We Rejoice in Our Sufferings
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:1-5
Paul has explained the need for justification (1:18 – 3:20) and the way of justification (3:21 – 4:25). From the firm foundation of our being ‘justified through faith,’ he will now describe the results of the new status God has given us in Christ in six bold assertions:
(1) we have peace with God (5:1)
(2) we stand in grace (5:2)
(3) we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God (5:2)
(4) we rejoice in our sufferings (5:3)
(5) we shall be saved through Christ (5:9,10)
(6) we rejoice in God (5:11)
We have looked at the first three and now we come to:
(4) we rejoice in our sufferings (5:3)
‘Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance … character … hope’ (5:3,4). We ‘rejoice’ (same word as the verse before) in our ‘sufferings’ (literally ‘pressures’), here the opposition and persecution of a hostile world. The word is almost a technical term for the suffering God’s people can expect in the final days before the end (Mark 13:19,24). Paul warned his converts that they ‘must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God’ (Acts 14:22 same word).
We are to do more than just endure these sufferings; we are to ‘rejoice’ in them. Why? First, suffering is the only pathway to glory. It was for Christ and is for us. Paul will tell the Roman church ‘we are co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory’ (8:17).
Secondly, suffering leads not only to glory in the end but maturity in-between. If responded to positively, suffering can be productive. ‘Suffering produces perseverance’ (5:3). There is a quality of perseverance only found in those who have suffered for Christ. Next ‘perseverance’ produces ‘character’ (5:4). The word here translated ‘character’ was used of anything that had been tested and passed its test. The last link in the chain is: ‘character’ produces ‘hope’ (5:4). The God who is developing our character can be trusted implicitly for our future.
Thirdly, suffering is the best context to learn to know the love of God. Suffering can make us doubt God’s love but the testimony of so many Christians is that they came to know the love of God in a way they had never before known and all while suffering. Paul has traced the sequence from suffering to perseverance, from perseverance to character, and from character to hope. Now he adds ‘and hope does not disappoint us’ (5:5) and it never will. Why? What is the ultimate ground on which our Christian hope rests? ‘And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us’ (5:5). The ultimate ground is the love of God. The reason our hope will never let us down is that God will never let us down. His love will never give us up or give up on us.
‘God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us’ (5:5). How can we be sure God loves us? We can be sure because first of all, the Holy Spirit is God’s gift to all believers (remembering that Paul is listing the results of justification). It is not possible to be justified by faith without at the same time being regenerated and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Secondly, the Holy Spirit was given to us (aorist tense – a past completed action) at our conversion. And thirdly, having been given to us, one of the Holy Spirit’s distinctive ministries is to pour God’s love into our hearts. This initial outpouring remains a permanent flood (‘poured out’ is perfect tense indicating something has happened and from that time continues to happen). To be strictly accurate Paul writes here not of the outpouring of the Spirit but of the outpouring of the love of God by the ministry of the Spirit in our hearts.
Suffering can sometimes seem to hide our experience of the love of God, just as a dark cloud can hide our experience of sunshine. But just as the sun continues to shine above the dark cloud, so God continues to love us despite our suffering. God has proven His love for us by giving us His Holy Spirit. ‘God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us’ (5:5). Whenever tempted to doubt the love of God, allow the Holy Spirit to make your understanding of His love real and refreshing. The Holy Spirit loves to answer praying like that.