Romans 5:1 – Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
GENERAL SUMMARY: Sinners are the natural enemies of God (Colossians 1:21). Being an enemy of your Creator naturally produces anguish, turmoil and fear. But once we place our faith in the atonement provided by Christ, our relationship with God is restored and peace replaces fear. 
DIGGING DEEPER: Therefore: Having been justified by faith, the Christian receives a number of benefits from our heavenly Father. The first benefit Paul mentions is peace with God.
Since we have been justified by faith: Once again, it is prudent to clarify this phrase. The act of believing does not justify us. If it did, then in a sense we could say that our justification was the result of our own works.
When Christians use the phrase ‘justified by faith’ what they really mean is that we are justified by God (Romans 8:33) through the death/shed blood and resurrection of Christ (Romans 5:9). Faith is simply the way in which we receive that justification.
You might think of it this way: We often say that eating nourishes us, even though it’s the food (not the act of eating) that gives the nourishment. The act of eating is the way we receive that nourishment.
We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: Sinners are the enemies of God (Romans 8:7, Ephesians 2:16, James 4:4). Because of this, the mind of an unrepentant sinner can never enjoy peace or rest. Instead, the sinner is often agitated, anxious, fearful and hopeless because deep down, they are worried about the coming judgment/punishment of God; they have no hope for this life or for eternity.
Isaiah 57:20-21 – “But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. There is no peace”, says my God, “for the wicked.”
But when a sinner embraces the atoning sacrifice of Christ, everything changes! Peace and calmness suddenly overtake his heart and mind, like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. Tranquility saturates the Christian’s entire being, because he (or she) is no longer under the judgment/wrath of God; they have passed from death to life:
John 5:24 – Truly, truly, I [Jesus] say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
The peace of God replaces all the fear and worry of judgment/condemnation that filled the sinner’s heart and mind prior to being forgiven:
Philippians 4:7 – And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
(See also John 14:27, John 16:22, Acts 10:36, Galatians 6:15-16, etc.). True peace comes exclusively through Christ; the world has absolutely nothing to do with it. Because the world doesn’t give (or even contribute to) peace with God, it can’t take it away either.
It’s no secret that as a Christian, you will still experience trials, hardships, loss and disappointment in this life. However, because worldly circumstances cannot affect the peace that Christ brings us, we will always have peace during the storms of life. What a comforting thought!
Romans 5:2 – Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
GENERAL SUMMARY: A second benefit to justification by faith is our admission into the grace and favor of God.
DIGGING DEEPER: Through him: Admission into the grace and favor of God comes only through Jesus Christ.
Many commentators maintain that this is an even greater blessing than the peace previously mentioned by Paul. Those who hold this view point out that a traitor may be pardoned by the king without receiving his favor or being admitted into his fellowship. 
For example, Absalom was pardoned by his father King David, but he was not allowed to see his father’s face (II Samuel 14:24). This meant that Absalom had no real relationship with the king; he did not have the right to come into his presence, and he certainly did not expect any favors or blessings from David.
Likewise, God could have pardoned us from our sin without showering us with his favor and blessings. Can you imagine how different life with be if that were the case?
We have obtained access by faith: I know it’s annoying for me to keep repeating this, but I’m going to do so nonetheless… Faith is not an act which earns us a reward. If it was, then we would technically be saved or blessed by our own works.
Faith does not make us deserving of pardon; it merely positions us to be eligible to receive that gift. In the same way, faith makes it possible for us to receive the favor and blessing of God, which are provided to us through Jesus Christ.
Have you ever noticed that in scripture, Jesus is described as ‘the way’?
John 14:6 – Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
In other words, Jesus is the way or the means by which we can receive the blessings and favor of the Father. He is the Mediator between God and man. He introduces us into his Father’s presence, gives us a chance to come before his throne with our requests, and makes our service acceptable to him. It is his intercession before the throne of God allows us to continue in our justified state. Simply stated, all access to the Father (and his blessings) comes through faith in him.
Into his grace: Grace is the divine favor of God towards mankind. It includes love, kindness, mercy, pardon/reconciliation, etc.
In which we stand: To stand is to constantly and firmly abide. This indicates that faith is not a fickle belief that changes from day to day, nor does it dry up when trials come. True faith is firmly rooted in the heart and it endures throughout life. It allows us to stand firm against all the attacks of Satan and the temptations of the flesh. It allows us to have boldness, courage and freedom from fear as we submit to the will of God.
Because we stand in faith, we constantly and firmly abide in the grace/divine favor of God. Again, this is an incredible blessing. Because of Christ’s mediation, every justified person is not only forgiven, they abide in the grace and favor of God.
And we rejoice: Justification in God’s sight naturally brings joy into our lives:
Isaiah 12:3 – With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
(See also Isaiah 35:10, Isaiah 52:9, John 16:22-24, Acts 13:52, Romans 14:17, I Peter 1:8, etc.). There is an old song that says, “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart” - and how true that is!
Every Christian should be living in a state of joy because we have been freed from sin and death. As if that weren’t enough, God has chosen to shower us with blessings both now and in the age to come. If you want some joy right now, think about this: God has unknown heights and depths of blessing waiting for us in heaven!
In hope: Hope is a complicated emotion. It consists of two parts: a desire for something and an expectation of obtaining it. If either of these elements is missing, hope cannot exist.
For example, suppose you wanted to keep a full-grown lion as a pet. The desire for the lion is there, but there wouldn’t be any reasonable expectation of obtaining one, because it is illegal for a private citizen to own a wild animal. So, you don’t have any real hope of having a lion as a pet.
The opposite is also true. Suppose you were one of the 10 richest people on the planet, but you had no desire to own an expensive car. Even though you would have a reasonable expectation of getting any automobile you wanted, hope would not be present because you had no desire for it.
In the present case, Paul is saying that Christians have hope for the glory of God. In other words, we have both an earnest desire for it and a confident expectation of obtaining it. Let’s investigate this further.
Of the glory of God: Glory means splendor, magnificence, distinction or honor. In this passage, it refers to the everlasting honors, blessings and happiness which God has prepared for his people. (It’s not the magnificence of God himself). These honors and blessings have been promised to us by God, and he will give them to us through Christ.
1 Corinthians 2:9 - But as it is written, eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him.
We will receive the full honors and blessings of redemption after we triumph in the completion of our earthly work, after we are finally free from sin and after God has wiped away every tear and removed all our pain. In other words, we receive them once we get to heaven.
We are pilgrims here on earth, yet we know that a future inheritance awaits us in the next life. As a Christian you should definitely have a desire to obtain that inheritance. We serve God out of a motivation of love, but at the same time there is nothing wrong with encouraging yourself with thoughts of the joys of heaven. Your desire for the blessings of heaven is one-half of your hope.
The other half of hope is a reasonable expectation of receiving what you desire. Since God is the one that has promised us these blessings, we know that they are guaranteed to us. Thus, we have hope for the glory of God!
Romans 5:3 – Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
GENERAL SUMMARY: Clearly, Christians have solid reasons to look forward to the future blessings/glory of God. But we also have reasons to rejoice now. Although it seems strange on the surface, trials and afflictions give us reasons to rejoice because of the fruit they produce in our lives.
DIGGING DEEPER: Not only that: The future (eternity with God) holds many promises of blessing and rejoicing. But believers have reasons to rejoice in this life too.
But we rejoice in our sufferings: Let’s begin by examining the word translated as ‘suffering’.
Some bible scholars limit the definition of suffering to tribulations/difficulties that arise as a direct result of being a Christian, such as slander, abuse, punishment, discrimination, death, etc. 
For example, in Acts 16 Paul and Silas were beaten and put into prison for casting a demon out of a slave girl. Under the first definition, this would qualify as suffering.
Other bible scholars believe that suffering includes all the trials of this life, even those situations that are not directly related to the gospel.
For example, if you got into a car accident on your way to Walmart and you were permanently injured, that would qualify as suffering under the second definition.
You are obviously free to decide which definition to believe, but for the purposes of our study, we will adopt the second definition – all suffering (even that which is not the direct result of the gospel) can result in rejoicing because God uses it to produce fruit in our lives.
Romans 8:28 – And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Knowing that suffering produces endurance: Our study uses the English Standard Version of the bible, which uses the word ‘endurance’. Your translation may say ‘perseverance’ or ‘patience’. All these terms can be used interchangeably.
The question is, how does God use suffering to produce fruit in our lives? It’s important that we know, so when hardship or suffering comes, we can view it correctly and rejoice in what God is doing.
Let’s begin by looking at the bigger picture. How do trials/hardships affect Christians? How do they affect sinners? Is there a difference between the two?
We will examine the position of the sinner first. When a hardship or trial comes their way, they are irritated and troubled. It is their natural inclination to murmur, complain, and blame others.
Their trouble produces impatience and frustration, which leads to perplexity, despair, discontent and confusion. This is natural because they do not enjoy the comfort, joy and assistance of God. In fact, they often blame God for their situation, becoming more and more rebellious and acting out against him in anger. The longer the hardship lasts, the more brutal, desperate and self-centered they become.
Where will they turn for help? They have only two resources – mankind (who is not always reliable, helpful or merciful) and Satan who is their father (who isn’t going to help because he loves death and despair). For the sinner, there is no guarantee that anything good will come out of their trial.
Now let’s examine the position of the Christian. When we experience a trial or hardship, we recognize that that situation did not sneak up on us while God was asleep. Rather, it was filtered through him first. Therefore, his hand is in it and since God only gives good gifts to his children, that hardship holds some kind of value for us.
In addition, we have somewhere to turn for help. Holy Spirit, who came to abide with us when we trusted in Christ for justification, will be our constant companion and guide as we work through that circumstance with peace and joy. With his help and guidance, we can:
- Learn to develop patience/endurance.
- Draw closer to the Father.
- Practice hearing his voice more clearly.
- Learn to restrain our sinful passions and gain control of our flesh.
- Allow Holy Spirit to produce his fruit in our lives.
- Build a testimony to unbelievers.
For example, let’s suppose you went to the doctor and received a bad report. That qualifies as a hardship. The Christian will enjoy the benefits of support from family, friends and other Christians. But more importantly, they can turn to their heavenly Father, who not only loves them but has the power to intervene in their situation. The Christian realizes that God didn’t cause that disease, but he allowed it to touch their life. Therefore, it is under his control and can be used for good.
The Christian will grow closer to God as they search his word, meditate on his promises, and seek him in prayer for healing and guidance in how to treat the disease. As they spend time in his presence, they will learn to listen more closely to God’s voice. They will find more and more reasons to praise him as they experience his presence through the trial.
It is likely that Holy Spirit will change some of their attitudes or shift their priorities. He will take away their pride, their self-reliance, and other sinful passions. He will use this opportunity to grow spiritual fruit (love, joy, meekness, etc) in their lives.
In the end, the Christian won’t just have ‘head knowledge’ of God as a healer and provider, they will have experiential knowledge that God heals/provides! This results in an amazing testimony which they can share with others. Through their trial, others may come to know Christ.
So, we find that it is not the tribulation itself which causes us to rejoice, it is the benefits we get from it – sanctification, growth of spiritual fruit, building a testimony, experiencing God’s presence and provision, etc.
Think of it this way: When precious metals are refined, they are passed through fire which burns out the impurities. In the end, the metal is more pure, more desirable and more valuable. Similarly, with the help of Holy Spirit, trials burn the impurities out of our lives. This makes us more like Christ, makes us more valuable for service in his kingdom and results in greater blessings for us in heaven. These are all reasons to rejoice.
Finally, it should be noted that sometimes God develops patience in our lives by making us wait for the fulfillment of a promise. This essentially has the same spiritual effects as enduring a trial.
Hebrews 10:36 – For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
Romans 5:4 - … and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
GENERAL SUMMARY: Paul goes on to show that our faith has progressive benefits. When we are patient in trials, it produces character. Character, in turn, produces hope.
DIGGING DEEPER: Endurance produces character: The ESV translation uses the word ‘character’. Your translation may say ‘experience’.
Paul is showing us a progression in our faith. Patient endurance of trials/hardships produces character (strength in moral excellence; strength in our faith). It gives us practical spiritual experience.
In the prior verse, we brought up the example of metals purified by fire. However, fire doesn’t just purify metals; it is also used to test the genuineness of the metal. Something may appear to be made of gold or silver, but when it is put under the test of fire, it may be revealed to be something entirely different. 
In this case, our suffering acts like fire – it tests our faith. It proves to us that our faith/belief in God is genuine. Through the practical experience of suffering, we learn to trust in God’s intervention in our lives. Repeated hardships prove to us that God is who he says he is, and that he does what he says he will do. Our character is developed and strengthened when we prove that He is utterly trustworthy.
Because we know that God has been faithful in the past, we have no fear of the future. We know he will be faithful no matter what comes our way. In other words, experience produces undeniable proof that our religion is true.
1 Corinthians 1:9 – God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
And character produces hope: Testing refines and confirms our faith, and through that faith springs hope. Our hope is not static; it increases and becomes stronger by the experiences of hardship and the subsequent knowledge that God is faithful.
I Peter 1:6-7 – In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith – more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire – may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Thus, the Christian has hope in two distinct ways and in two successive stages of the Christian life. First, we receive hope immediately on believing along with a sense of peace and full access to God. Second, we receive another infusion of hope after the reality of our faith has been proved through afflictions/trials.
Romans 5:5 - … and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
And hope does not put us to shame: As we noted previously, hope consists of two parts – a desire for something and a reasonable expectation of obtaining it.
By the time we go through the testing associated with trials/afflictions, we have developed a very practical trust in God. We have a firm confidence that God will keep his promises to us. Since we are fully persuaded that he will keep his promises regarding our everlasting future and since we greatly desire to have these blessings, we have hope.
This hope will never bring us shame; it will never disappoint us or deceive us. Because our hope is based on the promises of God (who never fails), we are assured of obtaining the object of our hope – the eternal blessings set aside for us in heaven.
It is possible that Paul had Psalms 22 in mind when he was writing to the Romans:
Psalms 22:4-5 – In you [God] our fathers trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
Because God’s love has been poured into our hearts: To be poured out is to be abundantly, generously or copiously given. In this case, it means that God’s love is generously given to each and every Christian. By the working of Holy Spirit, the children of God are conscious of the intense love of God for us. His love fills us, quickens us, and invigorates us. It is the motive for our obedience, and the reason we love God:
1 John 4:19 – We love him [God], because he first loved us.
This love sustains us in our tribulations and afflictions.
The same concept (that of abundant/generous pouring out) is used to refer to the influence of Holy Spirit which is poured upon or abundantly imparted to mankind (Acts 10:45).
Through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us: As Christians, we often say that ‘Jesus lives in our hearts’. That is not exactly the case. Scripture tells us that it is Holy Spirit who actually indwells our hearts:
I Corinthians 6:19 – Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?
Holy Spirit enters our hearts the moment we embrace justification by faith in Christ. From that very moment he begins to work in our lives. He is the effective agent in our progressive walk with God: 
- Holy Spirit sanctifies the believer, assisting us in circumcising our hearts.
- Holy Spirit transforms us into the image of Christ.
- Holy Spirit strengthens us and comforts us.
- Holy Spirit produces spiritual fruit in our lives.
- Holy Spirit helps us with prayer and intercession.
- Holy Spirit empowers us for service in the kingdom of God.
- Holy Spirit enlightens our understanding of the word of God.
- Holy Spirit imparts spiritual gifts to every believer.
- Holy Spirit is the one who pours God’s love into our hearts and fills our minds with peace, love and joy.
The presence of Holy Spirit within our lives is clear proof that God loves us and that it is his will that we should be saved. In fact, Holy Spirit seals us until the day of redemption; he marks us and keeps us until the time comes for us to receive the fulfillment of the hope we have for eternity.
Ephesians 4:30 – And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, by whom you are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Through the working of the Spirit our hearts are infused with the love of God, which produces peace, love and joy in the hearts of believers, regardless of outward circumstances.
Let me offer you some encouragement:
Here is a comforting thought: Paul was near the end of his life when he penned the letter to the Romans. By this time, he had faithfully endured as much or perhaps more suffering than most other people (II Corinthians 11:16-33).
And what conclusion did he reach? His testimony was that faith in Christ was sufficient for sustaining him in even the most severe trials. If God’s grace was sufficient for Paul’s trials, it will be for ours too.
Let me offer you some relief:
Although it sometimes seems like the trials and sufferings of this life will never end, the truth is that they are temporary. The day will come when either God calls you home, or Christ returns to earth and takes you directly to heaven. In either case, your suffering will be over and you will receive the blessings God has in store for you!
Let me offer you some strength:
The world cannot rejoice in affliction because they have no guarantee that they will endure the trial or that anything good will come from it. This is not the case for the Christian.
As a Christian, you will endure just as many (if not more) hardships than sinners. But your hardships are different. You have hope. You know that these afflictions are working to purify your faith and draw you closer to God.
So, the next time a hardship comes your way, don’t whine or complain or get angry. Instead, partner with Holy Spirit to receive the most benefit from your experience.