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“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.” These words echo a profound and often neglected truth of the New Testament: suffering, for the believer, is not meaningless. It is a divinely designed process.
Let us look at what the Word of God says:
> “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
> And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
> And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
> — Romans 5:3–5 (KJV)
And again:
> “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you,
> he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies
> by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.”
> — Romans 8:11 (KJV)
The lyrics you have provided are essentially a sung exposition of Romans 5:3–5, resting on the power described in Romans 8:11. The central theme is this:
This is not human positive thinking. It is divine transformation.
Romans is Paul’s great doctrinal letter, written to the believers in Rome—both Jews and Gentiles. By the time we reach chapter 5, Paul has established several key truths:
1. All humanity—Jew and Gentile alike—is under sin (Romans 1–3).
2. We are justified not by works, but by faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:21–26).
3. Abraham is the model of justification by faith (Romans 4).
Romans 5 marks a turning point: Paul begins to describe the results of justification.
> “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
> — Romans 5:1
From peace with God, Paul moves immediately to rejoicing:
> “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand,
> and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
> — Romans 5:2
Then he makes a startling statement:
> “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also...”
> — Romans 5:3
The believers in Rome were not living in a safe, comfortable religious environment. They faced suspicion, persecution, social marginalization, and later, open hostility from the Roman authorities. Suffering was not theoretical; it was daily experience.
Paul is not writing as a detached theologian, but as a man who has personally:
Yet he says we glory in tribulations. The word “we” here includes himself and all believers. This is not an elite calling; this is normal Christian life.
Romans 8 comes in the same epistle, expanding on the role of the Holy Spirit in the believer’s life. The context is:
Romans 8:11 stands in this context as a powerful assurance that the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is at work in our mortal bodies now, giving us life and power to endure suffering victoriously.
So, the early Christians did not treat suffering as something strange. They saw it as part of the pathway to glory—when rightly responded to.
Let us consider two key terms from Romans 5:3–5.
### 1. “Tribulations” – *thlipsis* (θλῖψις)
Romans 5:3 says:
> “We glory in tribulations also…”
The Greek word is *thlipsis*. Literally, it means “pressure,” “affliction,” “crushing.” It was used of:
This tells us something crucial: tribulation is pressure permitted by God to bring something out of us that could not be produced otherwise. Just as grapes must be crushed to yield wine, so believers are often pressed to manifest the life of Christ.
Tribulation is not random. Under the sovereignty of God, it is purposeful pressure.
### 2. “Hope” – *elpis* (ἐλπίς)
Romans 5:4:
> “...and experience, hope.”
The word *elpis* means “confident expectation of good based on God’s promise.” It is not wishful thinking. It is not “I hope so” in the modern sense. It is anchored in the character and word of God.
This hope is directly linked to God’s love:
> “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts...”
> — Romans 5:5
So:
The lyrics say:
> “And this hope will not lead to disappointment.
> For we know how dearly God loves us.”
This is an accurate expression of Romans 5:5. True biblical hope, forged in tribulation, cannot end in shame or disappointment, because it is upheld by the love of God, imparted and revealed by the Holy Spirit.
### Verse 1:
> “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials,
> for we know that they help us develop endurance.”
This is practically a paraphrase of Romans 5:3:
> “We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience.”
Two crucial words appear here: rejoice and know.
The word for “patience” here is *hypomonē* (ὑπομονή), often translated “endurance” or “steadfastness.” It means: to remain under. It is not passive resignation. It is the power to remain firm under pressure, without fleeing or collapsing.
In spiritual warfare terms, endurance is the ability:
Hebrews 10:36 says:
> “For ye have need of patience (*hypomonē*), that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.”
You cannot receive the promise without endurance. Many believers start well, but they do not endure. Affliction comes, and they reinterpret God through their circumstances, rather than interpreting their circumstances through the Word of God.
### Chorus:
> “And endurance develops strength of character,
> and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.”
This is Romans 5:4 in lyrical form:
> “And patience, experience; and experience, hope.”
“Strength of character” corresponds to the Greek word *dokimē* (δοκιμή) – often translated “proven character,” “experience,” or “approvedness.”
*Dokimē* comes from a root verb meaning “to test” or “to prove,” especially metals refined by fire. So:
James 1:2–4 says the same:
> “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
> Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
> But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
Note the similar pattern:
The lyrics then say:
> “...and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.”
Now we have the sequence:
The more your faith is tested and you remain standing, the stronger your confident expectation becomes. You become less moved by circumstances and more anchored in God’s nature. This is what Peter calls “the trial of your faith”:
> “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth,
> though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory
> at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”
> — 1 Peter 1:7
Gold is refined by fire. Faith is refined by trials. The product is not theoretical doctrine, but proven confidence.
### Verse 2:
> “And this hope will not lead to disappointment.
> For we know how dearly God loves us.”
Romans 5:5:
> “And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost…”
When your hope is based on the world, on people, or on your own understanding, it can lead to disappointment. But when your hope is the *elpis* of the New Testament—rooted in God’s nature and promise—it cannot end in shame.
Why? Because:
> “We know how dearly God loves us.”
The verb “know” here is not only intellectual knowledge. It is experiential knowledge. How do we come to this knowledge?
> “Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost…”
The phrase “shed abroad” in Greek is *ekkechytai* (ἐκκέχυται), from *ekcheō*—to pour out, to spill out, to distribute widely. It is lavish. It is not a trickle; it is an outpouring.
Where does He pour this love? In our hearts. Not only in our minds, not only in our doctrines, but in the center of our being.
So, here is the divine arrangement:
1. God allows or uses tribulation.
2. As we respond in faith, tribulation produces endurance.
3. Endurance develops proven character.
4. Proven character produces hope.
5. This hope is sustained and guaranteed inwardly by a revelation of God’s love through the Holy Spirit.
Notice: the answer to suffering is not stoicism. It is not suppressing your feelings. It is the Holy Spirit communicating God’s love in your inner man, even when everything outside appears contrary.
### Chorus (Repeated)
The repetition of:
> “And endurance develops strength of character,
> and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.”
reinforces that this is not a one-time event, but a repeated, cyclical process in the Christian life. God takes us through multiple seasons of pressure, each time deepening our character and enlarging our hope.
The “hope of salvation” in the New Testament is not simply initial forgiveness. It includes:
We are saved, we are being saved, and we will be saved in the fullest sense. Hope looks forward to the consummation.
### Outro:
> “He has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.”
This is a direct application of Romans 5:5 and connects with Romans 8:11.
Romans 5:5:
> “...the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”
Romans 8:11:
> “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you…”
The same Spirit who:
is the One who enables you to:
This is very important: You cannot do Romans 5 without Romans 8.
Human nature cannot rejoice in suffering. The flesh will either rebel, complain, or collapse. It is only by the indwelling Holy Spirit—imparting resurrection life and revealing God’s love—that suffering becomes a pathway to glory rather than a pathway to bitterness.
This is why Paul can say later:
> “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
> And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ;
> if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
> For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
> with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
> — Romans 8:16–18
The Spirit witnesses that we are children and heirs, even while we suffer. The result is not despair, but hope.
This truth must not remain theoretical. It must shape how we respond to real pressures—sickness, rejection, financial strain, persecution, family conflicts. Here are four practical steps.
### 1. Adjust Your Perspective on Suffering
First, we must renounce the lie that all suffering is meaningless or purely negative.
You may need to say aloud:
### 2. Actively Rejoice in Tribulation
Second, we must choose to rejoice, not in the pain, but in God’s purpose.
Rejoicing is not a feeling; it is an act of obedience:
> “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.”
> — Philippians 4:4
You can say, even through tears:
By doing so, you are aligning yourself with God’s purpose instead of Satan’s purpose for your suffering. The enemy seeks to use suffering to destroy your faith. God uses it to refine and deepen your faith.
### 3. Cooperate with the Holy Spirit in the Inner Man
Third, we must invite and yield to the Holy Spirit’s ministry in our hearts.
Romans 5:5 and Romans 8:11 show that the Spirit:
We need to consciously receive this:
Pour the love of God into the places in me that are wounded, fearful, or bitter.”
Do not attempt to endure in your own strength. That leads to hardness or burnout. Yield to the Spirit’s empowering and comforting presence.
### 4. Make Proclamations of Hope
Fourth, we must speak our hope.
Faith is expressed in words. Hope is strengthened when we confess the Word of God:
> “I believed, and therefore have I spoken.”
> — 2 Corinthians 4:13
Proclamations you can make:
1. “Tribulation is producing endurance in me, and endurance is forming proven character, and proven character is strengthening my hope.”
2. “This hope will not put me to shame, because the love of God is poured out in my heart by the Holy Spirit.”
3. “The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is giving life to my mortal body and enabling me to stand.”
4. “No suffering I endure in Christ is worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in me.”
As you speak these truths, you are aligning your inner man with the reality of Scripture and resisting the lies of the enemy.
### Proclamation
Say this aloud, deliberately, as an act of faith:
> I am justified by faith in my Lord Jesus Christ.
> Therefore I have peace with God.
> I stand in the grace of God, and I rejoice in the hope of His glory.
>
> I also rejoice in tribulations,
> because I know that tribulation produces endurance in me.
> Endurance in me produces proven character.
> Proven character in me produces a confident hope of salvation.
>
> This hope will not disappoint me,
> because the love of God is poured out in my heart
> by the Holy Spirit who has been given to me.
>
> The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in me now.
> He is giving life to my mortal body.
> He is strengthening me to endure.
> He is revealing the love of the Father to my heart.
>
> No suffering I endure in Christ will be wasted.
> It is working for me a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
> My hope is anchored in God’s unchanging love,
> and I will not be ashamed.
>
> In Jesus’ name, Amen.
### Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ,
I come to You as one who has known pressure, trial, and weakness. I acknowledge that in myself I do not have the strength to rejoice in suffering. I renounce all bitterness, self-pity, and accusation against You. I submit my tribulations to Your sovereign hand.
Father, I thank You for Your Word in Romans 5 and Romans 8. I choose to believe that my present trials, submitted to You, are producing endurance, proven character, and unshakable hope. I ask You now: let the Holy Spirit, who raised Jesus from the dead, work deeply in me.
Holy Spirit, pour the love of God afresh into my heart. Drive out fear, shame, and despair. Quicken my mortal body. Strengthen my will to obey. Enable me to stand firm under pressure and to glorify Christ in my response.
Father, I declare that my hope is in You and in Your promises. I trust that You will complete the good work You have begun in me. Use every trial to conform me to the image of Your Son. Let the life of the risen Christ be manifested in me, even in the midst of suffering.
I ask this in the name of Jesus, the crucified and risen Lord.
Amen.
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