Title: Tribulation and refinement/Romans 5:1-11
As we live in this world, we will face many tribulations. Tribulation refers to all the hardships, pressures, hardships, difficulties, diseases, failures, and accidents that we face in this world. And what Christians need to know about this tribulation issue is that even those who are justified by faith are not exempt from this life's suffering. Even those who believe in Jesus can become ill, fail in business, and experience the sorrow of losing loved ones. Nowhere in the Bible does the Bible promise that we will not suffer all tribulation because we believe in Jesus. Rather, Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" John 16:33. Then, why does God not remove the suffering that comes upon us while holding us in the bosom of grace? This is because tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance produces refinement, and refinement produces hope, so that we can enjoy true peace and joy through Jesus Christ.
1. God tells us that tribulation is what produces perseverance.
The word 'tribulation' used in this text is 'Tribulation' ( ) in Greek. This word is the feminine noun form of 'delibo' ( ). 'Delibo' means squeezing out the pain of blood, sweat and tears just like squeezing grape juice out of a winepress, and it is also a word with the meaning of 'compressing something'. It is also a term used to refer to the result of beating hard, such as beating grain. Therefore, this word does not have a negative connotation, but rather the pain of childbirth to create something new in our lives. Tribulation does not always bring suffering to us.
It is said that when a butterfly emerges from a pupa, it is said that they are in great pain to peel it. I've seen a slow video of the process in the animal kingdom, and you don't know how much the fragile thing shakes and peels off its skin. So, when an entomologist cut off the shell so that it came out easily with scissors, the butterfly did not live long and died soon after. It has been discovered that it is said that it is necessary to shed the shell to live a long life.
This tribulation produces patience. Here, patience is the Greek word 'hypomone' ( ), and it is a noun derived from the verb 'hypomeno' ( ). Hypomeno means 'remain until the end', 'endure', 'continue', 'wait', 'live under something'. Therefore, this means when there is tribulation. Rather than avoiding it unconditionally, it refers to living through the situation. That is, rather than running away from a problem, it is the ability to face the problem and solve something in it.
Therefore, what this verse means is that the more the saints who have experienced trials, the more they will strengthen their faith in the midst of trials and never leave the place of their faith. This is indeed a paradoxical view. People in the world run away when trials come. Rather, Christians look to God who makes us new in the midst of trials. So it builds patience. And finally, you will have the ability to persevere.
2. God says it is because perseverance produces refinement.
The pulpit here refers to personality and character. Therefore, tribulation produces patience, and patience eventually becomes our mature personality. And the podium is 'tokime' ( ), which is derived from the verb 'tokimazo' ( ), which means 'to prove', 'test', 'try hard', 'discern', 'choose'. Therefore, this personality is not just a personality, but a person who has passed an exam, a person who has endured trials and triumphs and has been recognized. Therefore, the saying that patience produces refinement means that God refines our character and disposition through the furnace of tribulation so that we can become the person the Lord wants, the person the Lord approves of, so little by little, little by little, we become more like the Lord. It means making it. So at last we "know that we are like him" (1 John 3:2) before the Lord.
But it is tribulation to accomplish all these things. This is because through tribulation, we become more and more like the Lord in the character of faith. Just as the more iron is hit, the harder it becomes, so is the personality of our faith. So Job confessed, "After he has tested me, I will come forth as gold" (Job 23:10). In the midst of tribulation, all the remnants of our unbelief, resentment, fear, and pride begin to be removed. All the impurities of our faith are removed and melted in the trials and furnaces that God gives us.
Venetian cedar is said to be the best material for making violins. Why is Venetian Cedar good? This is because: Lumber harvested in the mountains rolls down into the rocky gorge. At the moment when the tree rolls down, it collides with rocks and trees, inflicting many injuries, and is pushed down by the flowing water, crashing against the rocks again and descending into the river. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . When it hits water or rocks in this way, the molecules and grains of the wood are in a state that is just right for the material of the violin. Through these hardships, it has been transformed into a solid wood that can make a great violin. You must remember that the eternal salvation received by the saints also undergoes refinement through tribulation and creates hope through refinement.
3. God says that refinement will eventually bring true hope.
And he said that the podium will make real hopes come true. The Apostle Paul approaches the question of hope from faith. In the New Testament, the hope of a believer generally means living with God, but more specifically, it means 'the hope of resurrection' (Acts 28:20). Paul taught that if the dead had not been raised, then God would not have raised Christ. Also, if Christ had not been raised, our believers' faith would be in vain (1 Corinthians 15:12-16). Finally, our spiritual eyes will be opened wide and we will realize what the true truth is. Finally we see our eternal hope. Before the tribulation, everything I could see was hope. Material was a wish. Fame was my wish. It was my wish to be successful and prosper. It was my wish to elevate my name. It was my wish to be physically strong and my children to be successful and successful.
However, seeing that everything in sight disappears in an instant due to a moment's ordeal, people come to realize that such things are not the real object of hope. I thought that money was everything, and I was so reckless that I went through bankruptcy and all of my wealth was turned into pieces of tissue paper, and people realize that material things cannot be true hope.
In the end, it is only in the midst of tribulation that we realize what we really need to hope for and what we really need to believe and follow. It is only in the midst of tribulation that we know more clearly what the true hope of eternity is. That is, in the midst of tribulation, our hope becomes truly pure. What are we hoping for today? Why is this society so dark and turbid today? Isn't it because we are hoping for things we shouldn't be hoping for, and is it not because we have hopes for things that cannot be the object of our hopes?
conclusion
Even if there are tribulations and trials, we must actively deal with such hardships with faith. What is clear is that all the tribulation that is being given us now may actually be a decisive moment of training that makes our faith like gold. Then, isn't our trial a moment of opportunity and a moment of grace that can help us move closer to the Lord? It is to be broken through tribulation and rebuilt through perseverance to bear the beautiful fruits of righteousness.