Peace with God—everyone wants it, yet many live without it. Countless people struggle daily with anxiety and fear, searching for something that seems perpetually out of reach.
While short-term solutions may offer temporary relief, lasting peace can only come from being reconciled with God through faith in Jesus Christ. When that foundational peace exists, everything else—peace with yourself and peace with others—begins to fall into place.
Romans 5:1-5 addresses this profound truth, revealing not only how believers obtain peace with God but also how that peace sustains them through life's inevitable hardships.
The passage opens with a declaration: "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."
Understanding Justification: The Foundation of Peace
The concept of justification stands at the heart of Romans and serves as the foundation for everything that follows. Justification is a formal acquittal by God whereby He pronounces a sinner to be righteous because of that sinner's faith in Christ. This legal term carries profound spiritual implications.
A helpful way to remember justification is by breaking down the word itself: justified means "just-as-if-I'd-never-sinned." This captures the essence of what happens when someone places faith in Jesus Christ. According to 2 Corinthians 5:21, God made Christ, who knew no sin, to be sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
This means that through faith, our sins and the punishment we deserve are transferred to Jesus on the cross, while His righteousness is credited to us. When God looks at believers, He sees them clothed in the righteousness of His Son. This divine exchange brings about peace with God—not a temporary truce, but a permanent reconciliation.
Peace Does Not Mean the Absence of Suffering
A critical truth emerges in Romans 5 that challenges common assumptions: being at peace with God does not imply the absence of suffering. The presence of peace does not guarantee the absence of trials. This reality is central to understanding the Christian experience.
Living a life devoted to sinning less—showing love for Christ through obedience—does not translate into a carefree existence. Jesus Himself made this connection explicit in John 16:33: "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
Notice the dual reality: in Christ, believers have peace; in the world, they will have tribulation. The Greek word used for tribulation in both John 16:33 and Romans 5:3 is "thlipsis," referring to pressure, affliction, and suffering. Christians experience both realities simultaneously—the peace of God and the tribulations of the world.
The advantage believers possess, however, is that Christ has given them something to better manage the pain and suffering of this world: hope. This hope is not the world's optimistic thinking or positive mental attitude. It is a spiritual reality, a firm reliance on God, a happy certainty rooted in His character and promises.
Hope: A Central Theme in Romans
The word "hope" appears three times in Romans 5:1-5 alone. Throughout the entire book, hope is mentioned more frequently than in any other New Testament book. When comparing proportionally across all Scripture, Romans contains more references to hope than even the Psalms, despite the Psalms being significantly longer.
This emphasis reveals God's intention for His people to understand and embrace hope as a defining characteristic of the Christian life. The hymn "My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less" captures this truth: "On Christ the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand." Hope is not self-generated positivity but a spiritual reality available through faith in Christ.
As Psalm 31:24 declares, "Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord." This hope—this firm Reliance on God—becomes one of the most valuable benefits of a relationship with Christ.
The Stepping Stones to Hope
Romans 5:3-4 reveals that hope does not come directly from suffering. Instead, it emerges through a process: "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope."
The path to hope involves distinct stages: suffering leads to perseverance, perseverance builds character, and character produces hope. Understanding each stepping stone helps believers navigate their own journey from tribulation to hope.
First Stepping Stone: Learning to Suffer Well
The concept of suffering well may sound unusual, but it represents a crucial skill for the Christian life. One of the clearest biblical examples comes from Job, whose very name means "persecuted one" in Hebrew. The book of Job provides a masterclass in suffering well through four key principles.
First, Job did not blame God. When circumstances turn painful, blaming God becomes temptingly easy. Yet holding God responsible for suffering only compounds the problem and distances the sufferer from the very source of comfort and strength.
Second, Job did not listen to his friends who tried to explain his suffering. Well-meaning people often attempt to rationalize pain, suggesting hidden sins or divine punishment as explanations. Job's friends speculated endlessly about why he suffered, but God later corrected them, revealing they did not know what they were talking about. Some things simply do not need explanation, and attempting to provide one can make matters worse.
Third, Job acknowledged that human understanding is limited. If God were small enough to be fully comprehended, He would not be big enough to be worshiped. Finite minds cannot grasp infinite wisdom. Some things will not make sense this side of heaven, and accepting this limitation brings freedom from the burden of having to understand everything.
Fourth, Job learned that some things are beyond human control. Not everything that happens is someone's fault. Recognizing the limits of personal control releases individuals from misplaced guilt and allows them to focus on what they can control: their response.
Job pressed into God rather than away from Him. In the midst of tremendous loss, he declared in Job 19:25-27, "I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God. I myself will see Him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!"
This declaration demonstrates suffering well—holding onto God when everything else falls apart, maintaining faith when circumstances provide no earthly reason for hope.
The Response Determines the Outcome
When subjected to the same circumstances, people respond differently. Consider a pot of boiling water: place an egg in the water and it hardens; place a potato in the same water and it softens. The circumstances are identical, but the responses are opposite.
Similarly, when facing suffering, some people become hardened—angry, bitter, and calloused toward God. Others become tender—humble, broken, and more dependent on Him. The difference lies not in the circumstances but in the individual's response.
As one observation puts it, the same sun that melts wax hardens clay. The external force remains constant, but the internal composition determines the outcome. When faced with suffering, each person has a choice: allow the trial to humble and tenderize, or permit it to harden and embitter.
The response to suffering is each person's responsibility. Suffering well means pressing into the Lord rather than pulling away, choosing trust over resentment, and maintaining faith even when understanding remains elusive.
Second Stepping Stone: Perseverance
If suffering is about pressing into the Lord, then perseverance is about pressing on with the Lord. Perseverance represents the daily decision to continue trusting, continue praying, and continue leaning on Jesus regardless of how circumstances appear.
Getting up each morning and refusing to surrender to despair requires intentional determination. It means declaring, "Not today, Satan," and choosing faith over fear, hope over hopelessness, and trust over doubt.
James 1:2-4 addresses this reality: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
The instruction to "consider it pure joy" does not mean throwing a party when suffering arrives. Rather, it means refusing to view trials as punishment, curse, or calamity. The enemy wants believers to see suffering as evidence of God's anger or abandonment. If Satan can derail faith by inducing shame and guilt, then perseverance ends and hope never fully develops.
Considering trials as "pure joy" means recognizing that suffering does not result from a bad God but from a fallen world. God remains good and faithful even when circumstances are difficult. The joy comes from knowing God will never leave nor forsake His children, regardless of what they face.
James 1:12 adds further encouragement: "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him."
Sometimes God leads His people through the desert precisely to strengthen their faith. Perseverance in the desert develops spiritual muscle that cannot be built in times of ease and comfort.
Third Stepping Stone: Character
Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden wisely observed, "Worry more about your character than your reputation. Character is who you are; reputation is merely who others think you are." Character is what remains when no one else is looking.
While the Bible rarely uses the specific word "character," it focuses extensively on the qualities that comprise character: humility, honesty, integrity, and sincerity. These qualities develop as believers grow through trials and persevere through difficulties.
Perseverance produces character because suffering has a natural tendency to expose hidden issues in the heart—things people either did not know were there or did not want to acknowledge. Difficulties force individuals to confront realities they might otherwise avoid.
The English word "tribulation" comes from the Latin "tribulum," which referred to a flat board with spikes attached underneath. Romans would drag this spiked board, pulled by an ox or horse, across harvested grain to separate wheat from chaff. The tribulum broke apart the stalks and separated valuable grain from worthless husks.
Similarly, tribulation separates the valuable from the worthless in human hearts. It exposes attitudes, motives, and beliefs that need addressing. It distinguishes between what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is bad. When believers persevere through this refining process, character develops.
Scripture provides numerous examples of character forged through suffering. Job became a man of character through his trials. Ruth in the NIV is described as "a woman of noble character" who suffered much yet persevered. Paul exemplified character developed through extensive suffering. Jesus, of course, demonstrated perfect character while enduring the ultimate suffering. All of them persevered, and their perseverance produced unshakable character.
Fourth Stepping Stone: Hope
Hope represents one of the most critical elements in life. Many people in the world live without it—those in despair, feeling lost, dealing with grief, broken hearts, or physical pain. People suffering in silence often look perfectly normal on the outside while struggling profoundly beneath the surface.
What makes God's hope unique and special is that it flows from His love. Romans 5:5 explains, "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's love, poured into human hearts, generates hope. Ephesians 3 contains a prayer that captures the depth of this love: "I pray that you would know how wide and long and high and deep is the love of God, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
The phrase "to know this love that surpasses knowledge" seems paradoxical. How can someone know something that surpasses knowledge? It speaks to an experiential understanding that goes beyond rational comprehension. God's love is so profound, so deep, that it defies complete explanation, yet it can be genuinely known and experienced.
This love gives believers confident expectation that God has everything under control. Hope flourishes when individuals remember that God has them, that He holds them securely in His hands. Knowing the Lord personally—truly knowing Him—creates unshakable hope regardless of circumstances.
Romans 15:13 offers a prayer that encapsulates this truth: "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
The God of hope desires to fill His people with joy and peace so that hope might abound in their lives. This is not wishful thinking or manufactured optimism. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit, producing genuine hope rooted in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Hope Has a Name
Hope is not an abstract concept or a vague feeling. Hope has a name, and His name is Jesus. The Savior's cross has set sinners free, providing not just forgiveness of sins but also peace with God, access to grace, and an abundant supply of hope.
The journey from suffering to hope follows a deliberate path: suffering produces perseverance, perseverance builds character, character yields hope, and hope does not disappoint because it rests on God's love poured into human hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Believers face tribulations in this fallen world, but they are not abandoned to navigate suffering alone. Christ has overcome the world, and through Him, peace and hope remain available even amid the deepest trials. The stepping stones from tribulation to hope—learning to suffer well, persevering through difficulty, developing character, and receiving God's hope—transform suffering from a dead end into a pathway toward spiritual maturity and deeper faith.
When trials come, remember that the God of hope stands ready to fill hearts with joy and peace, enabling hope to abound by the power of the Holy Spirit. Trust the process, press into God during suffering, press on with perseverance, allow character to develop, and experience the hope that comes from knowing Christ. This hope will not disappoint, because it flows from the inexhaustible love of God.
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