3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, 4 because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. ~ Romans 5:3-5
Today, we continue our study of Romans 5 where the Apostle Paul outlines the benefits that come to the justified believer in Christ. Having consider the first two benefits, today, we consider the third benefit of the one who has been justified before God through his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Whereas, in the past we have peace with God, in the present, we have access to His grace, and, in the future we have glory. In today's passage the present is addressed.
In v.3 of today's passage we read, "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings."
Having just made the statement "we boast in the hope of the glory of God," the Apostle Paul now turns our attention to sufferings. It is not strange that the believer in Christ encounters trials and tribulations. It is normal. In fact, trials and difficulties are half of what God uses to develop our faith in Him. The other element that He uses to develop our faith or our heart's ability to see Him is His spoken word. See Romans 10:17 for more on that. Having said that, unless the believer in Christ is living in such a way that he is being defined by God and gaining God's transcendent view of life, he will not "count it all joy when he falls into various tribulations."
The word "glory" in v.3 is written as a present middle subjunctive which is best translated "should rejoice for oneself." This concept of rejoicing in our suffering is a result of learning to rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. We could call this wisdom or the ability to transcend and recognize how the dots in life, be they good or bad, connect. In the end the process that we are engaged in, our sanctification, is about our growing ability to think and choose according to God's definition of things.
A personal relationship with God renders for the believer in Christ a unique perspective especially on the difficulties of life. The believer in Christ rejoices in his sufferings because he knows something the unsaved man does not know. It is something his faith in the God of the Bible enables him to know, a kind of inside information that he has due to the presence of the Holy Spirit in his life.
A personal relationship with God renders for the believer in Christ a unique perspective especially on the difficulties of life. The believer in Christ rejoices in his sufferings because he knows something the unsaved man does not know. It is something his faith in the God of the Bible enables him to know, a kind of inside information that he has due to the presence of the Holy Spirit in his life.
In v.4 of today's passage we read, "because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."
This unique knowledge of the believer in Christ tells him that "suffering produces perseverance." The Greek word used here for perseverance literally means "to abide under, to stay under the pressure." Pressure is something we want to get out from underneath in most cases, but suffering teaches us to stay under, to stick in there and hang with it.
In addition, the believer in Christ who is learning to transcend, understands that "perseverance produces character." The Greek word for character carries with it the idea of being put to the test and approved. It is the idea of being shown to endure through the hardships all the while being defined by God's culture. The idea is the tree shaken by the storm develops deeper roots. This means the very trials and tribulations of life, God uses to define and shape us. They make us long for God and heaven more and more.
In 1963 the USA Navy built and deployed the Thresher, a submarine. At the time, the Thresher was the most advanced submarine of its kind. After it was deployed, it descended deep into the Atlantic ocean. However, as it reached 1300 feet, it imploded. The cause of the implosion was faulty welding. The pressure on the outside of the vessel was greater that the pressure within. This is a reminder that in order to withstand the pressures of the world, the substance within the soul of the believer in Christ must be greater than the pressures on the outside. This is the character that the Apostle is referring to here.
Next, the transcending believer in Christ understands that "character produces hope." My mind turns to one of my most favorite movies ever, Shawshank Redemption. In that movie, there are two friends who have two very different perspectives on life. Both are prisoners in a maximum security prison. Andy, played by Tim Robbins is hopeful; Red, played by Morgan Freeman is pessimistic. Andy believes that he would shrivel without hope. Red believes that hope would sever him from reality. To Andy, hope is necessary. To Red, hope is dangerous. Eventually, Andy’s perspective wins out, and Red is won over to the side of hope. There comes a point in the movie when Andy writes to Red, “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies.” What a great illustration of what it looks like to live transcendently, living life viewing everything through the lens of God's word. Of course, due to the fact that we are still sinful, we will never be prefect at doing this.
In v.5 of today's passage we read, "God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us."
The reason any of us live transcendently or have character is due to the fact that God lives in us. When we trusted the Lord Jesus to be our savior, the Holy Spirit came into our spirit making us alive to God. This explains why our hearts are tilted toward God. The Holy Spirit is the down payment or the engagement ring from God that our salvation is real and lasting and guaranteed. This verse is not talking about our love for God, it is talking about God’s love for us. The reason our hope doesn’t disappoint is because God’s love is eternal and it has been poured out within our hearts.
The reason any of us live transcendently or have character is due to the fact that God lives in us. When we trusted the Lord Jesus to be our savior, the Holy Spirit came into our spirit making us alive to God. This explains why our hearts are tilted toward God. The Holy Spirit is the down payment or the engagement ring from God that our salvation is real and lasting and guaranteed. This verse is not talking about our love for God, it is talking about God’s love for us. The reason our hope doesn’t disappoint is because God’s love is eternal and it has been poured out within our hearts.
Perhaps, you will remember that day in 1990 when the forces of Iraq invaded the neighboring country Kuwait. As the TV cameras were rolling, not one Kuwaiti was seen in the streets of Kuwait City. But, in a matter of days, the Americans went in to Kuwait and pushed back the Iraqi forces. The scene after the Americans had entered Kuwait City was quite different. The streets were filled with Kuwaitis shooting their guns in the air and rejoicing over their liberation from the Sadaam Hussein lead aggressors from Iraq. This true story from the past provides for us a picture of what the Holy Spirit does for the believer in Christ. And the more we are trained by Him to think and live God's way, the more we will view life through the lens of the Scriptures. This is how we live the transcendent way, the way of rejoicing in our sufferings.
