Rejoicing in our suffering

By: Lee Davis, Berlin Church

What do you think of when you encounter the word “doctrine?” Your response to this is likely determined by your experience and tradition. For some, doctrine is perceived as dry, obscure, and unhelpful. For others, it can be an end unto itself—a way to draw lines as to who is right or wrong, in or out. Sadly, these perspectives miss the purpose of doctrine, namely to reveal to us who God is and what He has done. He is the creator who has acted to forgive and transform the world, to bring hope to hopeless people.

The book of Romans, Paul’s ancient letter to the first century church in Rome, is one of the most important portions of Scripture, a masterful and beautiful expression of God’s gracious work of salvation through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He died the death that we deserved and rose again to offer eternal life. Anyone who trusts Jesus will be declared righteous, no longer needing to fear condemnation, instead granted the gift of adoption into God’s family from which we can never be separated and through which we offer tangible love to one another and the world around us.

In Romans 5:1-5, Paul wrote, Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 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. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 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 (ESV).

This is a densely doctrinal passage, entrenched in the context of even more doctrine. Consider it like layers and layers of hopeful truth in which God reveals to us His heart to forgive and remake all of those who will trust His Son. Miles of paper and rivers of ink have been employed to explain this passage. It is tempting to examine it from a distance as a doctrinal curiosity to be mastered. We should go much further, however, and attempt to discern what God intended for us to embrace—that Jesus offers suffering people hope now and for forever.

This passage is provocative, specifically because in the midst of a conversation about how God forgives and transforms sinful people, Paul mentions that those who trust Jesus by faith “rejoice in their sufferings.” This begs a couple of questions. First of all, what does salvation have to do with suffering? Isn’t salvation mostly about forgiveness? Secondly, who rejoices when they suffer? We likely know someone who is incredibly disciplined and gets a high from running long distances or lifting heavy weights, but they tend to be the exception rather than the rule and, after all, they’re getting something from their discipline, whether it’s a healthier body or the thrill of being better than others against whom they compete.

To be sure, Paul has nothing less than forgiveness in mind. Anyone who trusts Christ:

• is justified by faith and freed from the endless pursuit of trying to be good enough on their own,

• enjoys peace with God rather than rebellious hostility,

• stands (rests) in God’s gracious favor rather than fearing His justice,

• anticipates a future glorious age when all that is broken is restored,

• is loved by God as a dear child,

• and is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, God Himself.

And yet Paul said more than all of this. In addition to these privileges, anyone who trusts Christ:

• is able to rejoice when they suffer leading to

  • endurance for the inescapable highs and lows of life,

  •  integrity and genuineness of character,

  • and steady hope without fear of emptiness or shame.

    
    

Paul’s argument, in brief, is that Christ came to offer us salvation from sin and misery not just for the age yet to come, but for the age in which we now live, one that is full of broken systems and broken people. No matter how much we try to insulate ourselves or pretend otherwise, we cannot escape sadness and suffering. People fight and hurt each other. We get sick and sometimes those we love die. The truth is, we are vulnerable.

But that’s precisely why Jesus descended all the way down to us, to save people that cannot help themselves. In Isaiah 53:4-5, the prophet wrote about the promised Christ, Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed (ESV).

When humanity rejected God, the whole world was estranged from our good creator. We have been suffering the effects of this estrangement ever since. Jesus came to bring us back into a reconciled, harmonious relationship with God and to give us hope that He will one day make all things new, every part of us.

This is why Paul can say that suffering people can rejoice. There isn’t a dimension of our present or future lives that is outside of Christ’s gracious saving reign. He is intimately involved in every detail of our lives, offering us the prospect of becoming an entirely new people. We have unshakable hope that cannot be threatened or diminished no matter what we face.

In closing, my fellow-sufferer, Romans 5:1-5 isn’t really a call to action or to attempt to become a tougher person. Rather, it is an insight into the full-orbed nature of what Christ offers us. Our future and present lives are in His powerful, good hands. Let us entrust our whole selves to Him in hope that there is nothing that can separate us from His loving care. He sees us, loves us, and will safeguard His people now and for forever. Take heart, dear friend.