Feb. 15, 2026

Romans 5:1-5

“Boasting on Hope”

1. What We Have (vs. 1, 2)

A. We Have Been Justified by Faith

Justification- How can anyone be justified before a Holy God?

3:21-31 - Paul summarizes and gives reason for these benefits in chapter 5.

Romans 3:21-26

B. We Have Peace with God

Romans 5:10-11

C. Obtained Access by Faith

D. We Stand in Grace

E. We Boast on Hope

“Come you weary heart now to Jesus
Come you anxious soul now and see
There is perfect love and comfort in your tears
Rest here in His wondrous peace
Oh the goodness, the goodness of Jesus
Satisfied, He is all that I need
May it be, come what may, that I rest all my days
In the goodness of Jesus”- CityAlight, The Goodness of Jesus

“Unlike some kinds of hope, Paul is not advocating mere wishful thinking, for it is a hope which has already been partially realized in the Spirit’s presence and in God’s love in the life of the believer. Such a hope only whets the appetite, for it serves as a preview of coming attractions.”
Ben Witherington Paul's Letter to the Romans

“Hope is one of the Theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will find the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven.” -CS Lewis, Mere Christianity 134

2. Working the Word Problem Backwards (vs. 3, 4)

A. Boast in Suffering

Acts 16:16-25

B. Suffering Produces Endurance

C. Endurance Produces Character

Revelation 2:3

D. Character Leads to Hope

3. Pour It On! (v. 5)

A. Hope Does Make Things Better

Romans 8:38-39

B. The Love of God

Jeremiah 31:1-3

1 John 4:7-10

1 Corinthians 13:13

C. The Work of the Spirit of God and Heart Surgery

Jeremiah 31:31-34

2 Corinthians 3:3

“The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell;
it goes beyond the highest star, and reaches to the lowest hell;
the guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled, and pardoned from his sin.
Could we with ink the ocean fill and were the skies of parchment made,
were ev’ry stalk on earth a quill and ev’ry man a scribe by trade,
to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry;
nor could the scroll contain the whole, tho' stretched from sky to sky”
Fredrick Lehman, The Love of God

Reflection:

Are you in need of the love of God to be poured into your heart today?

If you have experienced that work, what has that done to your level of hope in Jesus?

Follow UP in the Word through the Week…

Monday:

Read: Romans 3:21-26

As you read over this passage how would you explain it to someone that you care about greatly but does not know Jesus as his or her Savior?

Tuesday:

Read: Romans 5:10-11

After being an “enemy” of Jesus, how has the peace that He won on your behalf impacted your life?

Wednesday:

Read: Acts 16:16-25

What do Paul and Barnabas do to be mistreated so badly? What is their reaction to this mistreatment? How would you say this plays out in your own life in the midst of suffering?

Thursday:

Read: Romans 8:38-39

What has tried to come between you and the love of God in Christ Jesus? How has the defeat of that element been worked out or being worked out in your life?

Friday:

Read: 1 John 4:7-10

What is the product of the love of God in our lives according to these verses?

Saturday:

Read: 2 Corinthians 3:3

Think of someone who has been that living letter in your life. What did their hope in Jesus look like and how does that encourage you today?