Reason To Rejoice

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we rejoice in tribulation, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope... But God demonstrates His own love towards us, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us... And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

When you have been justified by grace, even your tribulations become reasons to rejoice.

The Bedrock: The Just Shall Live by Faith

In Romans 1:17 we read the bedrock words of reformation, revival, and renewal—"The just shall live by faith." Paul is quoting the prophet Habakkuk and reiterating an essential truth of Christianity: those who will be right before a just and holy God will be so by His grace, and that grace is accessed through faith. There is no other way.

There is no mantra you can chant, no mountain to climb, no mission to complete, no monument to construct that can make it possible for you to apprehend a right standing with God. It is purely by His grace, and we have access to that grace by faith in Him.

Humanity's Desperate Condition

Of course, man in his fallen state doesn't accept that. We think we can't possibly be all that bad. So Paul makes it clear in Romans 3:23: "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." In 3:10, "There is none righteous, no, not one." In 3:20, "By the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified before God."

These are Paul's concluding remarks after addressing the three groups of humanity in chapters 1, 2, and 3: the hedonist, the moralist, and the religionist. Humanity is totally lost—out of the way, as Isaiah said: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way." We are standing on the deck of a sinking ship with no lifeboat.

Sometimes when you speak with an unbeliever about sin and coming judgment, they'll say, "Well, you're a sinner too." And you say, "Absolutely. I'm standing on the same deck of the same boat. We've got a problem." All of us are in the same position.

The God Who Justifies the Ungodly

But God is introduced to us in Romans 4:5 as the One "who justifies the ungodly." He does so freely, by His grace, through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, apart from the works of the law. Paul illustrates this in the life of Abraham, who laid hold of a righteous position with God by faith. Genesis 15:6 says, "And Abraham believed God, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness."

Beyond positional righteousness, Abraham was also promised an eternal inheritance by the same grace through faith. Therefore Abraham becomes, in Romans 4:16, "the father of us all," of all who believe.

"Therefore": A Reason to Rejoice

With this backdrop we come to chapter 5, a beautiful passage that begins with the word therefore. Any time you see "therefore" in Scripture, you have to consider what it's there for; it always points back to what was previously said. Because of all these graces—because God justifies ungodly sinners who trust Him and gives them an eternal inheritance—we, like righteous Abraham, stand by faith.

The word rejoice becomes the central focus of these verses, appearing three times: in verse 2, verse 3, and verse 11. Each section ends with that word. We have a reason to rejoice; a reason to glory, to boast, to have exceeding great joy.

We Have Been Justified

The first reason: "having been justified by faith." The last verses of chapter 4 show that Jesus was delivered up for our offenses and raised up for our justification. Jesus Himself declared the work finished. His last words on the cross—"Tetelestai"—mean "It is finished," the payment made in full.

Notice Paul says we have been justified. We're not sitting in a position hoping we might one day be justified. The phrase describes something done upon us—like saying, "The boy was hit by the ball." We have been made righteous. It's not anything we did; the Lord, by His working, has made us righteous by grace through faith. That is a reason for exceedingly great joy.

Peace With God

Paul gives another reason: as a result of our justification, we now have "peace with God." Man, through sin, was brought into enmity with God. As Romans 8 will show, the carnal mind is at war with Him. Sin is lawlessness against God's established order, and His Law reflects His character—so every time we sin, we are picking a fight with almighty God. Not a good idea.

But Paul says this peace comes "through our Lord Jesus Christ." Recognize the theology there: Jesus must become, by faith, both Lord and Christ for us to have peace with God, for the enmity to cease, and for us to be brought back into a harmonious relationship. At creation, in Genesis 1 and 2, man was in uninterrupted communion with God until sin came in. From Genesis 3 onward, all of Scripture shows God working the work of redemption.

This is the metanarrative of the Bible: creation, fall, and redemption. Almost everything from Genesis 4 to Revelation 21 shows us God's redemptive plan, until one day every tribe, tongue, nation, and kindred stands before the King, worshipping Him. The closing words of Scripture are: "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!'" We look forward to the day we stand fully redeemed in His presence.

The Fullness of Biblical Peace

The biblical concept of peace encompasses far more than the cessation of violence. It speaks of security, safety, and prosperity. One aspect of peace with God is that we no longer have any need to make ourselves better with Him. Our position rests purely on His grace, not on anything we do.

In our culture people say, "I'm at peace with myself," meaning they're no longer striving to be something more. Whether that's good, I'll leave for you to decide. But to be at peace with God is utterly important. It means knowing that your standing with Him does not change based on how much better you do the "Christian thing"—how much you give, attend church, serve, or memorize verses.

Those things are good—they may make you a better witness and a better reflection of His glory—but they don't make God in heaven say, "Oh yeah, finally!" God sees us through the lens of His crucified Son. He sees us as righteous because of what Jesus did, not anything we've done. Peace always results in rejoicing.

Joy Like the Harvest

Unfortunately, we haven't recently experienced the kind of ecstatic joy seen at the end of World War II, which most of us know only from newsreels and pictures. Isaiah speaks of such joy in Isaiah 9:3, in reference to the coming of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, who would establish peace. Seven hundred years before Christ, Isaiah foresees it: "You have enlarged the nation"—the enlarging of Abraham's children by faith—"and increased their joy; they rejoice before You as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder."

He was speaking in word pictures to a nation of farmers: the joy when the harvest comes in, the joy when the victor divides the spoil—you won, you're alive, you've reaped a great benefit. In modern terms, it's like the joy of whoever wins the Super Bowl—but amplified. Greater joy and rejoicing is experienced in Christ.

Access Into Abundant Grace

Not only have we been justified and given peace with God, but in and through Christ we now have access into exceedingly great grace in which we stand. One common misconception is that we are merely saved by grace. That's true—by grace you are saved—but Scripture also reveals that the Christian is to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says in Ephesians 2:7 that God will be revealing the exceeding greatness of His riches in grace toward us for eternity.

The Christian doesn't say, "I have no more need of grace." We are in continual need of it, and the flow of God's grace is unending. This is why Hebrews says we may come "boldly before the throne of grace, to obtain mercy and grace in our time of need"—which is constant. Grace is not just given to make us righteous; it is bestowed continually to enable us to stand in righteousness.

Rejoicing in the Hope of Glory

As a result of justification, peace, and increasing grace, Paul says we "rejoice in hope of the glory of God"—in expectation of the revelation of God's glory. Biblical hope is not wishful thinking; it is absolute certainty. Because God has promised it, I am certain He will bring about His revelation of glory. The ultimate end of our salvation is glorification.

What is glorification? Paul describes it in Philippians 3:20: "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." We are assured a position with Him—Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place for you... I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."

What is it to eagerly wait? Remember being a child and seeing the Christmas tree go up? The eager expectation grew until you couldn't sleep on Christmas Eve. We wait with that kind of eager expectation for the Lord, "who will transform our lowly body that it might be conformed to His glorious body." In 1 Corinthians 15: "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, we will be changed." This is glorification, church.

Rejoicing in Tribulation

Then Paul takes us to the next level: "And not only that, but we also rejoice in tribulation." Wait—tribulation? We don't like trouble. I imagine Paul's scribe Tertius, introduced in Romans 16, asking, "Are you sure you want that word there? Maybe 'we rejoice in glory,' or 'in peace.'" "All those are true," Paul says, "but no—write tribulation."

This is the very thing Jesus promised: "In the world you will have tribulation." Probably not one you put on a bookmark, but it's a promise. Jesus compares it to labor pains. Stress, pain, pressure, affliction—all synonyms for this word. Does anyone really rejoice in those things? Honestly, no, we don't. Paul is saying we can. The question is, how?

How We Can Rejoice: Hope Bookends Suffering

We begin with hope. The previous verse leads into this with that word, and the section is bookended by it—hope at the end of verse 2 and again at the end of verse 4. The starting point for rejoicing in tribulation is hope, and the result of tribulation in the Christian's life is increased hope.

If we step into tribulation remembering that we've been justified, given peace, given access to grace, and given the hope of being glorified, then that frame of reference changes our perspective. We have absolute certainty that we will be glorified. As 1 John 3:2 says, "It has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him."

All Things Work Together for Good

Romans 8 is the powerhouse of the book and gives us a preview. Verse 25: "If we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weakness." God knows we are weak, that we'd rather run from tribulation. So He gives us His Spirit, who "makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." In the midst of tribulation, God enables us to pray rightly and intercedes for us because He knows we are dust.

Verse 28: "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, who are called according to His purpose." The context is suffering. What good is God working? Verse 29: "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son." That's the good. God uses the very tribulation an unbeliever might face—cancer, the loss of a job, the loss of a child—but the unbeliever has no hope. We have hope, and we can say, "God, You're using this to make me more like You." "Yes, that's what I'm wanting to do."

Glorified Together With Him

Verse 30 shows the chain: "Those He predestined, He called; those He called, He justified; those He justified, He also glorified." God has already made good on justification. Will He not also make good on sanctification through tribulation, and on glorification? Yes—you can be certain.

Romans 8:16: "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are God's children. And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together." This is what Jesus prayed in John 17, just before the cross: "Father, glorify Yourself in Me," and then for us, "Glorify Yourself in them." That doesn't sound like a comfortable prayer—He prayed for us to suffer, and not to be taken out of the world.

But verse 18 is key: "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us." The moment you come into God's presence and are glorified, any suffering—even the worst imaginable—will not be even a shadow of a memory.

Tribulation Produces Perseverance, Character, Hope

So "we rejoice in tribulation, knowing." We are given advance information from God. Every human experiences trial, but those in Christ know what the unbeliever does not: tribulation "produces perseverance," which results in character, which produces hope. Perseverance is cheerful, hopeful endurance.

We live in a culture that tries to do away with anything painful. We love diet pills because going to the gym is hard work. We love drive-thrus because making food takes effort. In countless ways we try to keep ourselves from endurance—from every sanctifying thing God wants to bring into our lives. That's a check for us when God wants to make us more like Him and we keep trying to be conformed to this world.

In Christ, tribulation has value—it is productive. As Martin Luther the reformer said, "Whatever virtues tribulation finds in us, it develops more fully. If anyone is carnal, weak, blind, wicked, or haughty, tribulation will make him more so. On the other hand, if one is spiritual, strong, wise, pious, gentle, and humble, he will become more so." Tribulation amplifies our character—including our flaws—so that in Christ we can repent of them and ask God to remove them. It's a sanctifying process.

Hope That Does Not Disappoint

Paul concludes, "Now hope does not disappoint"—you will not be ashamed of hoping in God. The unbeliever looks at the suffering believer patiently enduring and says, "What is wrong with you?" Picture someone in the hospital, riddled with cancer, gleaming and saying, "I'm looking forward to seeing Jesus," while their friend asks, "Why do you have this hope?" That hope does not disappoint, because "the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit."

This is the first time love appears in Romans. God has given us the abiding presence of His Spirit, whose fruit—first and foremost—is love. The indwelling Spirit is God's guarantee that He will ultimately redeem us. Ephesians 1:13-14: "you were sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance." The Spirit and the love of God in our lives are proof that God will finish what He started.

God Demonstrated His Love

Verse 6: "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love towards us, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." It would be hard to lay down your life even for a good man. But God demonstrated His love toward us while we were His enemies.

If He has already done that, then Romans 8:32 follows: "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" If He laid down His life—the greatest sacrifice—why would He not fulfill everything He promised?

Saved From Wrath, Reconciled, Rejoicing

Verse 9: "Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." There is coming a day of the revelation of God's wrath against all unrighteousness. Every one of us is ungodly, yet in the blood of Christ we've been transformed, so we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

"For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." Jesus was delivered up for our transgression, raised up, and lives now for our justification—so we shall be saved, glorified in the future, by His life. "And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."

God justifies the ungodly through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus the Righteous. He has imparted His righteousness to us, in which we stand by grace, enabling us to rejoice in tribulation, knowing that one day we will rejoice in God in His presence, where there is "fullness of joy, and pleasures forevermore."

God's Good Plan in Our Suffering

Trust me—this year, all of us will experience some level of difficulty, tribulation, or distress. For some it may be great: the loss of a family member, a job, your health. For others it may seem small—your engine dies. We all go through these things. But God is wanting to use it: "all things work together for good," and the good is our transformation into Christlikeness.

I shared a few weeks ago that the word I believe God has for us as a church this year is that we would reflect His glory. One of the ways He chooses to do that is to allow us to go through suffering and, in the midst of it, show Himself faithful on our behalf. It's a heavy reality, but God has a good plan—and ultimately it's His glory. The chief end of man is the glorification of God.

Closing Prayer

Father, we pray today, as we pray often, that You would glorify Yourself in us—whatever method You choose. Lord, if You choose to glorify Yourself by blessing us in abundance, with some gain in this life, may we use it for Your glory. But if You choose to glorify Yourself in us through difficulty, God, may it be that ultimately You are glorified. Whatever You carry us through, help us to rejoice in hope, to rejoice in tribulation, because ultimately we're rejoicing in You, God. Work this in our lives, we pray. We ask it today in Jesus' name. Amen.