Romans Chapter 5 Vs. 4

 

Peace with God Through Faith

And patience, experience; and experience, hope: Rom 5:4

And, patience, experience;... Greek: dokime. Translated "trial" (2Cor. 8:2); "experiment" (2Cor. 9:13); "proof" (2Cor. 2:9; 13:3; Phlp. 2:22); and "experience" (Rom. 5:4).

“Experience” means character, or a better translation would be proven character. The Greek word simply means “proof”. It was used of testing metals to determine their purity. Here the proof is Christian character. Christians can glory in tribulations because of what those troubles produce.

All Christians have the hope of the resurrection.

In Lam. 3:26 “[It is] good that [a man] should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.”

I have discovered that God allows these little trials to come along to see if we will rely on Him while we endure under pressure. If we fold in the trial, then we have to go through another similar trial until we learn to lean on him in our trials.

1 Thess. 4:13 “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.”

Only a believer who has faced distress can develop steadfastness. That in turn develops character (dokimēn [“proof”] has here the idea of “proven character”), which in turn results in hope. As believers suffer, they develop steadfastness; that quality deepens their character; and a deepened, tested character results in hope (i.e., confidence) that God will see them through.