The Daily Word

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In Romans 5 , Paul starts the chapter by summarising what has gone before, “Therefore being justified by faith ….” And goes on to develop the blessings that faith in Jesus Christ brings. But he also introduces us to suffering, because faith in Jesus Christ does not preclude us from suffering, in fact if anything, it possibly increases the incidence because to be a true Christian means that we have to stand out and stand up for our belief in Jesus in a world which is at enmity with Him. We sing the hymn, “who is on the Lord’s side?” and it is a song about spiritual warfare. 

In that same Chapter, Paul defines a chain of conditions starting with suffering and ending in hope! It hardly seems logical that suffering leads to hope, and if we did not have faith in Jesus, then it would never do so. But allowing God further into our lives through suffering shows us not only eternal hope but hope in this life also. And that hope is not a vague thing but a certainty that God is with us. 

Paul then summarise why we can have hope: “Because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us”. The key to hope is a Spirit-filled heart and that is because God loves us and in this way, Paul links love and hope. This is exactly what he says in 1 Corinthians 13, “Love always hopes”. If we don’t allow God’s love to fill our hearts through the work of the Holy Spirit, then our trust and faith and hope will decline, and we will become more like those in the world who have no hope. Beware of looking at what we are going through and not looking to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

Article written by Brian Preston, Elder @SFGH Church 

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