I always enjoy reading the first paragraph of Romans 5, verses 1-5. Listen to some of the truths found in those verses reading from the Holman Christian Standard Bible.
We have been 1) declared righteous by faith…have peace with God…obtained access into this grace in which we now stand, 2) rejoice in the hope of the glory of God…rejoice in our afflictions (sufferings), 3) affliction (suffering) produces…hope will not disappoint, and 4) God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Wow, could Paul pack more punch in one paragraph than he did here? I love the contrasts. We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God; we rejoice in our sufferings.
I also am captivated by the two outcomes that follow each other. Suffering produces; hope does not disappoint.
Suffering produces – what it produces depends upon how we approach it. I remember friends of my parents. Their first child was born right after Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, she died shortly after birth. Then they had another girl, raised to adulthood. Their third child, a boy died of a brain tumor at age eight. Shortly after he died, they had another boy, raised to adulthood. Their fifth child, a boy had Down’s Syndrome. This was at a time when that condition was viewed quite differently than it is today.
Many people looked on this couple and expected to find bitter people, instead they found people who were joyful and loved the Lord. They were patient, kind, wonderful people. Suffering produced much good in them.
Suffering produces – what it produces depends on if we approach it with God or against God.
Take a moment today and read Romans 5:1-5. What do you find there?
