Romans 5:3-4

AMP – 3 And not only this, but [with joy] let us exult in our sufferings and rejoice in our hardships, knowing that hardship (distress, pressure, trouble) produces patient endurance; 4 and endurance, proven character (spiritual maturity); and proven character, hope and confidence assurance [of eternal salvation].

NRSVUE – 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,

VOICE – 3 And that’s not all. We also celebrate in seasons of suffering because we know that when we suffer we develop endurance, 4 which shapes our characters. When our characters are refined, we learn what it means to hope and anticipate God’s goodness.

Leading by Afflictions

God’s salvation gives us strength to get through any of the trials that comes after we are adopted into God’s family. The joy that we feel as a Christian doesn’t mean we ignore or suppress our pain or call evil things good. We can find joy because the trials we faith through our faith under God’s powerful purpose. These hardships can also not separate us from God’s love for us. The Roman church faced rejection, imprisonment, and persecution in their culture! They learned to view suffering as part of the process to follow God to eternal victory.

Afflictions test us and strengthens our faith. The afflictions teach us to remain faithful when circumstances become difficult. We can find different parts of the Bible where God uses seasons of hardships in the lives of people like Joseph and David. Jesus even endured afflictions on the cross, which is our ultimate example of faithful endurance.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: What afflictions do you see in your life today? How have they affected your walk with Christ?

Understanding Our Afflictions

Before we talk about verse four, I believe it’s important to understand how the Bible describes afflictions and sufferings. In our culture, through my experience, we tend to view suffering very subjectively and on a scale, which can be very invalidating to some people. When we start to break things down to its foundation, we can build back up understanding and strive for rebuilding and reconciling relationship between the people that we meet.

Afflictions, from a biblical perspective, describe a state of suffering, distress, or hardship that can be physical, emotional, or spiritual. Throughout Scriptures, afflictions are used a means where God refines, disciplines, and draws believers closer to Him. In the Old Testament, afflictions were believed to be a consequence of sin and disobedience. However, afflictions are not just punishing. They can be viewed as a tool for spiritual growth and dependence on God. In the New Testament, afflictions were a common theme throughout Jesus’s life. Jesus teaches us that afflictions will happen as a part of our relationship with Him. Paul continues this teaching by showing that afflictions and produce perseverance, character, and hope.

Overall, purpose can be show us discipline. Hebrews 12:5-11 shows us that God disciplines those He loves, as a parent does for their child. It can also be viewed as a test of faith, as we see in the story of Job. For us, we are called to respond to our afflictions with faith and trust that God is using it for His power and His goodness. Again, this doesn’t mean that we celebrate that evil things happen or suppress the pain that has been caused, but recognize that good things can still come out of it through God’s grace and mercy.

The Bible gives us comfort and hope when handling our afflictions. It’s a reminder that God is with us at all times and will deliver us from our afflictions. Our promise of eternal life and our future glory that awaits us gives us the ultimate hope we need to power through our afflictions.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Afflictions can discipline us, test our faith, and give us hope that God will give us the strength and courage to get through it all. When you think about the afflictions that you have faced, how have you experienced the hope of getting through it?

Journeying Through Afflictions

Trials that come from our faith create a proven character. When we continue trusting God under pressure, our faith is tested and shown genuinely. This type of character reflects a life that is continuously being transformed by Jesus. The more our faith is strengthened, the more confident we can be in God’s promises. Our hope must stay focused on Christ, who assures our salvation, and promises glory to all that believe in Him.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Our endurance in our afflictions builds us character and gives us a brighter hope for the future. I know our afflictions can get us down, but how can you stay positive during your times of affliction?

God Doesn’t Create Afflictions, but Guides Us

Let’s talk about an important thing when it comes to our afflictions. God does not create our afflictions. While God can use them to discipline us and test us, He does not create them for us to suffer through. Often times our afflictions come through times of our poor decisions, the consequences of other people’s decisions, or just the unfortunate happenstances of life (wrong place, wrong time.) God doesn’t cause any of this, but God can use it as a wake-up call. To help us recognize that we need to change something or realize something that we’ve been suppressing and/or ignoring. Through that journey of reflection, we find our character. We get to the heart of what’s going on, recognizing the highs and lows, and seeing what path we are wanting to be set forward on. This reflection journey is a path of strength that can shape who we are. It can lift us up. Or it can tear us don. Through Christ, we find hope. Hope that we’re seeing the other side of the affliction. Hope that victory is in our future. Hope that tomorrow may be a little lighter, and if it’s not, that God is not leaving our side. It gives us the ability not to look at the world with cynicism and anger, but hope for a brighter future and a better tomorrow.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How can you handle your afflictions better?