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Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Romans 5:1–5. His three-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
The precious benefits and privileges which flow from justification are such as should quicken us all to give diligence to make it sure to ourselves that we are justified, and then to take the comfort it renders to us, and to do the duty it calls for from us. The fruits of this tree of life are exceedingly precious.
I.We have peace with God, Rom 5:1.
It is sin that breeds the quarrel between us and God, creates not only a strangeness, but an enmity; the holy righteous God cannot in honour be at peace with a sinner while he continues under the guilt of sin. Justification takes away the guilt, and so makes way for peace. And such are the benignity and good-will of God to man that, immediately upon the removing of that obstacle, the peace is made. By faith we lay hold of God's arm and of his strength, and so are at peace, Isa 27:4, Isa 27:5. There is more in this peace than barely a cessation of enmity, there is friendship and loving-kindness, for God is either the worst enemy or the best friend. Abraham, being justified by faith, was called the friend of God (Jam 2:23), which was his honour, but not his peculiar honour: Christ has called his disciples friends, Joh 15:13-15. And surely a man needs no more to make him happy than to have God his friend! But this is through our Lord Jesus Christ - through him as the great peace-maker, the Mediator between God and man, that blessed Day's-man that has laid his hand upon us both. Adam, in innocency, had peace with God immediately; there needed no such mediator. But to guilty sinful man it is a very dreadful thing to think of God out of Christ; for he is our peace, Eph 2:14, not only the maker, but the matter and maintainer, of our peace, Col 1:20.
II.We have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, Rom 5:2.
This is a further privilege, not only peace, but grace, that is, this favour. Observe,
1.The saints' happy state. It is a state of grace, God's loving-kindness to us and our conformity to God; he that hath God's love and God's likeness is in a state of grace. Now into this grace we have access prosagōgēn - an introduction, which implies that we were not born in this state; we are by nature children of wrath, and the carnal mind is enmity against God; but we are brought into it. We could not have got into it of ourselves, nor have conquered the difficulties in the way, but we have a manuduction, a leading by the hand, - are led into it as blind, or lame, or weak people are led, - are introduced as pardoned offenders, - are introduced by some favourite at court to kiss the king's hand, as strangers, that are to have audience, are conducted. Prosagōgēn eschēkamen - We have had access. He speaks of those that have been already brought out of a state of nature into a state of grace. Paul, in his conversion, had this access; then he was made nigh. Barnabas introduced him to the apostles (Act 9:27), and there were others that led him by the hand to Damascus (Rom 5:8), but it was Christ that introduced and led him by the hand into this grace. By whom we have access by faith. By Christ as the author and principal agent, by faith as the means of this access. Not by Christ in consideration of any merit or desert of ours, but in consideration of our believing dependence upon him and resignation of ourselves to him.
2.Their happy standing in this state: wherein we stand. Not only wherein we are, but wherein we stand, a posture that denotes our discharge from guilt; we stand in the judgment (Psa 1:5), not cast, as convicted criminals, but our dignity and honour secured, not thrown to the ground, as abjects. The phrase denotes also our progress; while we stand, we are going. We must not lie down, as if we had already attained, but stand as those that are pressing forward, stand as servants attending on Christ our master. The phrase denotes, further, our perseverance: we stand firmly and safely, upheld by the power of God; stand as soldiers stand, that keep their ground, not borne down by the power of the enemy. It denotes not only our admission to, but our confirmation in, the favour of God. It is not in the court of heaven as in earthly courts, where high places are slippery places: but we stand in a humble confidence of this very thing that he who has begun the good work will perform it, Phi 1:6.
III.We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Besides the happiness in hand, there is a happiness in hope, the glory of God, the glory which God will put upon the saints in heaven, glory which will consist in the vision and fruition of God.
1.Those, and those only, that have access by faith into the grace of God now may hope for the glory of God hereafter. There is no good hope of glory but what is founded in grace; grace is glory begun, the earnest and assurance of glory. He will give grace and glory, Psa 84:11.
2.Those who hope for the glory of God hereafter have enough to rejoice in now. It is the duty of those that hope for heaven to rejoice in that hope.
IV.We glory in tribulations also; not only notwithstanding our tribulations (these do not hinder our rejoicing in hope of the glory of God), but even in our tribulations, as they are working for us the weight of glory, Co2 4:17. Observe, What a growing increasing happiness the happiness of the saints is: Not only so. One would think such peace, such grace, such glory, and such a joy in hope of it, were more than such poor undeserving creatures as we are could pretend to; and yet it is not only so: there are more instances of our happiness - we glory in tribulations also, especially tribulations for righteousness' sake, which seemed the greatest objection against the saints' happiness, whereas really their happiness did not only consist with, but take rise fRom. those tribulations. They rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer, Act 5:41. This being the hardest point, he sets himself to show the grounds and reasons of it. How come we to glory in tribulations? Why, because tribulations, by a chain of causes, greatly befriend hope, which he shows in the method of its influence.
1.Tribulation worketh patience, not in and of itself, but the powerful grace of God working in and with the tribulation. It proves, and by proving improves, patience, as parts and gifts increase by exercise. It is not the efficient cause, but yields the occasion, as steel is hardened by the fire. See how God brings meat out of the eater, and sweetness out of the strong. That which worketh patience is matter of joy; for patience does us more good than tribulations can do us hurt. Tribulation in itself worketh impatience; but, as it is sanctified to the saints, it worketh patience.
2.Patience experience, Rom 5:4. It works an experience of God, and the songs he gives in the night; the patient sufferers have the greatest experience of the divine consolations, which abound as afflictions abound. It works an experience of ourselves. It is by tribulation that we make an experiment of our own sincerity, and therefore such tribulations are called trials. It works, dokimēn - an approbation, as he is approved that has passed the test. Thus Job's tribulation wrought patience, and that patience produced an approbation, that still he holds fast his integrity, Job 2:3.
3.Experience hope. He who, being thus tried, comes forth as gold, will thereby be encouraged to hope. This experiment, or approbation, is not so much the ground, as the evidence, of our hope, and a special friend to it. Experience of God is a prop to our hope; he that hath delivered doth and will. Experience of ourselves helps to evidence our sincerity.
4.This hope maketh not ashamed; that is, it is a hope that will not deceive us. Nothing confounds more than disappointment. Everlasting shame and confusion will be caused by the perishing of the expectation of the wicked, but the hope of the righteous shall be gladness, Pro 10:28. See Psa 22:5; Psa 71:1. Or, It maketh not ashamed of our sufferings. Though we are counted as the offscouring of all things, and trodden under foot as the mire in the streets, yet, having hopes of glory, we are not ashamed of these sufferings. It is in a good cause, for a good Master, and in good hope; and therefore we are not ashamed. We will never think ourselves disparaged by sufferings that are likely to end so well. Because the love of God is shed abroad. This hope will not disappoint us, because it is sealed with the Holy Spirit as a Spirit of love. It is the gracious work of the blessed Spirit to shed abroad the love of God in the hearts of all the saints. The love of God, that is, the sense of God's love to us, drawing out love in us to him again. Or, The great effects of his love:
(1.)Special grace; and,
(2.)The pleasant gust or sense of it. It is shed abroad, as sweet ointment, perfuming the soul, as rain watering it and making it fruitful. The ground of all our comfort and holiness, and perseverance in both, is laid in the shedding abroad of the love of God in our hearts; it is this which constrains us, Co2 5:14. Thus are we drawn and held by the bonds of love. Sense of God's love to us will make us not ashamed, either of our hope in him or our sufferings for him.
Historical interpretation
Six Centuries of Reception
9 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
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Hope does not let us down, even though we are considered by evil people to be stupid and naive, because we believe in things which are impossible in this world. For we have in us the pledge of God’s love through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Tribulations; that is, are so far from confuting these hopes, that they even prove them. For before the things to come are realized, there is a very great fruit which tribulation hath-patience; and the making of the man that is tried, experienced. And it contributes in some degree too to the things to come, for it gives hope a vigor within us, since there is nothing that so inclines a man to hope for blessings as a good conscience. Now no man that has lived an upright life is unconfiding about things to come, as of those who have been negligent there are many that, feeling the burden of a bad conscience, wish there were neither judgment nor retribution. What then? do our goods lie in hopes? Yes, in hopes-but not mere human hopes, which often slip away, and put him that hoped to shame; when some one, who was expected to patronize him, dies, or is altered though he lives. No such lot is ours: our hope is sure and unmoveable. For He Who hath made the promise ever liveth, and we that are to be the enjoyers of it, even should we die, shall rise again, and there is absolutely nothing which can put us to shame, as having been elated at random, and to no purpose, upon unsound hopes. Having then sufficiently cleared them of all doubtfulness by these words of his, he does not let his discourse pause at the time present, but urges again the time to come, knowing that there were men of weaker character, who looked too for present advantages, and were not satisfied with these mentioned.
"Because the love of God is," he does not say "given, "but "shed abroad in our hearts," so showing the profusion of it. That gift then, which is the greatest possible, He hath given; not heaven and earth and sea, but what is more precious than any of these, and hath rendered us Angels from being men, yea sons of God, and brethren of Christ. But what is this gift? The Holy Spirit. Now had He not been willing to present us after our labors with great crowns, He would never have given us such mighty gifts before our labors. But now the warmth of His Love is hence made apparent, that it is not gradually and little by little that He honors us; but He hath shed abroad the full fountain of His blessings, and this too before our struggles.
The hope of things to come casts out all confusion. This is why the man who is dismayed by Christ’s injunctions lacks hope. The greatness of God’s benefits arouses in us greatness of love, which does not know fear or dismay because it is complete. We also learn how God loves us, because he has not only forgiven us our sins through the death of his Son but also given us the Holy Spirit, who already shows us the glory of things to come.
It is through love that we are conformed to God, and being so conformed and made like to him, and set apart from the world, we are no longer confounded by those things which should be subject to us. This is the work of the Holy Spirit.
It is not by ourselves but by the Holy Spirit who is given to us that this charity, shown by the apostle to be God’s gift, is the reason why tribulation does not destroy patience but rather gives rise to it.
That God may be loved, the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, not by the free choice whose spring is in ourselves but through the Holy Spirit, who is given to us.
Who can hurt such a man? Who can subdue him? In prosperity he makes moral progress, and in adversity he learns to know the progress he has made. When he has an abundance of mutable goods he does not put his trust in them, and when they are taken away he gets to know whether or not they have taken him captive.
The law was indeed given through Moses, and there it was determined by a heavenly rule what was to be done and what was to be avoided, but what it commanded was completed only by the grace of Christ. On the one hand, that law was able to point out sin, teaching justice and showing transgressors what they are charged with. On the other hand, the grace of Christ, poured out in the hearts of the faithful through the spirit of charity, brings it about that what the law commanded may be fulfilled.
It is to be understood that the indwelling of the adorable and thrice-Holy Spirit is found only in our minds and hearts.
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Summary
Romans 5:5 declares the unwavering certainty of Christian hope, asserting that it will never lead to disappointment or shame. This steadfastness is grounded in the profound reality that God's love has been abundantly poured into the hearts of believers, a divine work accomplished and guaranteed by the indwelling Holy Spirit, who has been graciously given to them. The verse thus connects the believer's present experience of God's love with their future assurance of glory, all mediated by the Spirit.
Context
Literary Context
This verse serves as the climax and explanation for the preceding verses in Romans 5:1-4. Paul begins this chapter by establishing that believers, justified by faith, have peace with God and access into His grace (Romans 5:1-2). He then introduces the paradoxical idea that even tribulations can be a source of rejoicing, as they produce endurance, character, and ultimately, a hope that does not disappoint (Romans 5:3-4). Verse 5 provides the theological bedrock for this audacious claim: the reason this hope is so reliable and will not lead to shame is the active, indwelling presence of God's love, poured out by the Holy Spirit. It transitions from the process of hope's development to its foundation.
Historical & Cultural Context
Paul is writing to believers in Rome, a city at the heart of the Roman Empire, where concepts of honor and shame were deeply ingrained in society. To be "ashamed" (G2617, kataischýnō) carried significant social weight, implying public disgrace, humiliation, or a failure to meet expectations. In this context, the early Christians often faced social ostracism, persecution, and the potential for public shame due to their faith. Paul's assertion that their hope "maketh not ashamed" directly counters these societal pressures, promising that their trust in God will ultimately be vindicated, not humiliated. The idea of a divine spirit "given" or "poured out" also resonates with Old Testament prophecies of the Spirit's outpouring in the last days (e.g., Joel 2:28-29), signaling the arrival of a new covenant era.
Key Themes
Romans 5:5 powerfully contributes to several overarching themes in Romans and Paul's theology. Foremost is the theme of certainty of salvation and hope, moving beyond mere intellectual assent to a felt assurance grounded in divine action. It emphasizes the active and personal nature of God's love for believers, not as an abstract concept but as an experienced reality. Crucially, the verse highlights the indispensable role of the Holy Spirit as the divine agent who mediates God's love and seals the believer's hope, echoing the Spirit's work throughout the believer's life, from regeneration (Titus 3:5) to sanctification (Romans 8:13). This verse also reinforces the unity of the Trinity in the work of salvation, with the Father's love poured out by the Spirit.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This word signifies not merely a wish or a desire, but a confident expectation or assurance, particularly concerning future good. In the New Testament, Christian hope is firmly rooted in God's promises and His faithfulness, making it a certainty rather than a mere possibility. It is a confident anticipation of future glory and salvation, as discussed in Romans 5:2.
This verb means "to put to shame," "to disgrace," or "to confound." Coupled with the negative particle "not" (ou), it asserts that this hope will never result in disappointment, humiliation, or public disgrace. Unlike worldly hopes that often fail, the hope grounded in God's love is utterly reliable and will always be vindicated, ensuring that those who trust in it will never be put to shame.
This powerful verb literally means "to pour out," "to gush forth," or "to diffuse profusely." It conveys the idea of an abundant, overflowing, and widespread distribution. When applied to God's love, it paints a vivid picture of His love not just being present, but being lavishly and generously poured into the hearts of believers, filling them to overflowing. This is not a trickle, but a deluge of divine affection.
Verse Breakdown
"And hope maketh not ashamed;"
This opening clause presents the central affirmation of the verse. The Christian hope, which is a confident expectation of future glory and salvation, is utterly reliable. It will not lead to disappointment, humiliation, or public disgrace, unlike the false hopes of the world. This is a direct counter to the societal fear of shame, asserting the ultimate vindication of faith.
"because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts"
This clause provides the foundational reason for the steadfastness of hope. The certainty of Christian hope is not based on human merit or fleeting emotions, but on the objective and abundant reality of "the love of God." This love is not merely an abstract concept but is actively "shed abroad," or poured out profusely, into the innermost being ("our hearts") of believers. This signifies an internal, experiential knowledge of God's deep affection.
"by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."
This final clause identifies the divine agent through whom God's love is poured out and made real in the believer's heart. The "Holy Ghost" (Holy Spirit) is the one who mediates this profound experience. His presence is not earned but is a gracious "gift" ("given unto us") to all who are in Christ. The Spirit's indwelling is the tangible proof and ongoing guarantee of God's love, solidifying the believer's hope and ensuring its ultimate fulfillment.
Literary Devices
Romans 5:5 employs several potent literary devices to convey its profound message. Personification is evident in the phrase "hope maketh not ashamed," attributing an active quality to hope as if it were an agent capable of preventing shame. This elevates hope from a mere concept to a dynamic force in the believer's life. The phrase "the love of God is shed abroad" functions as a powerful Metaphor and Hyperbole. It uses the imagery of liquid being poured out to describe the abundant, overflowing, and pervasive nature of God's love within the believer's heart, emphasizing its lavishness and saturation rather than a mere intellectual understanding. Furthermore, "hearts" serves as a Synecdoche, representing the totality of the inner person—their emotions, will, and intellect—where this divine love takes root and transforms.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Romans 5:5 is a cornerstone verse, deeply integrating several core theological truths. It underscores the Trinitarian nature of salvation: the Father's love is poured out, the Spirit is the agent, and the ultimate object of our hope is Christ's glory. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit, as the one who "sheds abroad" God's love, is presented as the tangible, experiential evidence of our justification and adoption, providing an internal witness that transcends mere intellectual assent. This internal assurance of God's love, mediated by the Spirit, is precisely what anchors our hope, making it resilient even in the face of suffering, as discussed in the preceding verses. It links the objective reality of God's love to the subjective experience of the believer, demonstrating how divine truth becomes a personal reality.
Reflection and Application
Romans 5:5 offers profound comfort and a robust foundation for Christian living. In a world where hopes are often dashed and expectations lead to disappointment, this verse assures us that our hope in God's ultimate salvation and glory is uniquely steadfast because it is rooted in God's unchanging character and His active work within us. When doubts arise, or when the trials of life tempt us to despair, this verse calls us to remember the internal witness of the Holy Spirit, who continually pours God's lavish love into our hearts. This is not a fleeting emotion but a divine reality, a constant source of strength and assurance that empowers us to persevere. It reminds us that our spiritual journey is not about our performance, but about God's relentless love and the Spirit's faithful work, making our hope a certainty that will never result in shame.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "hope maketh not ashamed" truly mean in this context?
"Hope maketh not ashamed" means that the Christian's confident expectation of future glory and salvation, rooted in God's promises, will never lead to disappointment, humiliation, or public disgrace. In the ancient world, shame was a powerful social force, and to be "ashamed" implied a failure or a broken promise. Paul assures believers that their hope in Christ is not a flimsy wish that will ultimately fail them, but a certainty that will be fully vindicated, ensuring they will never be put to shame before God or the world. This is because their hope is grounded in the unfailing love of God, poured out by the Holy Spirit, as the rest of Romans 5:5 explains.
How is God's love "shed abroad" in our hearts?
God's love is "shed abroad" (poured out profusely) in our hearts through the active, indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. This is not merely an intellectual understanding of God's love, but an experiential reality. The Holy Spirit acts as the divine agent who applies God's love to our innermost being, making it a tangible, comforting, and transformative presence. This internal witness of the Spirit assures us of our adoption as children of God and confirms His deep affection for us, as further elaborated in Romans 8:15-16.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Romans 5:5, while focusing on the Spirit's work in the believer's heart, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus. The "love of God" that is "shed abroad" is most perfectly and profoundly demonstrated in the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross. As Paul elaborates just a few verses later, "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). The Spirit's indwelling, which pours out this love, is itself a gift made possible by Christ's ascension and His sending of the Comforter (John 16:7). Thus, the Spirit's work in our hearts, assuring us of God's love and securing our hope, is a direct consequence of Christ's finished work. Our hope "maketh not ashamed" because it is a hope in the resurrected Christ, who has conquered sin and death, guaranteeing our future glory and vindication. The Spirit's presence is the down payment of our inheritance in Christ, sealing us for the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14).