Boasting in Affliction
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 We have also obtained access through him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance,4 endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. 5 This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
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This past year or so has had its fair share of trials and afflictions. But even though it has been challenging, I have seen my faith and the faith of others growing. While I often want to spend my time thinking on the first two verses, how I have been justified by Christ and have been blessed to receive His grace and that I can feel the awesome hope of future glory, God doesn’t want me to dismiss the next three verses because they are so important to our being transformed.
Being too future minded about our justification, while it may provide encouragement in hard moments, can keep us from receiving the blessing of what type of growth will come in the momentary afflictions we experience. Paul says that afflictions produce endurance. Often, we joke that affliction produces patience, but God knows that endurance is much better for us to have produced in our lives. While growing in endurance, we experience growth in many areas of our faith. Paul says that this is the proving of our character. As our character is being developed, we are changed so that we mirror the person of Christ more and more.
Maybe you have heard the saying, “Character is who you are when no one is looking.” Growing in our afflictions makes us more like Christ from the inner person out. I have often said to people that what's in our heart comes out through our hands. God's development of character in us is the changing of our desires and also our actions. This produces proven character, which is a steadiness or consistency that mirrors Jesus in many different situations.
When we and others notice how our responses to life’s afflictions has changed, it results in hope. Hope in this passage is knowing that the promises of Jesus are coming to their fulfillment in our lives and His promises will continue to be fulfilled in the future as well. This transformation is one way Paul says we experience the love of God. The Holy Spirit works in us, and as we are made holy and sanctified, we experience the goodness of God.
So, the next time affliction arises in my life and in yours, my prayer is that we would have our minds set on Jesus so that we would boast in the affliction, giving thanks for what God is doing in that moment. However, if we do miss the moment when it's happening, we don’t have to fret. God is still working through the Holy Spirit, and when we take time to look back on all we have gone through, we will see the change after the work is done!
No matter when we notice the change, the result should be a testimony of praise, giving thanks for the Father’s will that is being done in our lives and boasting in the love He has shown us through the Spirit!
Prayer
Father, we thank You for transforming our lives through affliction. May we rejoice in the hope produced in us. We ask that You would help us to be aware of the moments of growth when they are happening so that we would have a holy joy and peace throughout the affliction and give a testimony of praise about what You have produced in us as a result! Use us as a witness to this world about what Your goodness and love looks like in the process of changing Your people. Amen.
