Do We Rejoice in Our Sufferings?

[Christsfreeservant]

I’m sharing this here with you from my time of personal devotions with my Lord Jesus Christ, for your encouragement. Sue Love

Romans 5:1-2 ESV

“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.”​

What does it mean to be justified? It means to be made righteous, to be made right with God via God-given faith in Jesus Christ. And it means to be conformed to a proper standard, i.e. to be made upright. By faith in Jesus Christ we are crucified with him in death to sin and we are raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. But this is not just a status, for the Scriptures teach that whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as God is righteous.

And what is faith? Well, Jesus is the author and the perfecter of our faith, so this faith conforms to his righteousness. And faith is gifted to us by God, and we can’t even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless God the Father first draws us to Christ, i.e. unless he persuades us as to his righteousness and holiness and of our sinfulness, and of our need to turn from our lives of living in sin and for self to walks of obedience to him and to his commands. And faith is obedience, for the Scriptures teach that disobedience is unbelief.

But it isn’t just that, for we have many examples in the Scriptures of people living out their faith and that faith involves obedience. In Hebrews 11, which is often regarded as the faith chapter of the Bible, we have many examples of people who by faith obeyed the Lord and did as he commanded. And then we have the teachings in the Scriptures which tell us that if we do not obey the Lord and if we do not walk in his righteousness that we do not have eternal life with God, so there again obedience is necessary to our faith.

And faith is not a one-time thing which takes place in our lives and now our eternal salvation is secured us no matter how we live our lives. Faith has to be ongoing and it has to be present, not just past, and it has to continue until the very end or we do not have the hope of heaven as our eternal destiny. As well, our salvation is not a one-time thing which takes place and now we are “good to go.” Every day we must die with Christ to sin and walk in obedience to his commands, as a matter of life practice.

And our salvation is not going to be complete until Jesus Christ returns and he takes his bride to be with him forever. So, we are saved (past), we are being saved (present), and we will be saved (future) provided that we continue in Christ steadfast to the end in the forsaking of sin and in walks of obedience to our Lord and in walking in his righteousness and holiness and in loving our fellow humans. For if we walk in deliberate and habitual sin, instead, we will not enter into the kingdom of heaven, no matter what we profess with our lips. If we don’t obey God, heaven is not our home.

So, just know here that you can’t just claim to believe in Jesus and now you are made righteous in God’s sight and now heaven is your eternal home regardless of how you live your life on this earth. True faith involves true repentance (dying to sin daily) and walking in obedience to our Lord, and it must be continuous until the end. But the good news is that when our faith is genuine, and when we are walking by that faith, we do have peace with God. Amen!

And one more thing here. God’s grace to us is not permission to keep living in deliberate and habitual sin, for if we do, we will not enter into the kingdom of heaven, but hell will be our eternal destiny, instead. For God’s grace, which brings salvation, instructs us to renounce (or to say “No” to) ungodliness and fleshly lusts (passions), and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. For Jesus died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness.

[Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Tit 2:11-14; Rom 12:1-2; Col 3:5-10; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-11; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Heb 10:26-27; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Matt 7:21-23; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15; Eph 2:8-10; Heb 12:1-2; Jn 6:44; 2 Pet 1:1; Rom 8:24; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; Ac 26:18]

Romans 5:3-5 ESV

“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.”​

The Scriptures teach us that we are blessed who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. We are blessed of God when others revile us and persecute us and utter all kinds of evil against us falsely on the Lord’s account. We will be hated for the sake of the name of Jesus who follow Jesus Christ in obedience and who do as he commands. Especially if we are those who are proclaiming the truth of the gospel and who are testing the spirits and who are exposing the fruitless deeds of darkness, we will be opposed.

But persecution is not the only suffering we will face. We will face all kinds of sufferings. We will get hurt, be in pain and agony, grieve, go through trials and tribulations, and face all kinds of difficult circumstances. But all these are for our good to produce in us steadfastness, perseverance, endurance and godly character and hope. And suffering helps us to grow to maturity in Christ and that we might share in God’s holiness. Through suffering we learn to rely on God and not on ourselves and we gain compassion for others.

Although suffering is difficult and it is painful, if we respond properly to our suffering in faith and in trust in the Lord and in his sovereignty over our lives then we will reap the benefits of suffering. And suffering also serves to test the genuiness of our faith to either prove that we are not in the true faith or to prove that we are, and if it proves we are not, then we need to repent of our sins and turn to follow Jesus Christ with our lives in obedience and in submission to him as Lord. And one day we will be with him forever.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; John 15:1-21; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12]

How Beautiful Heaven Must Be

Songwriters: Cordelia J. Whiteside Bridgewater, 1920 / Andy Pickens Bland

We read of a place that's called heaven,
It's made for the pure and the free;
These truths in God's word He has given,
How beautiful heaven must be.

In heaven no drooping nor pining,
No wishing for elsewhere to be;
God's light is forever, there shining,
How beautiful heaven must be.

How beautiful heaven must be
Sweet home of the happy and free;
Fair haven of rest for the weary,
How beautiful heaven must be

Caution: This link may contain ads

 

[Alex1st.1066]

Great to be once more reminded of the battle that has been won for us; as a Christian, & for all of mankind. Thanks
How do we " Practice rightiousness" as a demonstration or reflection of His Glory, to the world?

 

[Johnkale]

I don’t get it! You’re asking the people to come and pray for humanity under the prescribed conditions. Does that mean people who don’t fit this criterion don’t deserve to pray? I have a lot to say on this but need to rush as I’ve to buy writing help from Environmental science research paper topics & examples 2022 still, I’ll come back to know your perspective.

 

[fide]

So much of what you've written here is a delight to my ears; I say this as a faithful Catholic Christian. I hear Catholic theology again and again, which to me is very beautiful to hear. I'd be interested to hear from you whether that affirmation from a Catholic is good for you to hear, or bad news driving you to rethink all your conclusions!

It was - by and with His leading grace - serious commitment to Holy Scripture, btw, that led me to this Church that was once the last I would ever think of. There are many "problems" in the institutional Church - but the very old and continuing Faith of the Church is Truth, as our Lord is Truth.

I think you would be very blessed to find so much of your own faith, as you have described it here, affirmed in the Catholic Catechism. But maybe you knew this already.

 

[Alex1st.1066]

Just to agree with your comments adding “in any

in the institutional Church

which has become purposely or evolve into an organisation. God surely holds His Church lightly in His hands.

 

[GDL]

So much of what you've written here is a delight to my ears; I say this as a faithful Catholic Christian. I hear Catholic theology again and again, which to me is very beautiful to hear. I'd be interested to hear from you whether that affirmation from a Catholic is good for you to hear, or bad news driving you to rethink all your conclusions!

It was - by and with His leading grace - serious commitment to Holy Scripture, btw, that led me to this Church that was once the last I would ever think of. There are many "problems" in the institutional Church - but the very old and continuing Faith of the Church is Truth, as our Lord is Truth.

I think you would be very blessed to find so much of your own faith, as you have described it here, affirmed in the Catholic Catechism. But maybe you knew this already.

If I may jump in.

I have not cared for the Roman Catholic Church for as long as I can remember. There are many reasons for this, and it is not my intention to get into any of these things.

With that said, on these forums I have interacted with a few "Catholic Christians" (assuming they would also refer to themselves as such) whose understanding of things Scripture, like those written in this article, aligns very well with mine. I consider myself a student of Scripture, at the least. Through decades of long personal studies and translating mostly the Greek Text, my views of several things changed from what I was taught. This author's views and mine now closely align. I find it a delight to my eyes and ears that you find delight from the content of this writing. I too am refreshed by Sue's writings, including what she must say about opposing views and institutions.

Thank you for your post.

 

[Walk together]

I’m sharing this here with you from my time of personal devotions with my Lord Jesus Christ, for your encouragement. Sue Love

Romans 5:1-2 ESV

“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.”​

What does it mean to be justified? It means to be made righteous, to be made right with God via God-given faith in Jesus Christ. And it means to be conformed to a proper standard, i.e. to be made upright. By faith in Jesus Christ we are crucified with him in death to sin and we are raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. But this is not just a status, for the Scriptures teach that whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as God is righteous.

And what is faith? Well, Jesus is the author and the perfecter of our faith, so this faith conforms to his righteousness. And faith is gifted to us by God, and we can’t even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless God the Father first draws us to Christ, i.e. unless he persuades us as to his righteousness and holiness and of our sinfulness, and of our need to turn from our lives of living in sin and for self to walks of obedience to him and to his commands. And faith is obedience, for the Scriptures teach that disobedience is unbelief.

But it isn’t just that, for we have many examples in the Scriptures of people living out their faith and that faith involves obedience. In Hebrews 11, which is often regarded as the faith chapter of the Bible, we have many examples of people who by faith obeyed the Lord and did as he commanded. And then we have the teachings in the Scriptures which tell us that if we do not obey the Lord and if we do not walk in his righteousness that we do not have eternal life with God, so there again obedience is necessary to our faith.

And faith is not a one-time thing which takes place in our lives and now our eternal salvation is secured us no matter how we live our lives. Faith has to be ongoing and it has to be present, not just past, and it has to continue until the very end or we do not have the hope of heaven as our eternal destiny. As well, our salvation is not a one-time thing which takes place and now we are “good to go.” Every day we must die with Christ to sin and walk in obedience to his commands, as a matter of life practice.

And our salvation is not going to be complete until Jesus Christ returns and he takes his bride to be with him forever. So, we are saved (past), we are being saved (present), and we will be saved (future) provided that we continue in Christ steadfast to the end in the forsaking of sin and in walks of obedience to our Lord and in walking in his righteousness and holiness and in loving our fellow humans. For if we walk in deliberate and habitual sin, instead, we will not enter into the kingdom of heaven, no matter what we profess with our lips. If we don’t obey God, heaven is not our home.

So, just know here that you can’t just claim to believe in Jesus and now you are made righteous in God’s sight and now heaven is your eternal home regardless of how you live your life on this earth. True faith involves true repentance (dying to sin daily) and walking in obedience to our Lord, and it must be continuous until the end. But the good news is that when our faith is genuine, and when we are walking by that faith, we do have peace with God. Amen!

And one more thing here. God’s grace to us is not permission to keep living in deliberate and habitual sin, for if we do, we will not enter into the kingdom of heaven, but hell will be our eternal destiny, instead. For God’s grace, which brings salvation, instructs us to renounce (or to say “No” to) ungodliness and fleshly lusts (passions), and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. For Jesus died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness.

[Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Tit 2:11-14; Rom 12:1-2; Col 3:5-10; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-11; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Heb 10:26-27; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Matt 7:21-23; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15; Eph 2:8-10; Heb 12:1-2; Jn 6:44; 2 Pet 1:1; Rom 8:24; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 1:18; Ac 26:18]

Romans 5:3-5 ESV

“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.”​

The Scriptures teach us that we are blessed who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake. We are blessed of God when others revile us and persecute us and utter all kinds of evil against us falsely on the Lord’s account. We will be hated for the sake of the name of Jesus who follow Jesus Christ in obedience and who do as he commands. Especially if we are those who are proclaiming the truth of the gospel and who are testing the spirits and who are exposing the fruitless deeds of darkness, we will be opposed.

But persecution is not the only suffering we will face. We will face all kinds of sufferings. We will get hurt, be in pain and agony, grieve, go through trials and tribulations, and face all kinds of difficult circumstances. But all these are for our good to produce in us steadfastness, perseverance, endurance and godly character and hope. And suffering helps us to grow to maturity in Christ and that we might share in God’s holiness. Through suffering we learn to rely on God and not on ourselves and we gain compassion for others.

Although suffering is difficult and it is painful, if we respond properly to our suffering in faith and in trust in the Lord and in his sovereignty over our lives then we will reap the benefits of suffering. And suffering also serves to test the genuiness of our faith to either prove that we are not in the true faith or to prove that we are, and if it proves we are not, then we need to repent of our sins and turn to follow Jesus Christ with our lives in obedience and in submission to him as Lord. And one day we will be with him forever.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; John 15:1-21; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12]

How Beautiful Heaven Must Be

Songwriters: Cordelia J. Whiteside Bridgewater, 1920 / Andy Pickens Bland

We read of a place that's called heaven,
It's made for the pure and the free;
These truths in God's word He has given,
How beautiful heaven must be.

In heaven no drooping nor pining,
No wishing for elsewhere to be;
God's light is forever, there shining,
How beautiful heaven must be.

How beautiful heaven must be
Sweet home of the happy and free;
Fair haven of rest for the weary,
How beautiful heaven must be

Caution: This link may contain ads

I believe that most Christians do and should rejoice in their suffering as this is testimony to God that we can overcome something that has coursed our grief and pain. We humans are all human and subject to the emotions and experiences that go with that so to pretend to be so strong as to turn our hearts to stone is an effort to deal with all things without the help from our Holy father we must remain human and turn to Jesus for comfort and guidance in life's difficulties. It is God's job to send his Holy Spirit to comfort and heal as only a mother's warm wing can do.

 

[Lost4words]

Great thread OP. Well said.

Lovely song too.

God bless you

 

[Christsfreeservant]

Great thread OP. Well said.

Lovely song too.

God bless you

Thank you. Glory to God.

 

[GDL]

Romans 5:3-5 ESV

“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.”

There are some very interesting and important words in these verses.

"Endurance" is vital for we Christians because our Salvation is a process with goals to be pursued and reached. I see Sue write of this frequently. We must abide/remain and endure to the end in Christ to reach them. It's an important word study through the NC Scriptures.

"Character" as the ESV translates this word may or may not reveal what is being accomplished through the suffering > endurance > character. I guess it depends upon how willing the reader is to get into English dictionaries and decide what is meant by "character." The original language word is based in a word that has to do with assaying metals for their purity and thus value. So: suffering/affliction > endurance > tested value.

The way our Word speaks, God is creating something of value as opposed to what Romans 1:28 (same letter) tells us about the minds of those who reject Him: their minds are "debased" per the ESV. But this is just the negative of the same word Paul uses in Romans 5:4 that has to do with tested value. What Paul is saying is that minds that reject God are ultimately worthless - they ultimately have no value. This trends into why the Word speaks of "hell" (Gehenna), which was not only a place of human sacrifice but became a trash dump where refuse was burned in fire.

We rejoice because we by enduring in Christ are being developed to be valuable. This is how the Word of God speaks. Translations tend to scale this back a bit. Too bad...

 

[fide]

Just to agree with your comments adding “in any
which has become purposely or evolve into an organisation. God surely holds His Church lightly in His hands.

Can you expand a bit on the word "lightly"? What do you mean, in this context?

 

[Blade]

Thanks for sharing you personal devotions/view on Gods word.

 

[Christsfreeservant]

Thanks for sharing you personal devotions/view on Gods word.

You are welcome. Glory to God. Thank you for responding.

 

[Alex1st.1066]

Can you expand a bit on the word "lightly"? What do you mean, in this context?

He doesn't crush or constrain our individualism, He is fully able to deal with anything we want to share that we believe to be from Him for He kingdom purposes.

 

[fide]

He doesn't crush or constrain our individualism, He is fully able to deal with anything we want to share that we believe to be from Him for He kingdom purposes.

Well, thank you for the attempt to explain, but I still do not understand the substance of your message.