
“5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith[b] into this grace in which we stand, and we[c] rejoice[d] in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Rom 5:1-5)
The first statement in this passage is a beautiful summary of the gospel message. The hope of humanity is that Jesus is restoring people. We know intuitively that somehow things have gone wrong in our world and in our lives. The world is not as it should be. Where humanity fell away from God in the garden of Eden, God did not abandon people, but rather planned to restore humanity through Jesus.[1] We have hope that in Jesus we are not lost. Moving into verse 3 Paul suggests that one can rejoice in suffering and suffering ultimately produces hope.[2] How does this work?
In comfortable times, it can be easy to trust in our own ability to make life work. However, something like COVID comes along and our nice comfortable lives are tossed in the air. In suffering we rightly hope and pray for safety and deliverance, but while Jesus certainly will never leave or abandon people, sometimes he “delivers us through the affliction, rather than out of it.”[3] If Jesus simply removed every hard circumstance or challenge we faced we would never grow.
So looking at Romans 5:3: suffering produces endurance or perseverance just as regular exercise produces endurance. Because humans will rarely choose suffering, you could say suffering is forced endurance training. This endurance training in turn produces character, the hardened solidity of confidence that has been tested and proven. When we endure the difficulties of life, we come out the other side stronger for having had the experience. In the passage we are looking at “the imagery evoked…is that of the testing of gold through fire.”[4] This is like the difference between a new friend and a long time proven friend. The new friend may be a great person but is initially unknown. Can you rely on them? You do not yet know; circumstances have not demanded an answer. You have not made the desperate midnight call yet. The trusted long time friend is trusted because your relationship has been tested by conflicts and struggles. This friend has stuck with you and you have stuck with them. The friendship is tested and proven, and you know you can rely on them. This tested and proven character then produces hope which is the “joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation.”[5]
The NLT translation puts the passage this way “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” (Rom 5:3-5 NLT) Hope becomes both the beginning and end of the cycle. Hope allows us to get through hard times and this hope persevering through the hard times strengthens our faith and trust in God. “As the Christian lives within the sphere of grace, suffering is transformed, character is built, and hope is increased that God will finish the work that he has started.”[6]
In short, our sufferings show us God’s work in our lives and rather than diminishing our trust in him, they can lead to an increased trust in God and a confidence that he is indeed working in our lives and will continue to do so. Hope is our constant companion on the journey, at both the beginning and end. We have an eternal hope in Jesus and we have the assurance of hope that Jesus will never leave or forsake us.
Finally, we can trust in hope because of God’s love shown through the Holy Spirit. Hope is not an empty saying because God’s love is poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. This love is an assurance that hope in Jesus is not misplaced. Through the Holy Spirit God’s love is poured out to people.
Let’s walk away with a few practical applications:
- Could we say paradoxically that suffering is good for us? Suffering challenges our thinking and often forces us into growth
- Faith that has been refined under pressure has been toughened and hardened. It will not easily collapse.
- Though tough times are not pleasant, do not miss in these times what God is doing because God is always redeeming and he is always up to something good
- Make yourself a list of the good things in your life right now!
- Keep hoping because hope in Jesus will never disappoint
[1] Arrington and Stronstad eds, Life in the Spirit New Testament Commentary, 1999 pg 724
[2] Arrington and Stronstad eds, Life in the Spirit New Testament Commentary, 1999 pg 724
[3] Arrington and Stronstad eds, Life in the Spirit New Testament Commentary, 1999 pg 724
[4] Arrington and Stronstad eds, Life in the Spirit New Testament Commentary, 1999 pg 725
[5] Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
[6] Arrington and Stronstad eds, Life in the Spirit New Testament Commentary, 1999 pg 725