Romans 5:3–5

The effects of justification

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Hope of the glory of God makes bearable the inevitable crosses and difficulties that come into every Christian’s life. These crosses, however, not only become bearable, but in the midst of them, the Christian can still rejoice. We can do so because we know that under the loving care of a good and gracious God, even suffering leads to blessings and positive results in the Christian life. Hence Paul can make the bold claim that we rejoice not only in the hope of future glory “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 has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

A number of passages in Scripture set up a sequence, or chain, of virtues.* The order in which the virtues are listed is not always the same, seemingly because each author has a particular point of emphasis he wishes to bring out. Here Paul wants to end with hope, which is really a synonym for faith in the sense of trust and confidence.

* Galatians 5:22,23; James 1:2-4; 2 Peter 1:5-7

According to Paul’s sequence, suffering produces “perseverance,” the quality of bearing up under adversity. Such perseverance produces “character,” as seen in the reliability and dependability of the veteran who has withstood and survived some challenging situations. Hence character leads to “hope,” which is nothing other than trust and confidence.

Hope and confidence, if misplaced, can leave us in the lurch. But that is not the case with the hope Paul speaks of, for it is well placed. Christian hope “does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

This hope is reliable because the one in whom it trusts is trustworthy and reliable. The object of trust is God, and he “has poured out his love into our hearts.” The form of the verb used here for “has poured out” makes the point that God has previously done this and the effect of it still continues at the present time. God sent his Holy Spirit into our hearts to bring us to a knowledge of God’s love for us. The Spirit has worked in us a faith that reflects a confidence in God’s continuing love for us.