Delving into the Scriptures

Romans 5:1-5
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Welcome again to Delving into the Scriptures! Today we will continue our study on Romans 5:1-5 – rejoicing in difficulty, or how to get by when things are tough…

We all experience difficult times in our lives – whether it is waiting for a job, sickness, loss of a loved one, trials in our faith, doubting our beliefs, or many other things. This is simply life – there are going to be times it is hard! But what can we do during these times?

To quote verse 3 using the New Living Translation – ‘We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.‘ (NLT).

We can rejoice when we run into problems or trials? Or we can glory in them? It is natural for us to ‘glory in victory’ or to rejoice over something great happening – like many things in the Bible though, this one appears against our natural inclination – to rejoice in troubles. To glory when hard times hit. So – what’s the deal?

The key here is hope – and hope that is sealed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, that was given to us because we were justified by faith. Ties in nicely with the last few weeks study – but I think I am ahead of myself.

Firstly – we rejoice because ‘tribulation produces perseverance’. Sometimes it is good to wait – to have patience, endurance, perseverance. To quote dictionary.com on perseverance – ’steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.’ So difficult circumstances in life are still difficult – but they can help us learn perseverance. Persistence in prayer, in fasting, in seeking God, in having faith even when there is nothing left.

Now perseverance produces character. What is character, or in another translation, ’strength of character’? I think it is best defined as ‘internal strength or fortitude’. By persevering in trouble, we get stronger. Just as a weight lifter does repetitions to develop muscle – so by persevering we develop internal strength to face the next challenge from a stronger position than last time. And eventually, those things that troubled us before are nothing.

And what comes after character? Hope. Hope in this context is the ability to see to the end – to see the way through whatever difficulty we are facing, even to the end of this life and into the next, when we will dwell with God in His Glory. And it is not vain hope – something hoped for but never received or realized, but true hope, which is sealed by the Holy Spirit.

Now we are back where I started – that we can rejoice when difficult times come to us – because we have hope in God that we will get through them, we will grow, and we will move on stronger. Whatever the situation is, it remains difficult – but we can face it with the Holy Spirit who will give us the hope to get through.

Lord God, bring is hope in our lives. Seal that hope in us that we will be able to face whatever trial, tribulation, difficulty or problem that comes our way. Teach us to focus on you and rejoice in that hope. In Jesus Name. Amen.