Romans 5:3-4
“Not only this, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering works perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope:”
Where this sits
Follows the statement that we have peace with God and stand in grace. Paul adds suffering to the list of things to rejoice in.
Reflection
The chain has three links and each one is a process rather than an event.
Suffering works perseverance. Perseverance works proven character. Proven character works hope. The verb between them means to produce by working — nothing here is instantaneous, and nothing skips a stage.
And the middle term is the metalworker's word again: proven, tested, verified by use. It describes a quality that cannot be claimed in advance. You can believe yourself patient until something requires patience; the character in question is the kind that has been through the process and has documentation.
What makes the chain honest is that Paul does not say suffering produces hope. That would be a shortcut, and it would be false — plenty of suffering produces despair. He inserts two intermediate stages, each of which can fail. The sequence is not automatic; it is what suffering does when it is allowed to run the full course.
And the reason it does not break at the last link is given in the verse immediately after: hope does not disappoint, because God's love has been poured into our hearts.
We rejoice in our sufferings is the claim readers stumble over. The word is not enjoy. It is closer to boast — to point at something, publicly, as grounds for confidence rather than embarrassment.
- Theme:
- Perseverance
- Book:
- Romans