Romans 5:1-5

¹ Consequently, now that we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have also obtained admission by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we delight in the expectation of God’s glory. ³ Not only this, but we also delight in the things that we suffer, knowing that the suffering produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance, character, and character, more expectation. ⁵ And what we expect does not disappoint us, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

admission into grace

Paul has just shown Abraham as the model of resurrection faith—faith that looks at what is dead and trusts God to bring life. Now he explains why that faith was effective. Abraham’s confidence was not grounded in his own strength or virtue. It was grounded in a future act of God that Abraham could only glimpse from afar: the death and resurrection of Christ. The cross was still centuries away, but its power was already flowing backward into Abraham’s story. His faith worked because it rested—however dimly—on the same saving work that now stands at the center of the gospel.

And what was true for Abraham is true for every believer in Rome, and every believer today. Because of Christ’s death, we can look beyond our sin. Because of Christ’s resurrection, we can expect God’s glory in our future. His obedience, not ours, opened the door into grace. His blood purchased our peace. His resurrection secured our hope. We stand in grace because Christ stood in our place.

Paul then turns to the reality of suffering. If we have been admitted into God’s grace through Christ, suffering cannot poison that joy. In fact, suffering intensifies our longing for the renewal of all things. It sharpens our hope. It reminds us that the world is not yet what God intends it to be—but it will be. The same God who raised Jesus from the dead will raise creation into glory. So suffering does not diminish our delight; it deepens it. It makes the coming glory more precious.

Lord, thank you for the price you paid for our admission into your grace, and for the expectation of your coming glory.