Romans 5:5: And Hope Does Not Put Us To Shame

Romans 5:5
[5] 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. (ESV)

Many years ago I had the extreme pleasure of meeting my wife's grandmother. Laura was an immigrant from Italy arriving to the United States in the 1930s. She was a tiny woman with a powerful relationship with God. In the church where she was actively involved it was said that if you were sick "Have Laura pray to God for you."

This wonderful Italian woman had a phrase that she often used to describe her relationship with the God whom she loved so much. She would say, "Christ in me, the hope of glory." She was giving reference to the Apostle Paul's words in Colossians 1:27. In Romans 5:5 Paul is describing this same concept.

We have established that the hope Paul is talking about in Romans 5 is a certainty in our relationship to God's glory. We belong to Christ. We are now heirs of his kingdom. God's glory is something that we look forward to sharing with him for all eternity. For now we are trapped in this earthly body. What do we do while we wait for the glory that is to be revealed?

We have Christ in us, the hope of glory. How is Christ in us? Through his Holy Spirit who has been given to us. The Holy Spirit is an agent of God's wonderful love and lives within us to guide us, empower us, help us, encourage us, and to abide in us. God has done far more than promise a wonderful eternity, he has promised to be with us all the way until we get there.

Do you feel that hope has evaded you? If you belong to Jesus Christ hope is yours! The hope that you have is Christ in you. He is the hope of glory. Celebrate the relationship you have with God. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in every way today.