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Romans Commentary Chapters 1-8  /  Romans 5:1-5 the Fall of Man and the Hope of Salvation  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 10
Bercot reasons: if tribulation produces endurance, and endurance brings “God’s approval,” then “His approval is obviously not a certainty,” and therefore “neither is His peace”—how does that unsettled, non-automatic view of approval affect assurance, fear, perseverance, and the way you interpret promises like “hope does not make us ashamed” in Romans 5:5?
Another way to ask: If God’s approval and peace aren’t guaranteed but are connected to endurance, how does that affect your confidence, your fears, your staying faithful, and how you read Romans 5:5 (“hope does not make us ashamed”)?

Direct Answer In Bercot’s reasoning, assurance is not treated as automatic status but as a confident hope that grows through faithful endurance; this can increase urgency and perseverance, while Romans 5:5 still promises that Christian hope—grounded in God’s living promise and the Spirit’s work—will not fail.

Support from Transcript:

  • Bercot argues from Romans 5:3–4 that endurance leads to “approval,” and concludes: “His approval is obviously not a certainty. If His approval is not automatic, then neither is His peace.”
  • Earlier he tied peace to ongoing faithfulness: peace at baptismal conversion is real, but “must be maintained,” and can be relinquished by returning to sin.
  • Yet he also highlights confident hope: Chrysostom says believers should be “filled with confidence…for what is yet to be given…rejoice in it as though it has already been given.”
  • Romans 5:5 is explained as reliability: “hope…is a trustworthy hope that will not fail,” unlike “mere human hopes.”
  • Chrysostom’s rationale is that the promise is secure because “he who has made the promise lives forever.”
  • The Spirit reinforces this hope: “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us” (received at baptism, per Theodoret’s comment on the Spirit kindling love).
Discussion Follow-ups How do we hold together sober warnings about losing peace with God and the strong comfort that Christian hope “will not fail,” without flattening either side?

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