In Romans 5:1-5 we see that what happens in you is more important than what happens to you, that even when what happens to you seems bad God uses it for your spiritual good. Through Christ we have been justified by faith, forgiven by God, who has made a lasting peace with us and we can be at peace towards Him. Having been introduced to the grace of God we will stand forever righteous in His sight and can glory in the fact that we have a hope of eternal life in heaven with Him. We now have access to the grace of God and we know that the bad times produce good results, as we stay under God’s hand during the trial and testing it produces patience, which produces proven character, which produces hopeful confidence, which does not disappoint us because once again the Holy Spirit pours the love of God and love for God into our hearts afresh.
This is the difference between staying locked into the tragedy and shining forth in triumph, it is that in the midst of tragedy triumph can come forth in our character. We can still exult in God, knowing that whatever happens, we are the children of God, with ultimate hope.
In verse 6 Paul defines why we have a sureness of this hope, what our hope is anchored to, he wants to talk more about this love and define the nature of it, and then he connects them with the word “For”, and he describes the love of God in the death of Christ as the guarantee of this living and future hope and how Christ’s death is the ultimate expression of God’s love (1 John 4:9-10). If Jesus loved us despite not only our not loving Him but even our hating Him, what can separate us from that love now, nothing we or anyone can do would keep us from His love. |
