Romans 5:5 kjv
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Romans 5:5 nkjv
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Romans 5:5 niv
And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Romans 5:5 esv
and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Romans 5:5 nlt
And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
Romans 5 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Rom 8:24-25 | For in this hope we were saved... we wait for it with patience. | Hope for future salvation and perseverance. |
| Rom 8:38-39 | ...neither death nor life... will be able to separate us from the love of God... | God's unshakeable love for believers. |
| Rom 15:13 | May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace... by the power of the Holy Spirit. | God as the source of hope, enabled by the Spirit. |
| Gal 5:22 | But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance... | Love as a direct manifestation of the Spirit's work. |
| Eph 1:13-14 | ...you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing... | The Holy Spirit as a guarantee of future inheritance. |
| Eph 3:17-19 | ...rooted and established in love... to know this love that surpasses knowledge... | The profound, expansive knowledge of God's love. |
| Col 1:27 | ...Christ in you, the hope of glory. | Christ's indwelling as the foundation of hope. |
| 1 Pet 1:3-4 | ...new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ... an inheritance that can never perish... | The living and secure nature of Christian hope. |
| Heb 6:18-19 | ...we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us have strong encouragement. We have this hope as an anchor... | Hope as a firm and secure anchor for the soul. |
| 2 Tim 1:7 | For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. | Spirit empowering with love, countering fear. |
| 1 Jn 4:7-8 | Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God... God is love. | God is the ultimate source and essence of love. |
| 1 Jn 4:16 | And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. | Knowing and trusting in God's love for assurance. |
| Jn 14:16-17 | And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever... the Spirit of truth. | Promise of the Holy Spirit as Helper. |
| Jn 16:7 | But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Helper will not come to you... | Necessity of Christ's departure for Spirit's coming. |
| Acts 2:17-18 | 'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people...' | Prophecy of Spirit poured out on all believers. |
| Isa 40:31 | But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength... | Hope in God leads to renewed spiritual strength. |
| Ps 33:18 | But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love. | God's watchful care over those who hope in His love. |
| Lam 3:22-23 | The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. | God's unfailing, consistent, and fresh love. |
| Rom 8:15-16 | The Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship... the Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. | The Spirit's role in affirming sonship and divine relationship. |
| Titus 3:5-6 | He saved us... through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously... | Spirit's role in regeneration and being poured out. |
| Ps 25:3 | No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame... | Hope in God never leading to disappointment. |
| Isa 49:23 | ...then you will know that I am the LORD; those who hope in me will not be disappointed. | God's promise that hope in Him is secure. |
Romans 5 verses
Romans 5 5 Meaning
Romans 5:5 declares that the hope believers have does not disappoint, because God's divine and unconditional love has been lavishly poured into their hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been freely given to them. This verse links the enduring nature of Christian hope directly to the active, indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, who imparts the knowledge and experience of God's love.
Romans 5 5 Context
Romans 5:5 stands within Paul's profound theological argument in the Book of Romans, specifically following the grand declarations of justification by faith in Romans 3-4. Chapter 5 begins by detailing the fruits of this justification: peace with God, access to grace, and rejoicing in hope of the glory of God (5:1-2). Paul then progresses to explain how even suffering plays a role in solidifying this hope, leading to perseverance, character, and ultimately, tested hope (5:3-4). Verse 5 serves as the anchor for this hope, providing the unshakeable foundation: the experiential knowledge of God's love, not through human effort or merit, but through the divine agent, the Holy Spirit. Historically, this countered pagan philosophical ideas that relied on human will or external fate, and Jewish reliance on legal observance for righteousness. Christian hope is distinct, founded on God's active involvement and love, authenticated by the indwelling Spirit.
Romans 5 5 Word analysis
Now hope: (hē elpis de) "Hope" (elpis) in Greek refers to a confident expectation, a strong and positive anticipation of a future good. It is not mere wishful thinking but a confident assurance rooted in God's character and promises. It stands in contrast to the uncertainty of worldly expectations.
does not put us to shame: (ouk kataischynei) "Does not put to shame" (kataischynō) means "to disgrace," "to dishonor," "to disappoint," or "to prove groundless." It implies that the Christian hope will never result in embarrassment or failure. It underscores the certainty of God's promises; one who hopes in Him will never regret it or be proven wrong.
because: (hoti) This introduces the reason or ground for the preceding statement. The unfailing nature of hope is directly tied to God's love.
God's love: (hē agapē tou theou) "God's love" (agapē tou theou) specifically refers to God's unique, unconditional, self-sacrificing, and divine love. It signifies not merely affection but active benevolence and commitment from God towards humanity. It's the nature of God Himself poured out.
has been poured out: (ekkechytai) "Poured out" (ekcheō) is a perfect passive verb, indicating a past action with ongoing results. It signifies an abundant, lavish, and overflowing bestowal, suggesting not a meager portion but an immense, complete, and unceasing flow. This metaphor is often used for divine outpouring (e.g., of the Spirit, Acts 2:17-18).
into our hearts: (en tais kardiais hēmōn) "Hearts" (kardia) refers to the deepest core of a person – the mind, will, emotions, and moral consciousness. It means God's love permeates and fills the very essence of a believer's being, leading to an experiential knowledge, not just intellectual assent.
through the Holy Spirit: (dia Pneumatos Hagiou) "Through" (dia) indicates the means or agent. The Holy Spirit is the divine medium through whom God's love is personally imparted and experienced within believers.
who has been given to us: (tou dothentos hēmin) This emphasizes that the Holy Spirit is a divine gift, freely bestowed by God upon believers. This gifting confirms their adoption as God's children and empowers them for godly living. The Spirit's presence is proof of God's love and the certainty of hope.
"Now hope does not put us to shame because God's love": This phrase directly connects the certainty of Christian hope with the very character of God. The reason hope never disappoints is not human merit or effort, but God's unchanging, abundant, and demonstrated love. This refutes any notion of earned hope.
"God's love has been poured out into our hearts": This highlights the dynamic and experiential nature of receiving God's love. It's not a mere concept but an internal reality, a pervasive presence. The metaphor of "pouring out" conveys abundance and divine initiative, suggesting a lavish and full provision of love that overwhelms and fills the believer. This speaks to the New Covenant reality where God's law and Spirit reside within the believer (Jer 31:33, Ezek 36:26-27).
"through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us": This underscores the critical role of the Third Person of the Trinity in the believer's life. The Holy Spirit is the active agent in applying the love of God, making it a tangible and known reality within the believer's heart. His presence is not temporary but an abiding gift, a down payment or guarantee (Eph 1:13-14), providing ongoing assurance. This gift marks the believer as God's own.
Romans 5 5 Bonus section
The "pouring out" imagery echoes Old Testament prophecies about the outpouring of the Spirit in the Messianic age (Joel 2:28-29; Isa 32:15; Ezek 36:27), signifying the New Covenant reality where God's presence and power dwell intimately within His people. This emphasizes the shift from an external Law to an internal spiritual dynamic, making the love of God an inner strength rather than an abstract doctrine. The reception of the Spirit signifies the fulfillment of God's covenant promises and seals believers as His own (Eph 1:13-14). This internal experience of God's love through the Spirit provides both the motivational force for endurance through suffering and the ultimate guarantee that God will complete what He has started. It implies that true hope is not based on wishful thinking or favorable circumstances, but on a deeply felt, divinely initiated, and sustained connection with God Himself, made real through the Spirit.
Romans 5 5 Commentary
Romans 5:5 serves as a theological anchor for the hope described in the preceding verses, assuring believers that their expectation of God's glory will never prove to be vain. The "hope" here is not a mere wish but a robust, assured anticipation of God's promised future, guaranteed by the very nature of God and His active presence. The core reason this hope is unshakeable is the profound experiential reality of "God's love," specifically agape, His self-giving, unwavering affection, which has been lavishly "poured out" into the believer's inner being. This outpouring is not just a theological concept but an inner, felt reality, saturating the "hearts" or deepest parts of one's consciousness and being. The agency for this profound infusion of divine love is explicitly stated: the Holy Spirit. He is not just an intermediary but the very manifestation and enabler of God's love within believers, given as a perpetual divine gift. The Spirit's indwelling presence is both the sign and the ongoing means by which believers intimately apprehend and appropriate God's boundless affection, thereby making their hope unwavering and resilient even amidst suffering. It moves the concept of hope from an external future promise to an internal, present reality.