Hope (1680) (elpis) in Scripture is not the world's definition of "I hope so", with a few rare exceptions (e.g., Acts 27:20) Hope is defined as a desire for some future good with the expectation of obtaining it. Hope is always an expectation of something good as well as descriptive of something for which we must wait. Hope is the opposite of despair.
See Preceptaustin Related Posts:
Christ Jesus Our Hope
Are You Looking for the Blessed Hope?
The Blessed Hope: Part 1
The Blessed Hope: Part 2
Gabriel Marcel said "Hope is for the soul what breathing is for the living organism." Indeed, a study of concentration camp survivors found that those prisoners who were able to hold onto their sense of hope (‘things are going to get better’ or ‘we’re going to get out of here one day’) were much more likely to survive. Hope then is not optional but for these prisoners proved to be a matter of life and death.
Biblical hope is not "finger crossing", but is alive and certain because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Life without Christ is a hopeless end whereas life in Christ is an endless hope. Biblical hope is confident expectancy. Someone has put it this way "Hope is faith in the future tense." John Blanchard rightly says that "'Hope' is biblical shorthand for unconditional certainty." The Puritan writer Thomas Brooks says that "Hope can (allow us to) see heaven through the thickest clouds."
F F Bruce gives this description of Christian hope...
We are refugees from the sinking ship of this present world order, so soon to disappear; our hope is fixed in the eternal order, where the promises of God are made good to His people in perpetuity.
Hope as the world typically defines it is a desire for some future occurrence of which one is not assured of attaining. The ancient world did not generally regard hope as a virtue, but merely as a temporary illusion. Historians tell us that a great cloud of hopelessness covered the ancient world. Philosophies were empty; traditions were disappearing; religions were powerless to help men face either life or death. People longed to pierce the veil and get some message of hope from the other side, but there is none outside of Christ.
Stephen Renn emphasizes that...
the Christian hope is not based on mere wishful thinking, but on a certain outcome of blessing that is grounded in the finished redemptive work of Jesus Christ. The believer’s explicit hope in God’s finished work of salvation through Christ constitutes the dominant usage of elpis (e.g., Ro 5: 5; 1Co. 9:10; 2Co 3:12; Eph 1:18; Php 1:20; Col. 1:23, 27; 1Th. 5: 8; Heb. 3: 6; 1Pe. 3:15; 1Jn 3: 3). Related to this theme is the Christian hope of resurrection from the dead (Acts 23: 6), and also hope in the promises of God for salvation (cf. Acts 26: 6, 7; Ro 4:18; 8:20). Other uses of the term indicate the hope of sharing God’s glory (cf. Ro 5: 2); hope as a Christian virtue (cf. Ro 5: 4; 1Co. 13:13). See also 2Co. 1: 7; 1Th. 2:19; Gal. 5: 5. The tragedy of the unbeliever who has no hope is cited in Eph. 2:12; 1Th. 4:13. (Expository Dictionary of Bible Words Word Studies for Key English Bible Words Based on the Hebrew And Greek Stephen D. Renn)
Mounce writes that...
Hope is directed toward the future. Once we have received what we have hoped for, hope ceases (Ro 8:24)....Christian hope is strengthened by the Scriptures (Ro 15:4), by the work of Jesus (1Pe 1:3, 21), and by God’s present gift of the Spirit to believers (Ro 5:5). (Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan or Computer version)
NIDNTT notes that...
In secular Greek elpis does not correspond with our word hope, since it is a general word for the anticipation of future events of all kinds, of good (hope) or evil (fear)....Living hope as a fundamental religious attitude was unknown in Greek culture. Admittedly Theognis said, “As long as you live by honoring the gods, hold on to hope!” and Horace called fides (faith, loyalty) the companion of spes (hope). But in the final analysis men had to stand without hope before the hostile forces of guilt and death. Sophocles’ chorus lamented, “The highest remains, never to be brought to life.” Seneca called hope the definition of “an uncertain good”. But deification and immortality promised by the mystery religions were human pipe dreams. (Brown, Colin, Editor. New International Dictionary of NT Theology. 1986. Zondervan or Computer version)
Seneca, Rome's leading intellectual figure, tutor of the depraved emperor Nero (who forced Seneca to commit suicide!) and contemporary of Paul tragically defined hope as “an uncertain good”, the antithesis of Biblical hope! What a difference the new birth in Christ makes in one's perspective. The cynical editor H. L. Mencken also inaccurately defined (biblical) hope as “a pathological belief in the occurrence of the impossible.”
Webster defines hope as a "desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment." In another definition in Webster's 10th Edition we read that hope "implies little certainty but suggests confidence or assurance in the possibility that what one desires or longs for will happen."!!! The 1828 edition of Webster's has this definition of hope...
(1) A desire of some good, accompanied with at least a sight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable. Hope differs from wish and desire in this, that it implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired, or the possibility of possessing it. Hope therefore always gives pleasure or joy; whereas wish and desire may produce or be accompanied with pain and anxiety. (2) Confidence in a future event; the highest degree of well founded expectation of good; as a hope founded on God’s gracious promises; a Scriptural sense. A well founded scriptural hope, is, in our religion, the source of ineffable happiness. (3) That which gives hope; he or that which furnishes ground of expectation, or promises desired good. The hope of Israel is the Messiah. The Lord will be the hope of his people, Joel 3. (4) An opinion or belief not amounting to certainty, but grounded on substantial evidence. The Christian indulges a hope, that his sins are pardoned.
Comment: It is fascinating that definition #2 is no longer present in the newer editions of Webster's Dictionary. One wonders what Noah Webster would have to say about this tendency to diminish the importance of the Bible in defining English words! On the other hand definition #4 almost seems to counter definition #2 and is the antithesis of Christian hope. My goodness, if we don't have a certainty that our sins are pardoned by the finished work of Christ on the Cross, then frankly we are a people who are to be most pitied. Jesus became a perfect Man to become a perfect Sacrificial Lamb and thereby a perfect Redeemer so that He might give "His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins." (Luke 1:77, 24:45-47, Acts 10:45) The Greek word for forgiveness is aphesis (verb = aphíemi from apo = from + hiemi = put in motion, send) describes an action causing separation and was a secular and legal term meaning to repay or cancel a debt. Through the shedding of His blood, Christ took our sins upon Himself and carried them an infinite distance away with no return possible (compare the fate of the scapegoat in Lev 16:21 on the annual Day of Atonement). Thus even this fundamental meaning of forgiveness of separating the sin from the sinner directly counters Webster's 1828 definition #4. Beloved in Christ, the hope that our sins have been pardoned forever is a certainty, a firm foundation for our souls!
Lawrence Richards writes that...
The Bible seldom uses “hope” in (a) doubt-filled way (As in Acts 24:26). Instead, hope focuses attention on God and fills us with eager expectation.
No one who learns to hope in a biblical way will ever be overcome by disappointment but will be filled with patience, encouragement, and enthusiasm...
The NT also shows us that there is a vital need for us to have hope. NT hope has not only an objective content but also a subjective impact. When we fix our eyes on the future that God has in store for us, we taste the wonders of his transforming power. (1Jn 3:3). We are told that “faith and love (Col 1:4)…spring from the hope that is stored up for [us] in heaven” (Col 1:5) and that faith rests “on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised” (Titus 1:2). The NT also associates hope with character. In the NT, character development is linked with patient endurance: doing the right thing despite delay in reaching goals or receiving rewards. So it is particularly significant when we are told that “endurance [is] inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Th 1:3; cf. Ro 5:4–5).
What is more, hope brings us a deep sense of joy (Ro 12:12). With hope we can maintain an optimistic outlook even when things go wrong (1Pe 3:15; cf. 1Pe 3:13-17). Our life will still have its stress and its personal tragedies. But the believer whose hope is in the Lord and who has a grasp of God’s plan will not be overcome. (Richards, L O: Expository Dictionary of Bible Words: Regency or Computer Version - New International Encyclopedia of Bible Words)
Spurgeon...
Oh, what a blessed hope this is, — that, though we fall asleep, we shall surely wake again; and when we awaken, it will be in the likeness of the great Head of the family, and we ourselves shall be heirs of an inheritance in which there will be no sin and no corruption. That inheritance is kept for us, and we are kept for it; so the double keeping makes it doubly sure. Happy are the people to whom these verses apply. (1 Peter 1- Commentary)
Vincent writes that hope
in classical Greek, has the general signification of expectancy, relating to evil as well as to good. Thus Plato speaks of living in evil hope (“Republic,” i., 330); i.e., in the apprehension of evil; and Thucydides, of the hope of evils to come; i.e., the expectation or apprehension. In the New Testament the word always relates to a future good. (Vincent, M. R. Word Studies in the New Testament Vol. 1)
The book of Hebrews defines hope as that which gives "full assurance" (He 6:11-note). Thus we can have strong confidence that God is going to do good to us in future. The opposite of hope is despair, (hopelessness; a hopeless state; a destitution of hope or expectation) which is all that those without Christ as Savior can know, for Paul defines hope as "Christ Jesus, Who is our Hope" (1Ti 1:1). Thus genuine Biblical hope is not a concept but a Person, Christ Jesus!
Hope describes the looking forward to something with a reason for confidence that it will inevitably be fulfilled (cf Titus 2:13-note!!!). In this same chapter Peter used this aspect of the truth of hope to encourage the saints who were suffering for their faith...
Therefore (term of conclusion = on the basis of the salvation and the "living hope" they now possessed) gird your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope (elpizo - verb form of elpis - in the aorist imperative = Do it now! It is our responsibility but it is ONLY possible in submission to and dependence upon the Spirit! cf Php 2:12-note, see especially Php 2:13-note) completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation (apokalupsis) of Jesus Christ." (1Pe 1:13-note)
Comment: Observe that Peter links hope with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, Who will put an end to all suffering for those who are in Him by grace through faith! Hallelujah, what a Savior, what a hope!
Click in depth study of Biblical hope: chart summarizing the definition of hope, the source of hope, the stabilizing effect of hope and sanctifying effect of hope.
ALL THE NT USES
OF ELPIS
Elpis - 53x in 48v in the NAS (The top four books - Romans 13x -25%, Acts 8x - 15%; Heb 5x - 9%, 1Th 4x - 8%) It is interesting that elpis does not appear in the Gospels. And yet the concept/truth expressed in the word elpis does appear because as Paul says it is "Christ Jesus our Hope." (1Ti 1:1 literal translation - there is no verb in the Greek). In short, in the NT, Hope is not just an ideal but is a Person, Jesus Christ, our Peace, our Life, our All in all!
Acts 2:26 'THEREFORE MY HEART WAS GLAD AND MY TONGUE EXULTED; MOREOVER MY FLESH ALSO WILL LIVE IN HOPE;
Comment: This is a quote from Psalm 16:9, specifically from the Septuagint (Greek) version in which the Hebrew word for security (Hebrew = betach = Safety, security, carelessness, place of refuge; feeling of trust, assurance, without care, confidence, hope, secure) is translated with the Greek noun elpis.
Acts 16:19 But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market place before the authorities,
Comment: This is one of the Biblical uses of elpis in which hope is used in a manner that most of the world today uses hope - "I hope so!".
Acts 23:6 But perceiving that one group were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began crying out in the Council, "Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!"
Comment: Observe the juxtaposition of hope and resurrection. Paul as a Pharisee (albeit a born again liberated, not legalistic Pharisee) believed the dead would be raised to life and saw this hope (certainty) realized in and founded upon the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. NET Bible notes that "With an objective genitive construction, the resurrection of the dead would be the ‘object’ of the hope."
Acts 24:15 (Paul on trial before Festus declares) having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.
Comment: Again observe the association of hope with the certainty of a future resurrection. Paul's hope is in God, in His faithfulness to keep all of His promises, in this case His promise to raise the dead.
Acts 26:6 (Paul's defense before King Agrippa) "And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers; 7 the promise to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly serve God night and day. And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by Jews. (For context read Acts 26:6)
Comment: The hope of the promise is the hope of Messiah (His first and second comings, His kingdom) (Ge 3:15, 12:3, 22:18 26:4, 49:10, Dt 18:15 cf Acts 1:6, 3:22-24, Acts 13:32,33) and the good news associated with His appearing that righteousness is available to all who believe (Ro1:16-17).
The hope of the 12 tribes in Acts 26:7 refers to Israel's hope of national deliverance, a deliverance that Paul explains will occur when the Deliverer Himself returns to Zion (Ro 11:26-note) and sets up His Millennial Kingdom at the end of Daniel's Seventieth Week of 7 Years (commonly referred to as the "Tribulation").
Bible Knowledge Commentary: Because Yahweh is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, people must be resurrected in order to receive the promise God made to them. Likewise the promises made to the Jews demand they be resurrected in the coming Messianic Age. (Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., et al: The Bible Knowledge Commentary. 1985. Victor or Logos or Wordsearch)
William MacDonald comments that: The flow of Paul’s argument here seems to be as follows: In the OT God made various covenants with the leaders of Israel, such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and Solomon. The principal covenant had to do with the promise of the Messiah, His coming to deliver the nation of Israel and to reign over the earth. The patriarchs of the OT died without seeing the fulfillment of this promise. Does this mean that God would not carry out the terms of the covenants? He would most assuredly do so! But how could He do it when the fathers were already dead? The answer is, “By raising them from the dead.” Thus, in a very direct way, the apostle links the promises made to the OT saints with the resurrection of the dead. (MacDonald, W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson or Logos)
Acts 27:20 Since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was assailing us, from then on all hope of our being saved was gradually abandoned.
Comment: This is another Biblical uses of elpis in which hope is used in a manner that expresses the idea "I hope so!".
Acts 28:20 "For this reason, therefore, I requested to see you and to speak with you, for I am wearing this chain for the sake of the hope of Israel."
Romans 4:18 In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, "SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE."
Romans 5:2 through Whom (Ro 5:1) also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult (boast) in hope of the glory of God (future glory - His glorious return, our glorification in Him forever). 5:4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5:5 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.
Comment: The hope provides the ground of our exultation. One day we will see Him in all His glory. Until that day we live motivated by this sure, certain hope of seeing His glory. And so even in suffering produced by tribulations we can rejoice and praise God.
How does "proven character" bring about hope? Isn't the answer that when your faith has been tried in affliction, and persevered, and thus proven genuine and authentic you know you are real and not a fake Christian and that gives you hope that you really are a child of God and will inherit his glory. In other words, one of the great obstacles to a full and strong hope in the glory of God is the fear that we are hypocrites - that our faith is not real and that we just inherited it from our parents and have been motivated by things that are not honoring to God. One of the purposes of afflictions in our lives is to give us victory over those fears and make us full of hope and confidence as the children of God.
Simon Kistemaker wrote that "Hope teaches endurance and an eager anticipation of that which will become reality."
Romans 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope
Comment: Where was the hope? Even before the ground was cursed ("subjected to futility") (Ge 3:17), God in His great mercy and grace gave the promise of redemption through a Redeemer through the Seed of a woman (Ge 3:15 = the Messiah) and this great truth provided the firm foundation for hope, which became the basis for the creation’s eager anticipation that Paul is describing (Ro 8:19)
Romans 8:24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes (elpizo) for what he already sees?
Comment: The best is yet to come! The believer does not get frustrated as he sees and experiences suffering and pain in this world. He knows (his hope = a certainty) that the temporary suffering will one day give way to eternal glory. Since the believer's hope is based on God's promise, the completion of his salvation is more certain by far than anything he sees with his eyes.
J. Gresham Machen adds that "The Christian hope is the hope of a time when even the possibility of our sinning will be over. It is not the hope then of a return to the condition of Adam before the Fall but the hope of an entrance into a far higher condition."
Romans 12:12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
Comment: What is this hope in which causes us to be continually rejoicing? Hope of future salvation - The coming of our Savior, the redemption of our bodies, and our eternal glory - These truths energize present joy. Calvin said that Paul warns us against remaining content with earthly joys and counseled us to “raise our minds to heaven, that we may enjoy full and solid joy.” The reality of that (future) hope brings (present) joy. This hope of salvation is the most effective way of producing patience under present sufferings, for if we feel “that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Ro 8:18), it will be less difficult to bear them patiently.
Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
Thomas Manton wrote: What an excellent ground of hope and confidence we have when we reflect upon these three things in prayer—the Father's love, the Son's merit and the Spirit's power!
Romans 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Comment: God is the Source of hope which is distributed if you will by the Holy Spirit. Is it any wonder that when we willfully sin against God and grieve and quench the Spirit, that our Christian hope often flags to the point that we even question the certainty of our salvation! Oh, how vitally important that we quickly confess and repent our sins against His holiness! (Cf, Pr 28:13, 1Jn 1:9, Ps 32:3-4)
1 Corinthians 9:10 Or is He speaking altogether for our sake? Yes, for our sake it was written, because the plowman ought to plow in hope, and the thresher to thresh in hope of sharing the crops.
1 Corinthians 13:13 But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Comment: The triad of "faith, hope and love" is common in the NT - 1Th 5:8; Gal 5:5, 6; 1Cor 13:13; Eph 4:2–5; Col 1:4, 5; Heb 10:22–24; 1Pet 1:21-22. Richard Sibbes links faith and hope noting that "The nature of hope is to expect that which faith believes."
2 Corinthians 1:7 and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.
Comment: The same wonderful promise is repeated often in the New Testament epistles (Romans 8:18; 2 Corinthians 4:17; 1 Peter 4:13).
2 Corinthians 3:12 Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech,
Comment: For the gist of Paul's hope read 2Cor 3:4-11. In brief, his hope is in the New Covenant in which we are given the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. We should all frequently meditate on the better New Covenant promises (better than the Old Covenant) to allow this truth to renew our minds and give us a Spirit endued boldness (cp Acts 4:31, see Acts 9:17 and Acts 9:27-28, 14:3, 19:8). See Related Resources: Covenant: New Covenant in the Old Testament ; Covenant: Why the New is Better; Covenant: Abrahamic vs Old vs New.
2 Corinthians 10:15 not boasting beyond our measure, that is, in other men's labors, but with the hope that as your faith grows, we will be, within our sphere, enlarged even more by you,
Comment: Here "hope" is used in the sense of "hope so."
Galatians 5:5 For (term of explanation - What is Paul is explaining? He has just addressed the futility and the spiritual "dead end" of those who seek righteousness via their works - see Gal 5:4) we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting (apekdechomai) for the hope of righteousness.
Comment: While all believers are justified (declared righteous) by grace through faith, righteousness according to this verse is our hope (certainty), not our full present reality.
John MacArthur: Paul here mentions three characteristics of the godly life, the life that continues to live by the grace through which salvation was received. First of all, it is a life lived through the Spirit rather than the flesh. Second, it is a life lived by faith rather than works. And third, it is a life lived in patient waiting and hope rather than in the anxious uncertainty of bondage to the law. (MacArthur, J. Galatians. Chicago: Moody Press or Logos or Wordsearch)
John Piper: The hope and confidence of every Christian is that at the end of the world, when he stands before the Judge of the universe, the verdict he will hear is “righteous.” And the point of this verse is that the only way to hear that verdict is to wait for it through the Spirit, not the flesh, and by faith, not by works. That’s the main point of Gal 3:1–5, indeed, of the whole book. So let’s listen carefully to Gal 3:1–5 and let the Lord teach us how to live through the Spirit by faith rather than through the flesh by works. For as Paul says in Romans 8:13, “Those who live according to the flesh will die.” (Can You Begin by the Spirit and Be Completed by the Flesh)
Ephesians 1:18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
Comment: We should pray to be enabled to see and savor our present hope which is based on past calling. Our sure hope for the future is based on the fact that God has called us to salvation through election. Instead of grumbling about "election", we need to pray that God would enlighten our hearts to the wonder of the fact that we are recipients of so great a salvation!
Ephesians 2:12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
Comment: Unregenerate men put their faith in man not the God-Man and thus are hopeless. As Don Basham put it the believer's "hope lies not in the man we put on the moon, but in the man we put on the cross." Life separate from Christ is a hopeless end, but life in oneness with Christ results in an endless hope. John W White adds that "The world hopes for the best, but Jesus Christ offers the best hope."
Related Resource: Hope Springs Eternal - Devotional
Feodor Dostoevski wrote: "Totally without hope one cannot live." To live without hope is to cease to live. Hell is hopelessness. It is no accident that above the entrance to Dante's hell is the inscription: "Leave behind all hope, you who enter here."
Ephesians 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;
John MacArthur: Believers are also unified in the one hope of their calling. Our calling to salvation is ultimately a calling to Christlike eternal perfection and glory. In Christ we have different gifts, different ministries, different places of service, but only one … calling, the calling to “be holy and blameless before Him” (Eph. 1:4) and “to become conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29), which will occur when we see the glorified Christ (1 John 3:2). It is the Spirit who has placed us in the one Body and who guarantees our future glory. (MacArthur, J: Ephesians. Chicago: Moody Press or Logos or Wordsearch)
Philippians 1:20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
Colossians 1:5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven (cf 1Pe 1:4), of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel
John MacArthur has an excellent note: One result of our hope is a willingness to sacrifice the present on the altar of the future. That runs contrary to human nature. Young children, for example, have a difficult time waiting for something they want. My father warned me repeatedly while I was growing up not to sacrifice the future on the altar of the immediate. The world wants what it wants now. The Christian has a different perspective. He is willing to forsake the present glory, comfort, and satisfaction of this present world for the future glory that is his in Christ. In contrast to the “buy now—pay later” attitude prevalent in the world, the Christian is willing to pay now and receive it later. What makes Christians willing to make such sacrifices? Hope, based on faith (cf 2Cor 5:7, Col 2:6) that the future holds something far better than the present. (MacArthur, J. Colossians. Chicago: Moody Press or Logos or Wordsearch)
Colossians 1:23 if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.
Comment: Notice that Paul teaches that a genuine believer will continue in the faith and that the hope of the Gospel anchors us. He is not implying a believer can lose their salvation or that we need to do certain things to keep it. Believers are enabled to "keep" their salvation (cf Jude 1:21) because they are "kept by God!" (Jude 1:1) So fight that sense of hopelessness that can so easily discourage any of us -- fight it by taking up the Word of Truth, the truth of hope of the Gospel, the absolute certainty that we will one day be glorified and forever like Christ (1Jn 3:2)! Biblical hope is a great antidote for the sense of hopelessness that permeates our fallen world.
Piper adds: And there is no sweeter message of hope in all the world than to hear God announce that when you get up in the morning miserable and depressed with a sense of guilt and estrangement before a holy God, you can go to bed that very night—this very night—with a quiet and peaceful heart knowing that every sin you have ever committed and ever will commit is forgiven and you are reconciled to the Almighty by the death of his Son. That’s the free offer of the Gospel! (Why Hope Gospel!)
Colossians 1:27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Comment: Christ is in us in the form of His Spirit (Ro 8:9) Who indwells us and serves as a seal and a down payment (cf Eph 1:13-14, 4:30) which guarantees our hope or certainty of future glory.
1 Thessalonians 1:3 constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father,
Comment: What does hope secure for us as believers in this passage? Is not our Christian hope our firm foundation for perseverance or remaining stedfast in a world system that seeks to sweep us off our feet spiritually speaking? Note again the Source of hope is not a concept nor an idea but the Person of Christ! Thus the more we know Him and the power of His resurrection, the greater will be our hope, our confidence, our certainty. As the NET Bible Note succinctly summarizes, Paul's "staccato-like" phrases describe "the work produced by faith, labor motivated by love, and endurance that stems from hope in Christ."
John Bunyan wrote that: Hope has a thick skin and will endure many a blow; it will put on patience as a vestment, it will wade through a sea of blood, it will endure all things if it be of the right kind, for the joy that is set before it. Hence patience is called “patience of hope,” because it is hope that makes the soul exercise patience and long-suffering under the cross, until the time comes to enjoy the crown.
Illustration of Power of Hope: In 1965, naval aviator James B. Stockdale became one of the first American pilots to be shot down during the Vietnam War. As a prisoner of the Vietcong, he spent seven years as a P.O.W., during which he was frequently tortured in an attempt to break him and get him to denounce the U.S. involvement in the war. He was chained for days at a time with his hands above his head so that he could not even swat the mosquitoes. Today, he still cannot bend his left knee and walks with a severe limp from having his leg broken by his captors and never reset. One of the worst things done to him was that he was held in isolation away from the other American P.O.W.s and allowed to see only his guards and interrogators. How could anyone survive seven years of such treatment? As he looks back on that time, Stockdale says that it was his hope that kept him alive. Hope of one day going home, that each day could be the day of his release. Without hope, he knew that he would die in hopelessness, as others had done. Such is the power of hope that it can keep one alive when nothing else can. (Illustrations for Biblical Preaching: Over 1500 sermon illustrations)
1 Thessalonians 2:19 For (term of explanation - What is Paul is explaining? He is referring to the saints at Thessalonica in whose lives he played a vital role - 1Th 2:13, 17-18) who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?
1 Thessalonians 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
Comment: Unbelievers have no hope of a future resurrection to eternal life. Dr. Victor Frankl, an Austrian psychiatrist, observed that a prisoner did not continue to live very long after hope was lost. But even the slightest ray of hope—the rumor of better food; a whisper about an escape—helped some of the camp inmates to continue living even under systematic horror (Man's Search for Meaning).
1 Thessalonians 5:8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.
Comment: Scriptures such as this one repeatedly link our character ("day people") with our conduct. What we are should always determine how we act. In short we are "day people" and should act accordingly. In other words, while believers will always be "day people," because of our fallen flesh nature inherited from Adam, we can still fall into the trap of doing deeds done by night (unregenerate) people (at least for a period of time). How can one be sober (spiritually alert) in a world that makes us "drunk" with assorted "intoxicating" temptations and pleasures that appeal to our old flesh nature? Putting on our spiritual armor is key. The helmet is a picture of our hope (our absolute assurance that God will do good to us in the future - future tense salvation - glorification) which protects our mind from fiery missiles of doubt about our salvation. Focusing on the certainty of our future glory, serves to protect us from temptation in the present!
2 Thessalonians 2:16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace,
Comment: Good hope is a gift of God's grace. Beloved, that should take the "pressure" off! Our future is guaranteed not by our efforts but by God's grace, His totally undeserved favor. (Cf grace in Ro 11:6, 2Ti 1:9, 1Cor 15:10, Acts 18:27)
John Piper: Why are you downcast, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God. For he is a God of matchless grace. He elects by grace. He calls by grace. He sanctifies by grace. He sustains faith by grace. And he will glorify you by grace. You cannot earn it or deserve it or merit it. It is free. Believe it. Rest in it. Delight in it. And it is yours. (Why Hope? Grace!)
1 Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, Who is (in italics because not in original Greek) our hope,
Comment: Hope is not a vague, abstract concept but ultimately finds its essence in a Person, Christ Jesus. As J C Ryle said "From Christ's death flow all our hopes."
Titus 1:2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,
Comment: Paul is NOT saying eternal life is a "I hope I go to heaven when I die" type mindset I hear so often when I share the Gospel. What Paul IS saying is that every genuine believer can have an absolute assurance that when they take their last breath, they will instantly be in the presence of their Lord forever (2Cor 5:8-note). That's the sound (healthy) doctrinal truth about Biblical hope!
Titus 2:13-note looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
Comment: Our hope is that Christ is coming back! Remember that God considers the truth of the Second Coming as a most important doctrine, for it is alluded to (directly or indirectly) in about one of every 20 NT verses! What you are looking for will (should) determine what you are living for!
Ray Stedman: One of the great reasons the church is so confused in this day, one of the reasons the church says so little of true significance to the world, is that it has neglected and abandoned, by and large, the hope of the coming of the Lord. There are very few sermons preached on it. There is very little said about it. There is no time given to a consideration of what this hope means and why it is set forth so frequently and so clearly in the Scriptures. Great sections of the Scriptures that deal with the hope of our Lord's return are simply ignored by Christians. (Defense Against Defeat, Part 3 Ephesians 6:17)
Titus 3:7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Hebrews 3:6 but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house-- whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.
Comment: Holding fast one's hope does not save, but is evidence that one is truly saved.
Hebrews 6:11 And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end,
Comment: Here we see a "mini" definition of hope = full assurance (until the end).
Hebrews 6:18 so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us.
Comment: In context, hope is like an anchor of our souls (see Heb 6:19-20) in the midst of the tumult and dangers of this present world. No matter what tribulation or trial or temptation that assaults our mind, we can cling to the absolute assurance that God will do good to us in the future.
“Hope is like an anchor. Our hope in Christ stabilizes us in the storms of life, but unlike an anchor, it does not hold us back.”
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