Is it Possible to get to Hope without first going through tribulations?
The answer to this question lies in Romans 5:1-5
(NIV).
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we[a] have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we
have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we[a] boast in
the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we[b] also
glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
4 perseverance, character; and character,
hope. 5 And hope does not put us to
shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy
Spirit, who has been given to us.
Paul reminds us that we have peace with God by reason of our justification. Our debt has been
paid in full by the work of Jesus on the cross. God’s justice towards us is
eternally satisfied and because of this we have Peach with God. This is not the
same peace of God spoken about in Phil 4:7, it
is Peace with God- the battle is over between God and us. Not only do we have
Peace but we also have access to His Grace- unmerited favor. This means I do
not have to prove my worthiness of God’s love, it means there is no record
being kept of my wrongs, it also means that God loves me and finally it means
that the door of access is permanently opened. Having this access to Peace and Grace gives us
a reason to rejoice in the hope of the Glory of God.
Paul then quickly go on to say, not
only should we rejoice in the Hope of is glory but we should also rejoice in
tribulations. The word tribulation is a very strong word, which does
not signify light afflictions, but instead Paul is referring to hardships. These
are the things that come upon you suddenly, and unexpectedly, these are things
that seem to come at you relentlessly. Sometimes these tribulations may cause
pain, tears, or may cause loss of friendships, and jobs. However, Paul says to
rejoice in them and this is why, because tribulations produce endurance. It
toughens us, it makes us stronger, and it causes us to have some “stick-to-it-tuve-ness”
Let me pause here to say that it is
difficult to survive in this world without endurance or patience, so when faced
with tribulations lets us find the strength to rejoice. We need patience at
home, at our workplace, with our children, our friends, in the supermarket line
or even when driving. Athletes keep training to build up their endurance; Christians
face tribulation to build theirs.
Here are the remainder of our building
blocks to maturity- perseverance produces character; and
character produces hope. One virtue builds on the other as we
become mature Christians. Please notice that there is a sequence of events, so
as much as some of us would like we cannot arrive at hope without going through
tribulations.
The hope that tribulation builds for
us will not be disappointed, and we are sure of this because the love of God has
been poured abroad in our hearts. Not sprinkled or trickled but poured. This
love is ours as was given to us by the Holy Spirit. With this kind of love,
there is no room for disappointment.
In His Service,
Vilma
