HOPE confident expectancy. In the Bible, the word hope stands for both the act of hoping (Rom.:4:18; 1 Cor.:9:10) and the thing hoped for (Col. 1:5; 1 Pet. 1:3). Hope does not arise from the individuals desires or wishes but from God, who is Himself the believers hope: My hope is in You (Ps. 39:7). Genuine hope is not wishful thinking, but a firm assurance about things that are unseen and still in the future (Rom.:8:24;Heb.:11:1, 7). Hope distinguishes the Christian from the unbeliever, who has no hope (Eph.:2:12; 1 Thess.:4:13). Indeed, a Christian is one in whom hope resides (1 Pet.:3:15; 1 John:3:3). In contrast to Old Testament hope, the Christian hope is superior (Heb.:7:19). Christian hope comes from God (Rom.:15:13) and especially His calling (Eph.:1:18; 4:4), His grace (2 Thess. 2:16), His Word (Rom. 15:4) and His gospel (Col.:1:23). Hope is directed toward God (Acts 24:15; 1 Pet. 1:21) and Christ (1 Thess.:1:3; 1 Tim.:1:1). Its appropri-ate objects are eternal life (Titus:1:2; 3:7), salvation (1 Thess. 5:8), righteousness (Gal. 5:5), the glory of God (Rom.:5:2;Col.:1:27), the appearing of Christ (Titus 2:13) and the resurrection from the dead (Acts:23:6; 26:67).
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 22:51:34 +0000