Romans 5:5

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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 (NKJV)

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 (NIV)

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 (KJV)

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 (NLT)

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 (ESV)

and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 5:5 (NASB)

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

and this hope [this confident assurance] does not disappoint us, because the love of God has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 5:5 (AMP)

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.

Romans 5:5 (AMPC)

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMPC), Copyright © 1954, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary, we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!

Romans 5:5 (MSG)

Scripture quotations from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.

New Covenant Meaning

Hope Does Not Disappoint Because the Love Is Already Inside You

Paul does not say hope does not disappoint because things always work out the way you expect. He says it does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out (past tense, completed action) in your heart by the Holy Spirit. The basis of unshakeable hope is not optimistic circumstances but the presence of God's love already deposited inside you. Your hope is secured not by what is happening around you but by what God has already done in the interior of your life.

Ekcheo: This Is an Outpouring, Not a Trickle

The Greek word ekcheo means to pour out, to shed, to overflow. It is the same word used for the pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost in Acts 2:17, and it is used for the shedding of blood. This is the language of abundant, overflowing provision, not measured distribution. The love of God in your heart is not your emotional feeling toward God. It is God's own love placed inside you as a permanent deposit. The Spirit who was given to us is a completed gift, already received, already in place.

The love of God poured into your heart is not something you generate by loving God more consistently. It is the agape of God Himself, His own love, placed inside you by the Spirit as a permanent reality. This is why your hope does not disappoint: its foundation is not your faith level or your spiritual consistency. Its foundation is the love of God, already poured into you, already present, already operative, regardless of what today looks like.

Application for Your Life

Your Hope Is Not Based on Optimism. It Is Based on a Deposit.

Optimistic hope can be disappointed when circumstances turn. New Covenant hope cannot disappoint because it is not built on circumstances. It is built on the love of God already poured into your heart by the Spirit. When circumstances are hard, your hope is not shaken because your hope is not in the circumstances. It is in the presence of God's love already inside you. You are not waiting for God's love to arrive. It has already been poured out.

The Spirit Who Was Given to You Is Already at Work

Romans 5:5 says the Holy Spirit was given to us. Past tense. Completed gift. The same Spirit who produces hope in you is the same Spirit who bears witness with your spirit, who pours out the love of God, who gives you access to everything God has freely provided. You do not need to earn more of the Spirit. You have been given the Spirit. The question is not how to receive more but how to live from what has already been given.

Prayer Based on This Verse

Father, Your Word says that hope does not disappoint, and I receive that as a statement about the ground I stand on, not just a feeling I am supposed to generate. The love of God has been poured out in my heart by the Holy Spirit who was given to me. I receive that as a completed fact, not a future promise. Your love is already inside me, already at work, already present. My hope is not in my circumstances being favorable. My hope is in You, and You have already made Yourself at home in my heart. I choose to live from that reality today. In Jesus' name. Amen.