Last week we reflected upon the amazing grace of God achieved through the actions of Jesus that we can see spelt out in Romans 5:1-2. But there is more…
Romans 5:3-5 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.
Paul outlines another amazing truth: that our suffering has a positive purpose.
We are called to see, and believe, this Godly connection between rejoicing, suffering, endurance, character, hope and love.
“God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.”[1]
When the Bible talks about “Tribulation” we tend to interpret that word negatively. We do this because we see all things from the basis of how things affect us. So, our perspective becomes “how am I affected?” rather than what we believe about God and the Bible.
The word “Tribulation” arises from a farming tool that was used in Biblical times. A Tribulum was a heavy piece of wood that had sharp metal and stones embedded in its base. The farmer sat on top of the Tribulum, and it was pulled over crops that had been cut down, in order to separate the grain from the chaff. Its purpose was to separate the good and useful from the unnecessary. The Tribulum had a positive purpose. Paul is suggesting that our tribulation, or suffering, also has purpose.
Let’s expand upon that next week.
Blessings
Brian
[1] Quoted by Dr Joseph R Nally, Jr., Third Millennium Ministries (Thirdmill).
https://thirdmill.org/answers/answer.asp?file=48971