As I mentioned in Part 1, the Bible speaks of Hope as having a confident expectation and trust in God’s goodness and His promises. Biblical Hope is not “wishful thinking,” but a steady expectation of God’s faithfulness.
And last week in Part 2, we noted that along with faith and love, Hope is an enduring virtue of the Christian life and one of the top three “Christian Virtues,”
“Now abiding faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13)
And interestingly, even though the greatest of the virtues is love, Paul makes an interesting statement to the Christians in Colossae, saying,
“…faith and love spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven” (Colossians 1:5).
Wow! The Christian virtues of Faith and Love are “activated” by the Hope that we have in Christ who grants us eternal life, “stored up” for us in heaven.
Furthermore, as we noted last week, our faith is grounded in the promises of God, as the writer of Hebrews says,
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).
As we concluded Part 2, we asked the question: “WHAT IS THE CONTENT OF THE HOPE THAT WE PROFESS?” I discovered that there are actually FIVE different aspects of our hope, and we will dive into these now in Part 3.
- THE RETURN OF CHRIST
Regarding the Second Coming of Christ, Paul wrote to Titus, encouraging his congregation to live godly lives…,
“…while we wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ…” (Titus 2:12-13).
Indeed, the Return of Christ was the “blessed hope” of the Church during the 40-year Period of Covenantal Transition (AD 30-70) in the first century.
- ETERNAL LIFE
The Apostle Peter tells us that our Hope is a “living hope” that is connected with Jesus’ resurrection and our possession of eternal life,
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Who, according to His abundant mercy, has given us a new and living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you…” (1 Peter 1:3).
Furthermore, the Apostle Paul wrote to the young pastor Titus that,
“…having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7).
He also wrote to Titus regarding,
“…the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time” (Titus 1:2).
Did you catch that? Paul tells us that God’s plan for His children to possess eternal life was carved in stone “before the beginning of time.”
- OUR OWN RESURRECTION
Our Hope is also grounded in our own resurrection after our physical body dies. Standing before the Sanhedrin, the Apostle Paul stated,
“I am on trial because of the hope in the resurrection of the dead” (Acts 23:6).
And before King Agrippa Paul said,
“And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our ancestors that I am on trial today. This is the promise that our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled…” (Acts 26:6-7).
Interestingly, Paul did not say that his Hope was grounded in the imminent Rapture of the Church, but in the Resurrection of the Dead! We may take some time to dive into this at some later time.
- BEING LIKE CHRIST
To the church in Colossae, Paul wrote about the Hope of our future glory that is rooted in the mystery of Christ living in us,
“The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them, God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:26-27).
And, in his general letter to the churches, the Apostle John wrote,
“But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see Him as he is. All who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:2).
The biblical evidence points to the fact that when Jesus entered heaven after His ascension, His “resurrection” body that was fit for earth was replaced with His “glorified” body that was perfectly fit for the spiritual realm in heaven. Therefore, I understand these words of John to mean that our Hope is to receive glorified bodies like Christ has after we die.
- CHRISTIAN MATURITY
I’m sure that we have all experienced times when having Hope is vital to our “survival” and “well-being.” The Apostle Paul reminds us that during difficult and challenging times, one of the qualities that is produced in us is Hope, because
“…suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope” (Romans 5:3–4).
Yes, it’s through suffering that we grow in many spiritual virtues that are necessary for our maturity, including Hope.
As we wrap up our survey of the Disposition of Hope, I’d like us to remember that although the Apostle Paul tells us that “Love” is the greatest of the Christian virtues, both “… faith and love spring from the hope that is stored up for us in heaven” (Colossians 1:5). In other words, we have faith because of the things that we hope for that are not seen, and we can love others because of the hope that we have in Christ and in the promises that He has given us.
May the Lord bless each of you today. I hope to see you next week as we dive into our last “Disposition of the Heart.” I’ll let you know what it is next week.
Sincerely, Jim Price
