From Pressure To Purpose: How God Uses Pain To Produce Christlike Disciples - Romans 5:3–4 Series

From Pressure to Purpose: How God Uses Pain to Produce Christlike Disciples - Romans 5:3–4 (NLT)

Introduction: When Following Jesus Gets Hard

One of the greatest lies whispered to modern believers is this: “If you follow Jesus, life will be easy.”

Yet every honest disciple knows that following Christ does not remove suffering—it redeems it.

We live in a 21st-century culture addicted to comfort, instant solutions, and pain avoidance. We microwave our meals, stream our entertainment, and expect immediate results. But discipleship is not formed in the microwave—it is forged in the furnace.

The Apostle Paul writes to believers who were facing pressure, opposition, persecution, and uncertainty. And instead of telling them to escape suffering, he teaches them how to interpret it through the Gospel.

Today we turn to Romans 5:3–4—two short verses with life-shaping depth.

Romans 5:3–4 (NLT): “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.”

This is not naïve optimism. This is Gospel-shaped realism.

Paul writes Romans around AD 57 to a mixed congregation of Jewish and Gentile believers in Rome. Many were marginalised, misunderstood, and under increasing pressure from Roman society.

Romans chapters 1–4 establish justification by faith alone—we are made right with God through trusting in Jesus Christ, not by works. Romans 5 then moves from how we are saved to how we now live as saved people.

Suffering does not contradict justification—it confirms it.

1. Rejoicing in Trials — A Gospel Paradox

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials…” (Romans 5:3)

The Greek word for trials is thlipsis, meaning pressure, crushing, or affliction. It was used of grapes being pressed for wine or grain being crushed for bread.

Paul is not saying trials are enjoyable. He is saying they are meaningful.

This is not denial—it is discipleship.

Tim Keller: “Suffering is unbearable if you aren’t certain that God is for you and with you.”

Keller reminds us that the cross changes how we read our pain. Because Jesus suffered for us, we can trust God with us in suffering.

2. Endurance Is Formed, Not Given

“…for we know that they help us develop endurance.” (Romans 5:3)

The word endurance is the Greek hypomone—steadfastness, staying power, faithful perseverance under pressure.

This is not passive waiting; it is active faith.

James 1:2–4 (NLT): “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy… for when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”

Theological truth: God uses testing to mature faith.

Trials reveal what we truly trust.

The Gymnasium of Grace - Muscles do not grow by being pampered; they grow by resistance. Likewise, spiritual endurance is built through resistance, not ease. God’s aim is not your comfort—it is your Christlikeness.

3. Character Is Christ Formed in Us

“And endurance develops strength of character…” (Romans 5:4)

The Greek word dokime means proven character—tested and approved, like refined metal.

This is not personality polishing; this is spiritual formation.

1 Peter 1:6–7 (NLT): “These trials will show that your faith is genuine… It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold.”

Fire doesn’t destroy gold—it reveals its purity.

God is more interested in who you are becoming than what you are avoiding.

R.T. Kendall: “God will allow what He hates to achieve what He loves.”

God hates suffering, but He loves holiness. He permits the former to produce the latter.

4. Hope That Does Not Disappoint

“…and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.” (Romans 5:4)

This is not wishful thinking. Biblical hope is anchored certainty.

Hebrews 6:19 (NLT): “This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.”

Hope looks forward because the resurrection looks back.

Our hope is not in circumstances changing, but in Christ returning.

John Piper: “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

Hope grows when Christ, not comfort, becomes our highest joy.

Gospel-Centred Focus: Why This Only Makes Sense in Jesus

None of this works without the Gospel.

Jesus Christ—God the Son—entered our suffering world. He lived without sin, suffered unjustly, died sacrificially, was buried, and rose bodily from the dead.

Romans 5:8 (NLT): “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

Jesus endured the ultimate thlipsis—the crushing weight of sin and judgment—so that suffering would never again be meaningless for those who trust Him.

Without Christ, suffering is random.

With Christ, suffering is redemptive.

The Cross Before the Crown - Every disciple wants the crown—but Jesus calls us to take up the cross. Resurrection only comes after crucifixion. Glory follows suffering.