Romans 5 reminds me of learning a new definition for hope. I thought it meant to have an optimistic perspective on things that are beyond my control. After challenging most of my preconceptions, the apostle Paul presented a revolutionary perspective on finding fulfillment. He begins by restating what we had learned, “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith”. Every individual is offered complete restoration with God the Father through the once and for all sacrifice of Christ. This gift is received through faith alone. Paul would later write; “by grace you have been saved, through faith… not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8). Paul calls this “the hope of the glory of God”. This hope is a confident trust that God keeps His promises. I still questioned how God could allow the atrocities and unfairness I saw around me. Paul said “we also glory in our sufferings”. As I sat outraged at that idea, the verse continues, “suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope”. I reflected on my own life and knew that every failure became a motivation for change. Paul added a tantalizing bonus, “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, Who has been given to us”. I did not yet understand the role God’s Holy Spirit would soon play in my life.
The apostle next wrote, “Christ died for the ungodly”. To be honest, I did not consider myself ungodly, but he continued with a verse that stunned me. “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. I had assumed that I somehow needed to “get right with God” in order to be worthy of His blessings. Paul said that while I was openly hostile toward God, He died for me. The great frustration of mankind is the inability to “get right”. Many of us try to fill that void with other things that feel good. Paul reasoned that if while in rebellion against God, He gave His life for me, “how much more… shall we be saved through His life!” It seemed there was a joy that I was missing.
My pastor prefaced the next verse with an explanation of the Original Sin. He noted that because Adam sinned, man inherited this fallen world. Paul wrote, “just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin… death came to all people, because all sinned”. Pastor Sandy added, “Hey, if you are mad at Adam, don’t worry, you would have blown it too”. I thought about my day and realized he was right. This sin-nature applies to those under the law of Moses, and to Gentiles, “death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses”. But Paul was about to astound me again. Paul explained, “If, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned”, then by God’s abundant grace, each of us may receive, “the gift of righteousness… through the One Man, Jesus Christ!” Coming from a big family, I understood family traits that seem to be inherited by all. God’s plan for my redemption was conceived the moment Adam sinned. Paul explained his logic. Since sin entered the human family through one man; then forgiveness can also be inherited through one righteous man. Paul reiterates, “just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the One Man the many will be made righteous”. According to Paul, my hope was no longer in my own efforts. I did not yet have enough faith to trust a Sinless Savior. I had done some things that I was ashamed about. I wondered if there was an unpardonable sin. Paul concluded with the answer. “But where sin increased, grace increased all the more… to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ”. My faith was born while reading the next three chapters. Friend, if you are missing real joy please read on.