Hope That Does Not Put Us to Shame

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Romans 5:5

There is a hope that does not put us to shame.

Love, at its heart, is about hope. Hope that we might be valued enough by others to be loved by them. Without hope, there could be no love.

How interesting that Romans 5:5 embeds this little gem of encouragement right in the middle of a hard passage about suffering, during a time when many hearts want to give up all hope. Paul, the writer, urges us toward a better hope, one that does not disappoint.

Our world needs to know such hope right now.

The verse reads like the gentle, urgent voice of a mentor talking her mentee off the ledge. 

Don’t give up! There is a hope that will not let you down! Honor is waiting for you on the other side of this pain. Honor that says you matter. You are seen. You are known. Press on! 

Suffering will produce perseverance. Perseverance will produce character. Then character will give way to hope that cannot be shaken.

Like solid stepping stones through the muck, each one leads you to the rock-solid mountain of proof that you are loved by God.

Deep in the heart of humanity lies a desire to be loved.

There is no shame in hoping for love. You and I were created for it. We were fashioned by Love to be loved and known. We were made to receive and give love. The insatiable longing of humankind was intended to be satiated all along.

There is much discussion among Bible scholars and translators about the phrase “the love of God” in Romans 5:5. The phrase in original Greek could be interpreted as either “our love for God” (an objective genitive), “God’s love for us” (a subjective genitive), or both. Context and construction give evidence for both. This phrase may convey the idea that the love of which it speaks is both the love that comes from God and the love that produces our love for God. 

In other words, the love spoken of in Romans 5:5 is a love centered in the reciprocal nature of a relationship. It is given and received.

It does not stand mysteriously alone, aloof, majestic like a far mountain peak in the distance. It is living, active, flowing between us and our God. This love is personal and dwells in a give-and-take relationship between God and us. The love of God and our consequent love for Him is poured out by the Holy Spirit in unlimited supply. 

We have every right to hope for such love. We were created for it. Love has been designated for you and for me, and its source is God Himself. We were made for a loving relationship with God.

Romans 5:8 goes on to say, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God has proven his love for you and me through Jesus Christ. We can hope in His love with a solid certainty He will not abandon us.

Such hope does not put us to shame. Shame implies expulsion from relationship. Rejection. The one covered in shame stands apart from love and acceptance, an outsider. 

When we put our hope in God, we are accepted, not rejected. Hope honors us, reminding us that we have great worth to our Creator. Hope draws us into relationship with God. The hope of Romans 5 fills us with courage to love and be loved. 

Hope in God makes true love possible.

The love relationship described in Romans 5 between God and us is the wellspring for all other relationships. The one who is satisfied in her love relationship with God gives selfless love to others. Her needs are met in God. She has been through fire and found God’s love constant and faithful. Hope did its work in her heart and now God’s love flows out of her to others.

Put your hope in God today, Valentine. His is a hope that won’t let you down.

Lord, today I put my hope in You. Amen.

@audreycfrank