Eternal Hope
Yesterday we talked about how our faith in Christ gives us access to stand in God’s grace and rejoice. Romans 5:3-5 (ESV) continues saying, “Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 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.”
I have always been drawn to this linear progression of how God transforms suffering into hope. It is an outright explanation for the reason that we rejoice at all times and consider our trials to be pure joy, as James says.
Paul is continuing his narrative about how our faith is what justifies us–not our works. This faith opens a doorway for us into grace. God loves to give his children an all-access pass to abiding in grace and living in freedom. Paul calls us to rejoice!
But what do we do when we are facing suffering and difficulty? Can we still rejoice? How does our eternal hope hold up under dire circumstances?
Paul masterfully reveals God's intent and purpose in transforming suffering into hope. Suffering leads to endurance, which leads to mature character, which opens the way for hope. Here is the best part, it is not a process we have to pass through alone.
Paul's point is that all of this is possible because God's hope does not fail. We can rejoice in suffering because we have been given the Holy Spirit. We can have confidence because God has poured out his love into our hearts.
Suddenly, the path forward is not riding on my ability to somehow be happy or even content in trials. Instead, my assignment is to abide in the presence of God. My charge is to open my heart up to receive the inflow of the love of God.
These are the things that sustain a life of freedom in Christ. These are the substances that fuel endurance, develop godly character, and produce eternal hope.
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