Faith, hope and love. Rejoice in your sufferings (Romans 5:1-5)

 



Read Romans 5:1-5
Our passage today is a beautiful piece about rejoicing in our suffering, with a theme of faith, hope, and love. Paul tells us we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Faith is what allows us to go through hardship and suffering and still rejoice. We can rejoice, regardless of our circumstances, because we know that God's plan is being fulfilled. We don't rejoice because of our suffering, but in our suffering because we know our suffering isn't meaningless. Our suffering here is meant to build character and produces hope in God, "and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:2). We are being built up in faith, hope, and love. God has poured out His love, and because of that, we can have faith in His gifts of grace and hope in the future He has planned for us.
"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1).
Faith, without hope, is dead. We must have faith in Christ's redeeming work; this produces hope in God's plan for us and love because He loved us first. Hope is from God. As it says in Psalm 62:5, "Yes, my sould find rest in God; my hope comes from Him."
"So now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13). None of this is possible without God's love. God's love for us makes Him "our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). Without God's love, we would have no faith or hope. Because of God’s love, we have been "justified through faith" (Romans 5:1), "we have gained access by faith, into this grace" (Romans 5:2), and we can rejoice in our suffering, knowing that our hope in God does not disappoint us (Romans 5:5). So do not let your struggles turn you from God. Instead, find peace in God's love and power. The Bible tells us, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). There is nothing God can't do. He loves us so much that He even turns our suffering and struggles into something for our good. "But we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Romans 5:3-4). God is molding us into something better. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1 2-4). Because of God’s love, He sent His only Son to redeem us. God’s love gives us the confidence to trust His Word and hope for our future.


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