Bible Studies
Romans 5:3-5 – “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’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Thesaurus Fun:
Suffering – pain, affliction, distress
Perseverance – insistence, firmness, resolve, determination
Character – quality, integrity, uprightness, veracity
Hope – confident expectation, faith, anticipation
Hope from Suffering
No one asks to suffer. Sometimes it almost seems like we do when our suffering is caused by our own poor decisions or our sins. But plenty of our suffering comes about from circumstances beyond our control. It catches us by surprise stealing our joy and our peace. We cry out to God to deliver us – to fix the problem and to fix it now. Sometimes He does immediately step in with a miracle, sending our enemies running in seven directions (Deuteronomy 28:7), proving Himself strong on our behalf (2 Chronicles 16:9). We have every reason to ask for such intervention and believe and expect it to happen. However, most of the time, instead of delivering us from trials, He delivers us through them. In Romans, Paul tells us why, “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope…”. When we go through difficult times (emotionally, spiritually, financially) and especially when facing persecution, it is easiest to give up. It is precisely at that moment that you (and those around you) find out what you are made of – what you truly live for and what you believe in. Those who wear their “Christian” label but really live only for themselves will either fall away or truly become what they always said they were. The true child of God will come through suffering and testing like gold and silver refined in the fire (Zechariah 13:9).
It is by persisting in our faith and trust in God and our commitment to follow Him through everything that God shapes and reveals in us the character of Christ. It is this character then that produces real hope. Not the pathetic things we mean these days by the word “hope” – a wish and a sigh and an “I hope so.” Biblical hope is strong and certain, it is believing in God’s promises, it is standing on solid ground. When we persevere through suffering and see Christ revealed in us then we are sure that we are His and if we are His then we can plant our feet solidly on His word, continuing to persevere and grow in His likeness. Such firm hope in God will never disappoint us, we can be sure that we are safe in Him because we experience and show forth His love by the indwelling and empowering presence of God’s Holy Spirit who lives in us and works in us, “giving you the desire to obey Him and the power to do what pleases Him. (Philippians 2:13)”. So even though we do not enjoy our suffering, we can rejoice in God and in that work that He does in us and through us through our suffering, the results of which are worth far more than any gold. (1 Peter 1:7)”.
Point to Ponder
Are you going through suffering right now? Are you persevering or are you ready to give up and forget about all this “God stuff”? now is the time when your faith really matters and when you find out who you are. Are you ready to trust in God no matter what you see and to let Him change you forever? Can you see how the character produced by persevering through suffering produces confident hope and faith in the promises of God? Isn’t such well grounded confidence worth far more than anything you might lose in the process and everything you go through? In this world there will be trouble and suffering. would you prefer to suffer because of your sin or for the Name of Christ? Would you prefer to suffer in vain or to gain character, hope, and reward in heaven? The choice is yours.
Let us pray, “Oh, God, thank You for Your Word and for Your promises. Thank You for saving us and making us Yours. Thank You for being with us and at work in us through everything. Help us to continually rejoice in You no matter what happens in our lives from day to day. May we continually bring You praise and glory. Help us to persevere through the trials that we face and the suffering that we endure so that the character of Christ might be formed in us that we would be conformed to His likeness. May this process fill us with certain and unshakeable hope – that we would know that You are, that You work in us, that You are faithful and true, and that we are Yours. May we experience Your love and the presence of Your Spirit as an undeniable truth in our lives. Amen.”
Romans 5:3-5 (paraphrased) – “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, pain, affliction, and distress because we know that suffering produces perseverance, resolve, and determination; perseverance, integrity of character; and quality character, hope and faith and confident expectation and anticipation. It is a hope and expectation that does not disappoint us because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
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