Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 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 has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
- Romans 5:1-8
v.1: justified: from guilty to justified. not by works, but by the grace first extended to us… which gives us the capacity for faith. justified through faith.
v.1: peace with God: being redeemed, we are no longer separated from God and don’t have to keep stressing about earning our way into heaven and God’s heart
v.2: grace: grace isn’t only the means by which we are saved, but it is the continued state in where we stand before God. we need God’s continued grace even throughout our walk…it’s hard to get out of the mindset that nothing comes for free. and to remember that it is by grace that we’ve been saved..and there is no requirement for us to buy grace through out actions.
- makes me wonder… have we fully accepted God’s grace? what does it require to accept God’s grace? is it fully believing that we are unconditionally loved? to believe and allow God to love us while we are still unworthy?
v.2: we have access: heres what this says: I’m always here for you. and wow that just makes my heart melt. haha what is it that so many people look for in life? love, acceptance and security i think. and this promise of access to God… it fulfills these needs.
v.2: rejoice in the hope: its like this.. with the perspective that we have God’s love and the hope that comes with that… how can i not rejoice? why is it i find it too easy to let my spirit be weighed down by little things… why is it so easy to forget that amazing hope that i have? so i’ll say unto my heart…rejoice! haha
- rejoice in hope of the glory of God. find joy in God’s salvation, and joy in knowing that despite my inability to see the future, God’s glory will be seen. that God has a purpose for my life… and if i let Him, His glory will shine through in my life.
v.3: but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
v.3: tribulations: means a catastrophic event, a time of great distress. wow… how hard it is to be able to glory in even the minor hiccups let alone times of great distress. how can i do it without the grace of God? mmm but how else do we improve our character? how else will God refine me? its through the fire, as the forger requires the heat to make metal malleable so that he can shape it… times of tribulation are to shape me… to make me turn back to God and rely wholly on Him.
v.4: perseverance, character; and character, hope: i think that these words are placed in a specific order. you can’t expect to have more hope or character without having had to persevere through hardship. its just not within God’s plan for us. i’m risking a stagnant relationship with God if i pray that God will prevent me from going through trials and hardship.
v.5: now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us: God pours out his love in huge gushing torrents… not little drips or trickles.
v.6-8: the extent of God’s love is amazing. i think we buy into a consumeristic view of love these days… we’ll only love someone if they are worth loving. the selfish kind of love… where, i’ll marry you because you make me happy… i’ll divorce you… because you no longer make me happy. i’d love you if you were _____. while we were still sinners God loved us. a love given to people so undeserving.
for: huper the Greek word means ‘for the sake of’
peace and joy. i’m thankful for Your sacrifice. that You love me… You love me despite the fact that i am so undeserving. i’m thankful that You did it all for my sake.
Amy Teh
