Some Key Words (7/23/00-7/24/00)

Justified (dikaioo [1344]):

to bring out a person's righteousness or make him to be so, the judicial act of declaring one just - no penalty remaining to be paid; rendered righteous or such as one ought to be, to show one to be righteous, to declare one to be just; to render, show, or regard as just or innocent

Faith (pistis [4102]):

being persuaded, belief implying assent to and confidence in divine truth and leading to good works, knowledge of religious truth without works - false faith, miraculous faith - faith accompanied by signs, the doctrine of Gospel justification, Christian religion, fidelity, assurance, proof; conviction of the truth of anything, belief regarding man's relationship to God and the divine with the idea of trust and holy fervor joined to it, the conviction that God is creator and ruler of all things, that Christ is the Messiah and the means of salvation, the religious beliefs of Christians, belief with trust and confidence in God or Christ, fidelity, the character of one who can be relied on; persuasion, moral conviction of the truthfulness of God, reliance upon Christ for salvation, constancy of profession, the system of religious truth

Peace (eirene [1515]):

rest as opposed to strife, the absence or end of strife, a state of untroubled, undisturbed, well being, the Messianic blessing - the state brought about by grace by God, the peace God gives brought about by God reconciling us to Himself; a state of national tranquility, harmony, concord, security, safety, Messiah's peace - the way that leads to peace, the state of a soul assured of salvation through Christ - fearing nothing from God and content with his lot in life; peace

Introduction (prosagoge [4318]):

to come to, approach; the act of bringing to, moving to, access, an approach to God, a relationship with God whereby we are acceptable to Him, and are assured of His favorable disposition toward us; admission

Grace (charis [5485]):

a favor done without expectation of return, the absolute freeness of God's lovingkindness to men, unearned and unmerited favor, God's grace bringing joy and thankfulness to man; that which affords joy, pleasure and delight, good will, lovingkindness, favor, the merciful kindness of God - exerting His influence upon the soul to turn it to Christ, that which is due to grace, the spiritual condition of one governed by grace, the proof of grace, benefit, bounty, thanks, reward; graciousness of manner or act, the divine influence upon the heart and its reflection in the life, gratitude

Exult (kauchaomai [2744]):

to glory (rejoice) with or without reason, to glory on account of a thing, to glory in a thing; to vaunt, boast

Hope (elpis [1680]):

the desire of some good with expectation of obtaining it, the thing hoped for, the foundation of hope, trust or confidence, security; expectation of good, joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation, having hope, the author of hope, the thing hoped for; to anticipate with pleasure, expectation, confidence

Glory (doxa [1391]):

honor, renown, all which is excellent in the divine nature, splendor; an opinion or view, an estimate resulting in praise, honor, and glory; splendor or brightness, majesty, dignity, the kingly majesty belonging to God and to the Messiah, the perfect inward excellency of Christ, a most glorious condition, an exalted state, the condition of blessedness into which Christians shall enter after Christ's return from heaven; very apparent glory

Tribulations (thlipsis [2347]):

grievous affliction or distress, crushing pressure upon the spirit; a pressing together, pressure, oppression, distress; literal or figurative pressure

Perseverance (hupomone [5281]):

patience, endurance as to circumstances, to abide under, the quality that doesn't surrender to circumstances; steadfastness, constancy, the characteristic of one who won't be deterred from his purpose and faith, a patient, steadfast waiting, enduring, sustaining; cheerful or hopeful endurance, constancy

Proven character (dokime [1382]):

proof of genuineness, trustworthiness - either the fact of it or the proving of it; proving, trial, approved character, a proof, one of tried worth; tested, trustiness

Love (agape [26]):

benevolent love, love that does what the lover sees as needed by the loved, unselfish love; brotherly love, affection, good will; affection or benevolence

Poured (ekcheo [1632]):

to pour out, shed forth, to bestow or distribute largely; to pour forth, bestow

Holy (hagios [40]):

set apart, sanctified, consecrated, separation, devotion to the service of Deity, sharing in God's purity; a most holy thing, a saint; sacred, physically pure, morally blameless, consecrated

Spirit (pneuma [4151]):

breath, the spirit which is like the wind in invisibility and power, the immaterial part of man, the element in man by which he perceives and desires, the character, moral qualities, the inward man, the new life; a movement of air, wind, breath, the spirit, the vital principal that animates the body, the rational spirit, the power to think and decide, the soul, a spirit, a simple essence devoid of physical matter, life giving spirit, a human soul, a spirit higher than man, an angel, a demon, the spiritual and divine nature of Christ, the Spirit of God, the efficient source of power in the soul; a current of air, breath, a breeze, a spirit, the rational soul, the vital principle, the mental disposition, an angel, a demon, God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit

 

Paraphrase: (7/23/00)

1 Because God has declared us righteous, we can be at peace with Him, thanks to the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 For it is in Jesus, by our faith in Him, that we have been granted a beginning of grace - that grace in which we now stand; and we rejoice greatly in the expectant hope of God's glory. 3 Yes, and we even rejoice greatly amidst tribulation, because we know that such trials build in us the ability to remain steadfast; 4 and that steadfastness leads to our proven character, which in turn leads to hope; 5 and the hope we have does not disappoint us, because it rests on the love of God, which He has filled our very heart with through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Key Verse: (7/23/00)

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People Mentioned: (7/23/00)

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Some Parallel Verses (7/24/00)

5:1

Ro 3:28 - Justification comes by faith alone, apart from the works of the Law.

5:2

Eph 2:18 - Through Christ we have access to the Father in one Spirit. Eph 3:12 - Our boldness, and our access to God are through Christ Jesus. Heb 10:19 - By the blood of Jesus, we are able to enter the Holy of Holies. 1Pe 3:18 - Christ died for all, to bring us to God as dead in the flesh but alive in the spirit. 1Co 15:1 - The Gospel is the truth preached and received, the truth in which we stand.

5:3

Ro 8:23 - Not only does creation groan in its waiting, but we also groan in eager anticipation of the redemption of our body. Ro 9:10 - Not only was Sarah's son chosen to fulfil the promise, but also of Rebekah's twins, one alone was chosen. 2Co 8:19 - Not only was the brother's fame in the gospel known throughout the church, but they had appointed him to accompany Paul in the work of the Lord. Mt 5:12 - We are to rejoice as our reward will be great, and we are hardly the first to be persecuted for God's work, the prophets precede us. Jas 1:2-4 - We are to count our trials as joy, as we remember what they produce in us, that they bring about completeness and perfection of faith. Lk 21:19 - By perseverance [in the time of tribulation] we will gain our lives.

5:4

Lk 21:19 - We gain our lives by endurance in the truth. Php 2:22 - Timothy's proven worth was known to Paul's readers, shown in his service in the furtherance of the Gospel. Jas 1:12 - The one who perseveres under trial is thus approved [shown true], and will receive the promised crown of life for his love of Christ.

5:5

Ps 119:116 - God sustains according to His word, so we need not be ashamed of our hope. Ro 9:33 - He who believes in Christ - the rock of offense - will not be disappointed. Heb 6:17-19 - We have strong encouragement in that God has both promised and sworn oath - a doubly unbreakable thing - in that refuge in which we have placed our hope, and that hope is as an anchor set in the very throne of God behind the veil. [I'm excited just writing these things down! Thank You, Lord!] Ac 2:33 - Christ is exalted, lifted to the right hand of God, He has sent forth the promised Holy Spirit, received from the Father, and HE [all three persons in unified essence] has poured forth the blessing of Pentecost upon the newly founded Church. Ac 10:45 - The Jewish believers (who had come with Peter) were amazed that the Holy Spirit was being poured forth upon the Gentiles even as it had been upon themselves. Gal 4:6 - God sent forth [poured out] His Son's Spirit into our hearts, which cries out to Him within us, in familial terms: "Abba! Father!". Ti 3:6 - God poured out the Holy Spirit in abundance, through Christ Jesus our Savior, upon us.

 

New Thoughts (7/25/00)

(7/24/00) Just wanted to thank You, once more, my Lord, for the sheer joy that has accompanied me in my studies today. What an awesome God You are, what love You have for me! How wonderful are the promises You have made. Thank You for a freshened faith this morning!

(7/25/00) I'm wondering if folding definitions back into the verse might show up the answer to my first question, at least, so here goes:
1 Therefore having been made such as we ought to be by assent to and confidence in divine truth, we have an end to strife - the peace God gives us in reconciling us to Him - with God who so reconciles us through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have been assured of His favorable disposition toward us, and gain our admission by our conviction of the truth of Christ into this unearned and unmerited favor of God toward us in which we stand; and we rejoice with all good reason in the expectant desire of the honor and renown, the glorious condition of blessedness that comes at Christ's return, the estimate of God resulting in praise and honor to Him. 3 And not only this, but we also rejoice with all good reason in the crushing pressures brought upon our spirits, knowing that such oppression and distress brings about endurance - a character that won't be deterred from purpose and faith; 4 and this constancy and steadfastness, trustworthiness; and that proof of genuineness, joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; 5 and that expectation and confidence does not disappoint, because the benevolent, unselfish love of God ahs been distributed largely within our hearts through the most Holy and Sacred Spirit of God who was given to us.

What exactly is the "hope of the glory of God"? I see here, at least two different views of the answer. (1) we hope for the glory of God in that we hope to attain to the promised eternal reward, (2) we hope that by the grace He has given us, our lives may be such as will cause others to develop an opinion of God that will result in their praising and honoring Him. I don't have a problem with holding that both of these aspects are in view in this passage.

How can one learn to exult in tribulations? Oh, it's so simple to say that all we have to do is hold the result in sight. But, then I have to ask, how do I hold that end in sight when I'm in the midst? I know it can be done. David did it many times. And I suppose, at the core, I know the how - it's only by His grace that I can hope to so stand amidst the trials. And it's only by the trials that faith is exercised to the point that it can learn to lean on that grace in degree sufficient to the situation. Lord, I know I'm not there yet, nor am I inclined to beg You to place me in the crucible of affliction. But, oh, how I desire to reach that point we are told we can reach only by that path! Oh, how I desire to be so unshakable in faith an purpose! Father, if it must be by this path, then in spite of my inclinations, I ask You anyway: lead me by whatever road You must to bring me to that place! And yet, I hear You whispering to me that I've been in more trials than I realize. Perhaps it is well that we never know just how far we've truly come, for it keeps our pride from getting any worse than it already is, it keeps us striving for more of You. But Oh! The promises that just tumbled out of that last verse! You sustain us! Our hope is sure. I believe in Christ and His work on our behalf. My hope won't disappoint! I have Your promise, and Your solemn oath! My refuge is secure, my hope is as an anchor line attached to Your very throne! Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You have poured Yourself out upon Your Church - upon Jew and Gentile alike, upon my very heart, and that in abundance! Whom shall I fear? How shall I doubt? What shall I not do at Your command? Be glorified in me, oh God! Find in me enough of Yourself to rejoice in Your choice. Continue to grow me, Lord, into the fruitful tree You have planned. Continue, oh my Master, to work Your perfect will in me. Help me more and more each day to set my foolish desires aside in favor of Your perfection.