The Crucible of Christlikeness
“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. More than that, 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.”—Romans 5:2-5 (ESV)
Suffering. There are many false teachers in our world today that tell us that God wants our best life now. He wants to bless us in ways unimaginable, i.e., money, power, a good job, good health, etc. But that’s not exactly true. Gifts such as money, power, a good job, etc., are gifts from God (James 1:17). But, not every gift from God is one of pleasure or prestige. One such gift for the saint is suffering. Suffering? Yes, suffering. How does suffering count as a gift? It is a gift because it is used to refine our faith and bring us into a closer relationship with Christ.
In our text for today, the apostle Paul addresses this subject. First of all, he notes that we have access to God and His grace--His unmerited favor--through faith in the crucified and risen Son of God. We did nothing to get God’s favor; on the contrary, we deserve death and judgment (Romans 3:23; 6:23). But God, in His great mercy, made salvation available to all who would believe. And then, once believing, He continued to work in the believer’s life by producing a change in focus from this world to the next, which is why Paul could say, “we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” That is to say, we rejoice in the revelation of His future consummation when Jesus shall be revealed as the Ruler. But He goes further. He says, “we rejoice in our sufferings…” Who would say that? And why? Why would you ever rejoice in your sufferings? Because it produces Christlikeness in us. Our sufferings bring us into closer communion with Christ. Suffering drives us to our knees, purifies our motives, and helps refine our priorities.
Suffering also reveals Christ in us. As Paul wrote, “suffering produces endurance.” The Greek word for endurance means, “approved”—-that is, to put to the test for the purpose of approving someone, such as a crucible for silver or a furnace for gold. Suffering reveals where the desires of our hearts really lie.
The endurance that we experience as we go through suffering shapes and transforms our character before God. And character refines our focus on the hope of eternity with Christ; when He returns, all wrongs will be righted, justice will be meted out, and all of the righteous will be rewarded. In addition, that character-building endurance helps us in the present to say “no” to ungodliness and worldly desires (Titus 2:11-13) and to set our minds and hearts on things above (Colossians 3:2). The hope that is birthed in the midst of suffering is a life-giving hope that radiates from us. Suffering strips away our fears of what others think, reveals the state of our hearts before God, and then enables us to show Christ in a greater capacity.
God does bless us in ways that we do not expect. Suffering is God’s way of sifting us or purifying us to become more like Christ. God doesn’t want our best life now, as much as He wants to reveal His life within us. It’s not about money, comfort, prestige, or power—it’s about Christ in us overflowing in such a way that those in the world see Jesus and are drawn to Him as the all-surpassing joy and desire of their souls. Amen.
Suffering. There are many false teachers in our world today that tell us that God wants our best life now. He wants to bless us in ways unimaginable, i.e., money, power, a good job, good health, etc. But that’s not exactly true. Gifts such as money, power, a good job, etc., are gifts from God (James 1:17). But, not every gift from God is one of pleasure or prestige. One such gift for the saint is suffering. Suffering? Yes, suffering. How does suffering count as a gift? It is a gift because it is used to refine our faith and bring us into a closer relationship with Christ.
In our text for today, the apostle Paul addresses this subject. First of all, he notes that we have access to God and His grace--His unmerited favor--through faith in the crucified and risen Son of God. We did nothing to get God’s favor; on the contrary, we deserve death and judgment (Romans 3:23; 6:23). But God, in His great mercy, made salvation available to all who would believe. And then, once believing, He continued to work in the believer’s life by producing a change in focus from this world to the next, which is why Paul could say, “we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” That is to say, we rejoice in the revelation of His future consummation when Jesus shall be revealed as the Ruler. But He goes further. He says, “we rejoice in our sufferings…” Who would say that? And why? Why would you ever rejoice in your sufferings? Because it produces Christlikeness in us. Our sufferings bring us into closer communion with Christ. Suffering drives us to our knees, purifies our motives, and helps refine our priorities.
Suffering also reveals Christ in us. As Paul wrote, “suffering produces endurance.” The Greek word for endurance means, “approved”—-that is, to put to the test for the purpose of approving someone, such as a crucible for silver or a furnace for gold. Suffering reveals where the desires of our hearts really lie.
The endurance that we experience as we go through suffering shapes and transforms our character before God. And character refines our focus on the hope of eternity with Christ; when He returns, all wrongs will be righted, justice will be meted out, and all of the righteous will be rewarded. In addition, that character-building endurance helps us in the present to say “no” to ungodliness and worldly desires (Titus 2:11-13) and to set our minds and hearts on things above (Colossians 3:2). The hope that is birthed in the midst of suffering is a life-giving hope that radiates from us. Suffering strips away our fears of what others think, reveals the state of our hearts before God, and then enables us to show Christ in a greater capacity.
God does bless us in ways that we do not expect. Suffering is God’s way of sifting us or purifying us to become more like Christ. God doesn’t want our best life now, as much as He wants to reveal His life within us. It’s not about money, comfort, prestige, or power—it’s about Christ in us overflowing in such a way that those in the world see Jesus and are drawn to Him as the all-surpassing joy and desire of their souls. Amen.
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