
| 2) God’s purpose is the ground of assurance. |
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The title is taken from the familiar verse, Romans 8:28, a favorite verse of many. Watson breaks it down to its basic parts and discusses the meaning and application of each. Pointing out that this verse speaks with confidence as the Apostle Paul states that we know this, he starts out by looking at the What in the verse — what things work together for good? Well, first of all, the Best Things work for good to the godly, and secondly, the Worst Things work for good to the godly.
So what are the best things that Watson declares work for good to the believer? Among others things:
God’s attributes, specifically his power, wisdom, and goodness
God’s promises
God’s mercies
Christ’s intercession
Spiritual mercies (or the means of grace)
The communion (or fellowship) and prayers of fellow believers
The angels
Then Watson goes on to expand on how God uses these things to our benefit.
But now we come to the chapter on how God uses the worst things for good to the believer. It should come as no surprise that this chapter is more than twice as long as the previous one. Because let’s be honest — isn’t this the question that everybody wants to know, both Christians and non-Christians alike? Haven’t we all asked at some point in our life,
How could God allow this to happen?
Why is God doing this to me?
What is God trying to teach me through this trial?
Watson identifies four “bad” things that God works out for the good of those who love him: Affliction, Temptation, Desertion, and Sin. Watson again expounds on how each of these is used by God for our good.
The next chapter answers the question “Why do all things work together for good?” But the answer to the “Why” question is in reality a Who. Here Watson looks to the next part of our verse, which qualifies the first part: “to those who love God.” He reminds us that God works all things for good to a specific class of people. He states, “Despisers and haters of God have no lot or part in this privilege. It is children’s bread, it belongs only to them that love God.” And let’s not forget this blessed truth: if you do love God, it’s only because He loved you first! Watson then proceeds to define and describe what this love for God should look like and gives a word of reproof to those who cannot say they are lovers of God.
The book finishes with an exhortation to the Christian to examine his or her own love for God. He lists a series of helpful signs to assess your love for God and gives a final word of warning with symptoms that your love for God may be waning or growing cold, followed by suggestions for increasing your love for God.
In All Things for Good, Thomas Watson addresses his readers in a pastoral way, out of concern for their spiritual well-being. Like a doctor, he starts by presenting a picture of the healthy state of the Christian to encourage their hearts. He offers a checklist to help the reader maintain and improve in their spiritual health. He then provides some warning signs or symptoms that may indicate a problem, followed by a course of action to remedy the problem.