Romans 4-5 (The Daily Walk Bible).

Romans 4 makes it abundantly clear: salvation doesn’t come from works. It’s all about faith!

Abraham’s circumcision is a foreshadowing of baptism in the Christian life: “the circumcision ceremony was a sign that Abraham already had faith” (4:11). Baptism doesn’t save, but is a sign of belief.

How hard is 5:3 to do? “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.” But we should rejoice, because endurance builds character, and character builds hope. Perhaps we build spiritual maturity best during difficult times. At the very least, difficult times reveal how mature we really are.