God causes the sins of the godly to work for their good. By Thomas Watson

Romans 8.28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.

Few truths are more humbling and few more astonishing than this. Even sin, the most hateful enemy of God, is sovereignly overruled by him for the good of his people. Sin, considered in itself, is altogether evil. It is damnable, defiling, and deserving of eternal wrath. There is no sweetness in sin, no virtue in its nature, and no excuse for committing it. Yet the God who brings light out of darkness, and life out of death, causes even this bitter evil to serve his redemptive purposes. Honey comes from this lion, not by nature, but by divine wisdom.

First, Scripture teaches that the sins of others are overruled for the good of the godly. To live among the wicked is grievous to a regenerate heart. Woe is me, cries the psalmist, that I dwell in Meshech. Yet God sanctifies this sorrow. The sins of others produce holy grief in us. While the world rejoices in evil, the saints mourn over it. Rivers of tears flow from my eyes because they do not keep your law. Such sorrow reflects a heart aligned with God's heart. Jesus himself felt indignation and was grieved at the hardness of their hearts. These tears are not wasted. God records them, treasures them, and honors them.

The sins of others also incite us to prayer. Abounding iniquity stirs the people of God to cry out against it. If sin cannot be prayed down, it is prayed against, and such prayers return with blessing, even when the outward situation remains unchanged.

Further, the sins of others make our grace more lovely. Their pride magnifies the saints' humility. Their malice beautifies the saint's meekness. Their intemperance exalts the saint's sobriety. The blackness of their sin becomes a dark backdrop upon which the beauty of the saint's holiness shines all the brighter.

Their sins also sharpen our holy opposition and diligence. When the wicked run hard toward hell, the godly are stirred to run harder toward heaven. Shall they be fervent in rebellion, the conscience asks, and we sluggish in obedience? Thus the madness of lost sinners becomes a spur to our sanctification.

Moreover, the sins of others act as a mirror for us. What blazes openly in them smoulders secretly in us. Apart from restraining grace, the same corruption would bear the same fruit. This truth kills boasting and fuels gratitude. For we too were once foolish, enslaved to various lusts. If we differ now, it is by grace alone.

Finally, the sins of others provide opportunity for doing good, warning, interceding, witnessing, and calling sinners to repentance. In God's economy, even another's rebellion may enlarge the saint's crown.

Second, and more searching still, God overrules a believer's own sinfulness for good. This must be handled with holy fear. There is no good in sin itself. Sin is spiritual poison. But when God exposes sin within his children, he turns the wound into medicine. The burden of indwelling sin makes the believer weary of this life and longing for glory. Paul's greatest anguish was not his persecution, but his corruption. What a wretched man I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Such groaning is not despair, it is hope straining toward deliverance. The felt weight of sin also magnifies Jesus. The more clearly the disease is known, the more precious the physician becomes. The cry of Romans 7 leads immediately to the triumph of verse 25. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Moreover, the awareness of sin presses the soul into holy duties, self-examination, self-abasement, self-judgment, self-conflict, self-watchfulness, and self-reformation. Sin humbles pride, awakens vigilance, and drives the believer deeper into the Word and nearer to God. Though sin remains, it does not reign. Though it wounds, it does not rule.

Yet this doctrine must never be abused. Sin works for good only to those who love God and only by God's overruling hand. To sin boldly because grace abounds is presumption, not faith. David learned this painfully. Though forgiven, he lost his child, peace, joy, and spiritual vitality. God may forgive his children and still scourge them severely. Let this truth therefore comfort the brokenhearted, not embolden the careless.

God never excuses sin, but He does redeem sinners. And He is so wise, so sovereign, and so gracious, that even the darkest evil is made to bow and serve the everlasting good of His redeemed people.