Romans 5 begins with these words: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through who we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand” (vv. 1-2). Paul then explains that the result of experiencing the grace of God is that “we rejoice in the hope of the glory God” (v. 2). For a Christian, no situation is completely hopeless. Christians have hope in Christ…
Many people have hope, but they have not based it on anything solid. It is an artificial, pump-yourself-up hope. And many people base their hope on the wrong things: the stock market, their good looks, a big salary, a nice job, a good family, [the next election]. But all those things are temporary and can be taken away. When they disappear, so does hope. And joy is impossible without hope.
By contrast, Christians have a reason to be positive. We can rejoice because we rejoice in hope. In Romans 12:12 Paul reminds us, “Be joyful in hope.” Paul is talking about our hope in Christ. The hope we have in Christ is the reason we can rejoice, even in difficult situations.
-- Rick Warren in “God’s Power to Change Your Life”
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