One of the passages I have chosen to memorize in 2009 is Romans 5. Romans 5 carries in it some of the most precious verses in all of Scripture, in my opinion. Verses such as 5:8, “…while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us…”; and 5:9, “…we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him (Jesus)…”; and 5:10, “…we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son…”; and 5:17, “…those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ…”; and finally 5:20, “…but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more…”
It is not to these verses that I would draw your attention. Rather, in vv3-5 Paul states, “…and not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us…”
How can one “exult” / “glory” / “rejoice” in tribulation? How is this possible? Doesn’t Paul know the depths of the heart-wrenching pain that often accompany these tribulations? It is important to note that Paul is not saying that we are rejoicing despite the tribulations. He is saying we rejoice because we have the tribulations! Let that sink in for a moment in your heart. When was the last time you rejoiced for the specific difficulty in which you find yourself? William Newell says this in his classic “Romans: Verse by Verse“: “…God brings us into tribulations, and that of all sorts; graciously supplying therewith a rejoicing expectation of deliverance in due time; and the knowledge that, as the winds buffeting some great oak on a hillside cause the tree to thrust its roots deeper into the ground, so these tribulations will result in steadfastness, in faith and patient endurance…”
As those that believe in a sovereign God, patiently working in all of our lives to bring out His glory, and eventually our own glorification, we can relax in the midst of the tribulation knowing that God has never removed His hand of control from our lives. The ultimate end of these tribulations is “hope”. Hope can be defined as, “the eager expectation of something better in the future”. We notice that our hope will not disappoint us, because “…the love of God has been poured out within our hearts…” And thus, we see an identifying characteristic of the believer: the understanding of the tribulation he faces. The effect of the tribulation in the life of a true believer should bring him closer to God, to focus more intently on eternal matters, which will in turn allow him to persevere through the tribulation.
Let this encouragement come to you today: as Alva J. McClain states in his commentary on Romans, “…If tribulation comes into your life and does not make you more tender, if it does not make you love Him more, then it would be wise to examine your life in order to discover what the trouble is…”
Suggested reading for those suffering: Romans 5, James 1, Psalm 46, Psalm 73. What other passages can you suggest for those in the midst of suffering?
