Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #66 - Such Hope

We must apologize for neglecting to post any new studies since August due to some scheduling changes in my life and ministry.  We do intend on finishing out this study on the word "hope" as it is used in the Bible but our posts may not be as regular as they once were.  In our last two postings we were discussing the believer's hope as a personal possession - "having hope", yet not as a hope placed in ourselves but in the Lord - "the God of hope".  There was a trio of verses on hope that were mentioned in these studies that we wanted to come back to:

II Corinthians 3:12 - "Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech ..."

Hebrews 6:19 - "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast ..."

I Peter 3:15 - "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you ..."

These three verses were written by three different inspired authors (unless the Apostle Paul also wrote the Book of Hebrews)  and yet speak of a common hope that all Christians may inwardly possess; a hope we have; a hope that is in you.  In the first verse, the Apostle Paul wrote that such hope impacts the believer's speech - this is hope asserted and confidently declared.  In the passage from Hebrews we are told that our hope in Christ anchors the believer's soul - this is hope assuring.  Then in the third verse the Apostle Peter admonishes us that our hope is to be confidently defended in the midst of the believer's suffering - this is hope's bold answer (literally, an apologetic in defense of our hope).   We want to consider each of these passages in more detail.  First, the bold assertion of the Christian's hope.  In the context of II Corinthians chapter three we find the Apostle Paul making a strong contrast between the ministry of the letter of the law and the ministry of the spirit of the gospel (see verses 6-11).  At least four contrasts are given between the message of the Old Testament and that of the New.  J. Sidlow Baxter gives these as follows:

1.  The old covenant was that of the "letter" (the "letter engraven on stones" - vs. 7); the new covenant is that of the Spirit (3:6).

2.  The old covenant was a ministration of death; the new is a ministration of life.  "The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life" (3:6).

3.  The old covenant was one of condemnation; the new is a ministration of righteousness (3:9).

4.  The old covenant was transitory; the new is permanent - "that which remaineth" (3:11).

All of these things are a part of the glory of the New Testament that is described by Paul in the following ways:  "rather glorious" (vs.8); "exceed(s) in glory" (vs.9); "glory that excelleth" (vs.10); "much more ... glorious" (vs.11).  Can we fail to miss his point?  The Gospel is a glorious message filled with glorious hope!

All of this precedes our text in verse 12:  "Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech."  That little word "such" ties this verse to all that has gone before.  The Greek word "such" is used very much the way we use it in English - to emphasize and define.  We might say, "She is such a nice person", or "That is such a good idea."  Strong states that it literally means "truly this", i.e. "of this sort" (to denote character or individuality).  Thayer defines it to mean "such as this, of this kind or sort".  In other words, it is not just any hope that Paul is writing about, it is this particular kind of hope found in the Gospel.  We may also note verse 4 - "And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward." Only such trust produces such hope!  And such a hope is to be boldly and plainly asserted:  "Seeing we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech."  Paul had great confidence in the power of the Gospel and in the certainty of the hope it offers the believer.  This is not a message to hide or to timidly conceal.  Nor does it need to be accommodated or modified to appease the crowd.  It is to be declared boldly, openly, plainly and confidently!  "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ:  for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth ... For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith:  as it is written, The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:16,17).

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #65 - The God of Hope

We wanted to pick up where we left off in our last post with a reference to Romans 15:13 - "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."  We have considered the subject of "abounding in hope" found in this verse in a previous post (3/9/2014).  It is evident from this verse that God is the Source or Origin of the believer's hope - apart from God there is no true hope in this life or in eternity.  Those who are "without God" are without hope in the true sense of the word (Ephesians 2:12).  But this verse also speaks of God as the Object of the believer's hope - the One in whom we hope as well as the One from whom we are given hope.  This brings us back to the distinction we attempted to make in our last post between the possession of hope (our subjective hope) and the placement of hope (our objective hope).  And so we wanted to pursue this aspect of hope a little further.  There is at least one verse in Scripture that combines our "having" or "possessing" hope with the "placement" of our hope in God, or more specifically in Christ Jesus:  "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable" (I Corinthians 15:19).  As believers we have hope, but only because we have hope in Christ!  It is evident from this verse that the believer's hope in Christ is a reality "in this life" but that it also extends beyond this life to our resurrection and glorification in eternity.  Some might piously state in the context of the relatively easy life of modern American Christianity that they would gladly live for Christ even if there was no heaven or hell, but in the context of the almost daily sufferings of the first century Christians the Apostle Paul spurned the idea of any hope that was not eternal!  How miserable was his earthly life compared to my own, but how joyful was his eternal hope in Christ!  Try reading the end of the chapter with that thought in mind and rejoice with Paul as he writes, "But thanks be unto God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (I Corinthians 15:51-58).  Yes, our hope is real because Christ is real; Our hope is eternal because Christ is eternal; Our hope is certain because it is centered in Christ!  There are three prepositions used in the Greek New Testament to describe this placement of hope in the Person of Christ as our Lord and our God:  unto (eis), upon (epi), and in (en).  We do not state this in order to make some artificial distinction between believing in Christ versus believing on Christ as some have done (while such a distinction may be made in certain contexts it is not based upon the choice of the Greek preposition alone).  But we should note that all three prepositions are employed by the Holy Spirit to emphasize the various aspects of our hope in Christ (not just for the sake of variety).  According to Thayer's Greek Lexicon we may observe the following distinctions:

1)  hope directed toward God (expressed by the preposition eis) - "... that your faith and hope might be in (Greek unto) God" (I Peter 1:21).  This distinction is lost in the English translation.  Other verses include II Corinthians 1:10 and I Peter 3:5 where the Greek word hope (elpis) is translated as "trust".

2)  hope placed upon God (expressed by the preposition epi) - "And every man that hath this hope in him (that is, in Christ) purifieth himself, even as he (Christ) is pure" (I John 3:3).  Again the distinction is lost in the English translation.  The point of the verse is not that we have a hope within us (which is also true), but that we have our hope placed upon the Lord Jesus Christ.  Again we found two more verses with this preposition where the Greek word hope (elpis) is translated as "trust" - I Timothy 4:10; 6:17.

3)  hope resting in God (expressed by the preposition en) - "If in this life only we have hope in Christ ..." (I Corinthians 15:19).  Which brings us back to where we began!  But if these statements were not plain enough, the Apostle Paul gives us one more statement that makes it unmistakeably clear that our hope is found in Christ alone, by way of his own personal testimony of faith as expressed in I Timothy 1:1 (made even more forceful by omitting the added italicized words of the KJV):

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ

by the commandment of God our Savior,

and Lord Jesus Christ,

Our Hope

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #64 - Having Hope

Thus far in our studies in the New Testament on the word "hope" we have primarily been looking at the "objective" side of the believer's hope, that is, at the objects that make up the hope of the Christian:  salvation, eternal life, resurrection, glorification, etc.  In this sense we may state with the Scriptures that our hope is "laid up" for us "in heaven" (Colossians 1:5).  In other Scriptures we find the "subjective" side of hope, that our hope in another sense also resides in us.  E.W. Bullinger noted that "hope" may be either objective or subjective.  He described our subjective hope as "a well-grounded expectation and a gladly and firmly held prospect of future good" and our objective hope as "the expected good, that for which we hope."  I Peter 3:15 exhorts the suffering believer to "sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear."  This speaks of the hope of the Christian as an inward possession.  In other passages this aspect of hope is simply described as "having hope".  For example:

Romans 15:4 - "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope."

II Corinthians 3:12 - "Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech."

Hebrews 6:9 - "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil."

This "having hope" or the inward possession of hope is a privilege unknown to the unbeliever.  Twice we read of those who "have no hope":  

Ephesians 2:12 - "That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world." 

I Thessalonians 4:13 - "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope."

These verses do not speak of the vain and imaginary "hopes" that men may have (some "hopes" are purely human in origin), but of the true and genuine hope that comes from believing in Christ (the Christian hope).  The Christian possesses an inward hope that does not originate in himself.  The possession is inward but the source and placement is outward, or better yet, God-ward.  The reason an unbeliever has no such hope is because he is "without Christ" and "without God" (Ephesians 2:12).  It is impossible to speak of the subjective hope of the Christian apart from their objective hope in God and His Word.  Thus the very first passage we cited that speaks of "having hope" points to the source of that hope as being found in the "patience" (i.e. perseverance or endurance) and "comfort" (or possibly admonition) we are taught by the Scriptures (Romans 15:4).  And the verse following that immediately attributes the granting of such patience and comfort that allows us to "have hope" to "The God of patience and consolation" (Romans 15:5).  Therefore the possession of hope is directly related to the placement of hope in God and His Word.  Our subjective hope is only as good as our Object of hope! 

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing,

that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."

Romans 15:13

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #63 - The Hope of Eternal Life (Part III)

This is our third post on the subject of the hope of eternal life as referred to in Paul's epistle to Titus:  "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world (or this age) began;" (Titus 1:2); and, "That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:7).  In our last post we left off by noting that the Biblical concept of "life" often includes much more than the thought of mere animal existence, but involves the possession of "life real and genuine ... a happy life and every kind of blessing" (Thayer).  We wanted to explore this idea a little further.  There is a great contrast presented in the Bible not only between the life of the believer and the unbeliever in eternity (which we have already discussed), but in the quality of life possessed by the saved and the unsaved in this present world.  For example, the Bible describes the condition of the unbeliever as being "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1,5).  Likewise, "But she that liveth in (sinful) pleasure is dead while she liveth" (I Timothy 5:6).  Just as we have considered the "death" of the unredeemed in hell as meaning separation from God for all eternity, so the unsaved sinner is spiritually dead or spiritually separated from God even while he is physically alive in this world.  There is no true life apart from being in fellowship with God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ!  But once we have accepted Christ as our Savior and Lord, He imparts spiritual life unto us and we are spiritually born:  "And you hath he quickened (made truly alive) who were dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1,5).  The Bible presents this "quickening" under three figures:  1) Regeneration or the New Birth (John 1:13; 3:3); 2) Resurrection or being "made alive" in Christ (John 5:25; Romans 6:13; Colossians 3:1); and 3) Re-creation or becoming a new creature (II Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:10).  Thus the eternal life of the believer begins at conversion and lasts for eternity.  The present aspects of eternal life are described in numerous passages of scripture, in both the Old and New Testaments.  In Psalm 73:24-24 Asaph wrote:  "Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory."  In John 17:3 Christ said: "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."  John Walvoord commented on this verse by noting that "eternal life is described in its experiential aspect of knowing God and having fellowship with God through his Son, Jesus Christ" (emphasis mine).  This is what the Lord Jesus meant when He said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).  This is an echo of the cry of Wisdom in the book of Proverbs:  "For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.  But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul:  all they that hate me love death" (Proverbs 8:35,36).  It is a profitable study just to look at all the verses in the Bible where "life" means so much more than merely "being alive" but that is beyond the scope of this post.  But we must also note that the gift of eternal life means much more than merely existing forever. Unger speaks to this matter very plainly:  "Life is endless in every human being, saved or unsaved.  Natural life has a beginning but no end.  For the saved it involves eternal life or endless union and fellowship with God.  For the unsaved it involves eternal existence in separation from God.  (Eternal life) must not be confused with mere endless existence ... it involves the endless continuance and perfection of blessedness and communion with God ..." (emphasis mine).  Thus the Psalmist wrote:  "Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Psalm 16:11).  Some of the "pleasures" the believer will enjoy for all eternity are described as "everlasting habitations" (Luke 16:9); an "eternal inheritance" (Hebrews 9:15); "eternal glory" (I Peter 5:10); and participation in an "everlasting kingdom" (II Peter 1:11).  Quoting Unger once again, "Immortality, then, is not simply a future conscious condition, however prolonged, but a state of deliverance, of bliss, due to redemption and the possession of a glorified body, united to the soul and the spirit ... a glorified body that is immortal, deathless, painless and sinless ..." (emphasis mine).  So much more could be said about this indescribable gift of eternal life promised to those who will receive it by faith in Christ.  But we will close this post with the invitation and ultimatum that God gave to mankind long ago:  "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life ... that thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for He is thy life ..."  (Deuteronomy 30:19,20). 

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #62 - The Hope of Eternal Life (Part II)

In our last post we looked at the promise of eternal life granted by God's grace to those who have believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Titus1:2; 3:7).  But what exactly does this promise mean?  As John Walvoord states, "Both the terms 'eternal' and 'life' are difficult to define except descriptively" (Evangelical Dictionary of Theology).  The phrase "eternal life" is made up of two Greek words:  "aionios" (eternal) and "zoa" (life).  The Greek word "aionios" according to Thayer's Greek Lexicon may mean: 1) without beginning or end, that which always has been and always will be; 2) without beginning; or 3) without end, never to cease, everlasting.  In the first meaning it is used only of God (Romans 16:26).  The second meaning is found in our text in Titus 1:2 and is translated by the KJV as "before the world began".  This speaks of the "eternal promise" of God found in the Gospel which was established in the eternal counsels of God before the beginning of time (or the ages).  It is the third usage that is applied to the life of the believer both presently and after physical death.  John 3:36 states: "He that believeth on the Son hath (as a present possession) everlasting life:  and he that believeth not the Son shall not see (now or in the future) life; but the wrath of God abideth (now and forever) on him."  Those who refuse the gift of eternal life in this world will never experience it after death.  This is the "perishing" that is spoken of in John 3:16 that is only escaped through faith in Christ:  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  There is everlasting life and there is everlasting death:  "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).  "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.  This is the second death.  And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:14,15).  Death in the Bible never means "to cease to exist" but always refers to a "separation" of some sort.  Physical death is the separation of the soul from the body.  Spiritual death is the separation of the soul from God.  And the second death is the eternal separation of the unsaved from God in hell:  "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power" (II Thessalonians 1:9).  The Lord Jesus made it very clear that everyone will live forever somewhere, either in heaven or in hell.  No one simply ceases to exist after this life is over:  "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal" (Matthew 25:46).  The words "everlasting" and "eternal" are exactly the same in the Greek text.  You cannot limit the one and not the other.  Both the believer's life in heaven and the unbeliever's punishment in hell are eternal and without end!  Leon Morris wrote:  "In the NT there is no indication that the punishment of sin ever ceases."  And so, at the very least, the promise of eternal life includes the believer's escape from the eternal penalty of hell.  But there is even more in this promise of eternal life that is implied in the very word "life" as it is used in the Bible. Once again we may cite Thayer on the meaning of the Greek word "zoa". While this word may refer to the mere physical life or animation of the body, it is also used in the New Testament to refer to "life real and genuine ... a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last forever" (Thayer's Greek Lexicon).  It is this expanded definition of "life" that we wish to explore in our next post.

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #61 - The Hope of Eternal Life

In our last post we considered the hope of salvation in its past, present and future aspects.  One of the future aspects of the believer's salvation is the hope of eternal life in heaven with God.  This aspect of hope is set forth twice in the Epistle to Titus:  1)"In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;" (Titus 1:2); and 2) "That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:7).  We must immediately state that once again the word "hope" in the New Testament speaks not of "wishful thinking" but of "confident expectation."  In other words, the Apostle Paul fully expected to inherit eternal life along with the all the believer's at Crete.  In the first reference the Apostle Paul spoke of his apostolic calling and ministry as being "in" or more literally "resting upon" (Greek - epi) this hope.  Lenski gives the following comment:  "The thing that Paul wants to emphasize in view of what he here writes for the benefit of the recently formed churches in Crete is his connection with the entire gospel and its eternal blessings and with all true Christians who are joined with him in all that this gospel bestows on them .... Paul is God's slave and Christ's apostle 'on the basis of (the) hope of life eternal ....'".  This hope is said to have been "promised" by the God who "cannot lie" making the reality of it a certainty.  God cannot lie since to do so would be contrary to His very nature and character, thus making Him to be something less than He truly is!  To doubt God's promise or word therefore is to call Him a liar.  Perish the thought!  The God of the Bible is the "God of truth" (Psalm 31:5) and His Holy Word, the Bible, is the "word of truth" (II Timothy 2:15).  We have the very promise of the never-lying God!  Furthermore, this promise is said to have been made "before the world began" or literally "before eternal ages"!  This makes the plan of redemption pre-date the present eons of time and places it within the eternal counsels of the Godhead.  While this is hard for us to comprehend other passages speak in these same terms (compare Romans 16:25 and II Timothy 1:9 which use the same Greek phrase).  The Eternal God views all time as one eternal "now" and only such a God who is eternal in Himself could grant such a gift as eternal life to us!  But what are the conditions for receiving such a wonderful promise?  The context provides the answer:  "according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after (i.e. accords with) godliness" (verse 1).  We are also not left wondering what this "truth" is we must acknowledge and place our faith in:  "But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching ..." (verse 3).  The promise of eternal life is therefore found in believing the gospel which Christ and His apostles preached which in time was recorded in the Word of God, the Bible.  And this gospel may be found spelled out in connection with our second text as well:  "But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our savior; that being justified freely by his grace we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:4-7).  So many wonderful truths are found in this passage, but the essential facts are:  1)  Eternal life is a gift of God's grace and mercy (we do not deserve it!); 2) Eternal life is granted apart from our own works or efforts (we cannot earn it!); 3) Eternal life comes to us solely through the Lord Jesus Christ (we cannot save ourselves!  Christ must save us!); and 4) Eternal life is a life-changing gift that is the product of a new birth imparted by the Holy Spirit of God (He must wash us and renew us!).  If we have placed our faith in the Person and Work (sacrificial death and resurrection) of the Lord Jesus Christ then God has saved us by His grace and we have been made His child and therefore heirs of eternal life!  And we may confidently expect (hope) to obtain this inheritance because we have the eternal promise of the never-lying God! Have you received His promise of eternal life?

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #60 - The Hope of Salvation

Our next descriptive phrase of the believer's hope in Christ is found in I Thessalonians 5:8 - "But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation."  This passage is dealing with the protective armament of the believer in Christ that is needed as we live in a world of sinful darkness and spiritual conflict.  We may compare it to Paul's even fuller description of the Christian's armor (the whole armor of God) as found in Ephesians 6:11-17 where in verse 17 he states: "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Both of these passages refer to the believer's salvation as part of a spiritual armor that guards and protects the head of the Christian.  Obviously the head is a vital part of the body and a blow to the head can lead to serious consequences in battle.  The head is also the source of thought, decision making, reason, hearing, speaking, and sight.  It is both the receptor center and the command center of the rest of the body.  Many if not most of all spiritual battles take place in the mind of the Christian!  We must carefully guard our minds with the helmet of our salvation.  Simply put we should continually think about what it means to be saved and then seek to think and act accordingly.  We must be thinking Christians! The consecration and renewal of the mind is essential to spiritual growth and success (Romans 12:1,2).  Likewise, complete mastery of our thought life is critical to spiritual victory (II Corinthians 10:3-5).  But what is meant by "the hope of salvation"?  Many times we have heard it said that we must have a "know-so" salvation, not merely a "hope-so" salvation.  While I would agree with this statement wholeheartedly, I do not believe that Paul is here speaking of a salvation that is merely "hoped for" in the modern sense of the phrase.  Rather we must remind ourselves of our previous findings in this study on the Biblical meaning of the word "hope" as used in the Scriptures.  We have consistently observed that the word "hope" in the Bible is not used of merely "wishful thinking", but always of "confident expectation", especially of future good.  Thus Paul is referring to the expectation of salvation that gives the believer complete confidence in times of spiritual conflict.  The word "salvation" is a rather broad term that includes all aspects of the spiritual deliverance and safety that the Christian has been given and/or will be given.  The basic meaning is "to be rescued from danger and to be placed in a safe condition."  There are present aspects to the believer's salvation which include, among other things, forgiveness, justification, reconciliation and the new birth.  There are progressive aspects of salvation which include such things as sanctification, spiritual growth and maturity, spiritual virtues and fruit bearing, conformity to the image of Christ, etc.  And there are future aspects of salvation too - such as resurrection, redemption of the body, and glorification.  Thus the Scriptures speak of :  1) having been saved (past tense) - Romans 8:24; Ephesians 2:5,8; II Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5; etc.  (This is more clear in the Greek text since both the Aorist and  Perfect tenses are used in these verses). 

2) being saved (present tense) - Luke 19:9; I Corinthians 1:18,21; 15:2; II Corinthians 2:15; etc. And,

3) shall be saved (future tense) - Matthew 10:22; Romans 5:9; 13:11; I Corinthians 3:15; etc.

The past tense speaks of our past reception of salvation at which time we were delivered from the penalty of sin.  The present tense speaks of our present possession of salvation and the progressive deliverance from the power and practice of sin.  The future tense speaks of the future consummation of our salvation and the perfect deliverance from the very presence of sin in heaven!  This comprehensive view of salvation should serve to give us hope indeed -  A confident hope of spiritual deliverance and victory that is a settled fact, a present enjoyment, and a future guarantee!  Let us guard our hearts and our head with this great helmet: the hope of salvation!

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #59 - The Hope of the Gospel

In our last post we looked in the Book of Ephesians at the hope of the believer's calling.  We noted that there are two aspects to our calling in Christ:  God's perspective of an eternal calling (He loved us in Christ before the creation of the world); and man's perspective (We accepted His calling through personal faith in Christ at a definite time and place in our lives).  From God's standpoint of eternity (He sees and knows all things past, present and future as one eternal "now") He has either always known us or He has never known us (II Timothy 1:9; Matthew 7:23).  J.I. Packer has defined our calling as "the temporal execution of (God's) eternal intentions."  The means by which God extends His eternal calling to us in time is the evangelical call of the Gospel! The only way we can "make our calling and election sure" (II Peter 1:10) is to be certain that we have believed the Gospel.  This is the means that God has ordained in order to make our calling effectual for salvation (many are called, but few are chosen - Matthew 22:14).  Thus the hope of our calling is inseparably linked to the hope of the Gospel:  "If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven ..." (Colossians 1:23).  This verse comes in the context of the Apostle Paul's presentation of Christ as the Preeminent One:  He is preeminent over all creation because He is the Divine Creator (Colossians 1:15-17);  He is preeminent over the Church because He is her Divine Head (vs.18-23).  The Creator of the universe is the Sovereign of the Church!  And He alone is our Savior:
1) He made peace (between a Holy God and sinful men) through the blood of His cross - vs.20.
2) He made reconciliation possible to those who were once alienated as the enemies of God - vs.21.
3) He will present the believer as holy, unblameable and unreproveable in His sight - vs.22.
All of this constitutes the hope of the Gospel!  This is what we may confidently claim and expect to receive because we have believed the Gospel of Christ, but only if we have believed.  The peace and reconciliation Christ died to provide is offered conditionally.  He does not reconcile everyone unconditionally  or else the devil himself and all his demons would be reconciled to God (which is clearly not the case).  He does not reconcile anyone apart from faith in Christ which is a grounded and settled trust in His Person and Saving Work.  To "move away" from this Gospel message is to be excluded from the hope of salvation it offers the sinner.  Only the Gospel of Christ offers the sinner any hope for eternal salvation!  Do you have this hope?  "We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ ... since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus ... for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel" (Colossians 1:3-5).

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #58 - The Hope of Our Calling

We have been attempting to look at the various descriptions of the believer's hope in Christ.  We have considered "the hope of the glory of God" and "the hope of righteousness".  We now come to a third descriptive phrase, one that is found in Paul's epistle to the Ephesians in two similar but distinct forms:

Ephesians 1:18 - "... that ye may know what is the hope of his calling ..."; and,

Ephesians 4:4 - "... even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;".

Right away we might notice that while both verses refer to the hope of the believer's calling, the first verse refers to it as His (i.e. God's) calling, while the second verse refers to our (i.e.the individual's)calling.  The Bible presents the calling of the believer unto salvation from two different vantage points:  1) God's perspective from eternity; and 2) Man's perspective in time.  We may note the combination of these two perspectives in II Thessalonians 2:13,14 which states: "But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:  Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ."  God's calling becomes our own calling when we respond in repentance and faith to the invitation of the Gospel of God's saving grace extended to us in the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Both of these perspectives are a source of hope for the Christian.  They do not refer to the prospective "hope" that we might one day be called by God, but to the present possession of hope that we have because we have been called by God unto salvation in Christ.  In the first passage, this hope forms a part of the Apostle Paul's extensive prayer for the Ephesian believers that they would come to a fuller understanding of the spiritual riches they possessed in Christ.  The prayer takes up seven verses (1:17-23) and forms an example to us of the spiritual desires we should be expressing in our own prayers to God.  We need to come to a greater awareness and appreciation for the hope that is ours because God has called us by His grace!  The greatness of that hope is expressed in verse 18 - "the riches of the glory of his inheritance in (or among) the saints".  This is a recurring aspect of our hope in Christ:  our eternal reward in heaven.  The guarantee of this hope is given in verses 19 and 20 - "the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places ...".  God works in us with the same power by which He has exalted the Risen Christ!  Richard Lenski commented:  "When we know the excessive greatness of this power, nothing will ever disturb our hope."  Amen!  In the second passage Paul refers to the hope of the believer's calling in Christ as one of the nine elements that form the basis of Christian unity.  Seven times he writes of the oneness we possess with other believers described in three groups of three items in each group, all centered in the Unity of the Holy Trinity: 

1)  "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling" (Eph. 4:4).

2)  "One Lord, one faith, one baptism" (vs.5).

3)  "One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" (vs.6).

All believer's possess this one hope, that is, the hope given to one believer is given to all believers.  We share the same hope because we share the same calling.  Our calling is from the same God who summons us by the same Spirit to believe in the same Christ.  We are baptized into that same body as a testimony to our same faith in the same Lord.  And the same God who calls us and is infinitely above us becomes our Heavenly Father, indwells us, and exercises His power and grace in us and through us!  

Yes, our calling is a tremendous source of hope once it is fully understood and comprehended. The greater our understanding and comprehension of our calling becomes, the greater our hope will be.  And the more our hope is shared with other Christians, the greater our oneness will be experienced within the Body of Christ.

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #57 - Waiting in Hope

We have been considering some of the elements that constitute the fullness of the believer's hope in Christ by looking at some of the descriptive phrases used in the New Testament in connection with the word "hope".  Last time we looked at the promise that the believer in Christ can "rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:2).  We would just like to add to that study the thought that we can presently rejoice even though the glory we shall experience is yet in the future.  This is because the future hope we are promised by God in His Word is as certain as a present fact!  If we can rejoice now because of what awaits us, how much more will we rejoice in that day when our hope in Christ is fulfilled?  There is indeed a fullness of hope that we now possess even as we await the fulfillment of hope to come.  The Apostle Paul includes this present rejoicing as a vital part of the responsibilities and privileges of the Christian life:  "Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer ..." (Romans 12:11,12).  Likewise, the writer of the Book of Hebrews exhorts us to maintain this rejoicing unto the end of our earthly lives: "But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end" (Hebrews 3:6).  In other words, it is an evidence of Christ dwelling in us that we continually hope as well as continue to hope all of our days.  But all of this is also a reminder that much of what we hope for is yet future and therefore we must wait for the ultimate fulfillment of our hope in Christ.  In Galatians 5:5 we read these words:  "For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith."  We must wait in faith for this aspect of our Christian hope to be fulfilled.  We have seen the close connection between hoping and waiting already several times in this study.  In the Old Testament we saw that the root meaning of one of the Hebrew words for "hope" (Hebrew - yahal) was in fact "to wait".   Likewise we considered the Greek word "prosdekomai" (waiting, looking) in connection with the Messianic hope of those who looked for the coming of the Christ (see study#48, Jan.5, 2014 for example).  Here we find yet another word translated "wait", the Greek word "apekdekomai".  The Pulpit Commentary states that this verb "in all the six other passages in which it is found, is used with reference to objects or events pertaining to the close of the present dispensation:  Rom. 8:19,23,25; I Cor. 1:7; Phil. 3:20; Heb. 9:28."  It also notes that being a compound verb probably makes it intensive in meaning "expressing thorough-goingness; an entirely assured, steadfast expectation, persistent to the end" (emphasis mine).  It must be noted that the Apostle Paul credits this expectant waiting to the Holy Spirit within the believer:  "For we through the Spirit wait ..." (vs.5).  While some would make this refer to the spirit of the believer (we wait in our spirit, wait in a spiritual way, inwardly, etc. as opposed to in our flesh or in a fleshly, merely external way, etc.) the mention of the Holy Spirit both before (3:2-5,14; 4:6) and after this verse (5:18, 22-25) indicates that it is the personal agency of the indwelling Spirit of God within the believer that produces and makes such waiting possible.  Vincent rightly comments:  "(It is) the Holy Spirit who inspires our faith.... (These words) are not to be taken as one conception, the Spirit which is of faith, but present two distinct and coordinate facts which characterize the waiting for the hope of righteousness; namely, the agency of the Holy Spirit, in contrast with the flesh ..., and faith, in contrast with the works of the law ..." (emphasis mine).  But what is meant here by our waiting for "the hope of righteousness"?  Certainly not that we hope to one day receive righteousness in the sense of being justified before God.  We have already been declared righteous (i.e. justified) by God through our faith in Christ (Galatians 2:16; 3:6,11,24, etc.).  The "hope of righteousness" must therefore mean the hope that results from righteousness (which is freely granted by faith alone in Christ alone).  John Wesley stated that this speaks of the reward of our faith in Christ:  "The righteousness we hope for, and full reward of it.  This righteousness we receive of God through faith; and by faith we shall obtain the reward" (emphasis mine).  The comments in The Pulpit Commentary are again helpful:  "We Christians, as led by the Spirit of adoption, do rest in the confident anticipation of receiving the inheritance which is the future award of the righteous, on the ground of our faith in the Lord Jesus" (emphasis mine).  So while righteousness is imputed to the believer presently by faith in Christ, the hope of righteousness (that is, its reward) awaits us in the future. We should also note that although we have received the righteousness of Christ imputed to us at salvation, the work of imparting and restoring righteousness to the believer through sanctification is a process that will not be fully completed until our glorification in eternity.  Only then will the righteousness which is by faith have its full effect.  As believers we possess righteousness in Christ by faith, pursue the practice of righteousness in life, but will be perfected in righteousness in heaven. Until then we must wait, but wait in faith and in full expectation and joyful anticipation of joining in eternal fellowship with "the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven ... the spirits of just men made perfect" (Hebrews 12:23).

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #56 - Rejoicing in Hope

In our last post we ended with a listing of some of the phrases found in the Epistles of the New Testament that describe the abounding hope given to the believer in Christ Jesus.  The first of these is found in Romans 5:1,2 - "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."  The Apostle Paul has spent five chapters expounding upon the great Gospel truth of justification by faith alone.  And now at chapter five we come to a "therefore" which indicates a shift from doctrinal facts to practical application of those facts:  from the cause of our justification before God to the effects of our justification from God.  "Being justified by faith" = the basis of our salvation; "We have therefore" = the benefits of our salvation.  It is due solely to God's grace received through faith in Christ that these benefits and blessings are ours; they cannot be received any other way, nor can they belong to those outside of faith in Him.  What are some of the results of our justification through Christ?  1) Peace with God; 2) Access into God's grace; and 3) Hope of God's glory!  God is at peace with the justified believer; We are at peace with Him.  The enmity between us has been removed and the conflict is forever ended (see Ephesians 2:13,14).  The justified believer has access into the grace of God.  Our entrance into grace (God's unmerited favor and approval) is freely granted; Our standing in grace is fully guaranteed (see Ephesians 2:18; Hebrews 4:16; 10:19-22).  Both are given by God's grace and both are received by faith in Christ.  And the believer may rejoice in the expectation (hope) of the glory of God!  But what does this mean exactly?  What is this "glory of God" that we may joyfully expect to receive?  Godet defines it as "the glorious state which God Himself possesses, and into which He will admit the faithful."  In other words it is what theologians call "the glorification of the believer" in eternity.  This "glorification" will consist of an unimaginable and indescribable change in the believer that will complete our salvation and crown our Savior's work in us.  It will entail at least two amazing things that will equip us for dwelling forever in the Presence of God's absolute Perfection and Holiness:  1) The transference of God's communicable attributes to us.  In some way God will share His glory with us.  We will not be deified or become "little gods" as some claim, but we will participate to some degree in the fulness of his love, mercy, grace and goodness as He imparts these aspects of His glory to us for all eternity.  "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and join-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us" (Romans 8:17,18).  2) The transformation of the believer by God's glory.  We will be given a new body like unto Christ's glorious body:  eternally pure and free from sin's penalty, power, practice and presence!  The old sin nature will finally be eradicated entirely and forever.  Our spirit will dominate us rather than the flesh.  We will finally enjoy all that is pure, holy, righteous and good without the taint and temptation of the old man.  We will be enabled to love God and to enjoy Him forever!  "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body ..." (Philippians 3:20,21).  "As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.  And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly" (I Corinthians 15:48,49).  This is the hope of the Glory of God in which we may rejoice!  Such a hope may remain confident even in the midst of trials and tribulations - "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also" (Romans 5:3).  In fact, such a hope is made stronger by tribulations - "knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience hope" (vs.3,4).  Our being tested and tried serves only to increase our hope, not diminish it.  And such a hope will never disappoint us - "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" (vs.5).  How can we dare to claim such a strong hope?  Because the basis of our hope of future glorification is Christ dwelling in us:  "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col.1:27). How amazing is God's grace to us in Christ.  We who as sinners all "fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23) are now made to "rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:2).  The only difference being that by faith in Christ we are now justified before God!

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #55 - Abounding in Hope

As we pass from the Book of Acts into the Epistles of the New Testament we find that the subject of the believer's hope is greatly expanded.  While in the Gospels "hope" is primarily centered in the promise of the Messiah (the Messianic Hope), and in the Acts "hope" is plainly linked with the promise of the resurrection (of Christ and of the believer in Christ), in the Epistles we find a plenitude of expressions which serve to reveal the fullness of the believer's hope in Christ.  We have defined "hope" as "the happy anticipation and confident expectation of future good."  And of course we must further define our "Christian hope" as being centered in those "good things" that God has promised to us in His Word.  It is in studying the New Testament Epistles that we come to find out just how plentiful and bountiful the hope we have been given in Christ Jesus really is:  "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope ... Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost" (Romans 15:4,13).  There is an abounding fullness of hope given by the God of hope to those who will believe all that He has written in the Holy Scriptures.  This abounding in hope is the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer as He illuminates the promises of God to us and impresses the truth of the Word into our hearts and lives, filling us with hope, patience, comfort, joy and peace!  What are some of the elements of this abundance of hope that we find in the New Testament Scriptures?  We may find them in the descriptive phrases the New Testament writers attach to the word "hope".  We have already seen in the Book of Acts such phrases as: "the hope of the promise" and "the hope of Israel" both expressing the truth of "the hope of the resurrection" (Acts 23:6; 26:6; 28:20).  We may add to these the following from the epistles:

1) Romans 5:2 - "By whom (Christ) also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

2) Galatians 5:5 - "For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith."

3) Ephesians 1:18 - "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his (God's) calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints."

4) Ephesians 4:4  - "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling."

5) Colossians 1:23 - "If you continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not move away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard ...."

6) Colossians 1:27 - "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you the hope of glory."

7) I Thessalonians 5:8 - "But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation."

8) Titus 1:2 - "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began."

9) Titus 3:7 - "That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

All of these prepositional phrases help to define what all is included in the believer's hope.  This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the descriptions of hope found in the New Testament, but it is a start.  We plan to consider some of these passages in more detail as we go along, but for now a reading of them should give us a sense of the overflowing abundance of hope imparted to the believer in Christ. 

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #54 - The Hope of the Promise

We have been tracing the Apostle Paul's defense of the hope of the resurrection as recorded in the Book of Acts.  First, he reminded his Jewish accusers that his message of the Risen Christ was in keeping with the historical faith of the Jewish people.  This was not some novel doctrine of recent origin but was a part of the faith of the fathers and the very hope of Israel which all of the Jewish people believed except for the radical sect of the Sadducees.  Second, he linked his faith in the resurrection with his faith in God since it was God Himself who had made this promise to His people and had confirmed it in His own Word.  To deny the resurrection, therefore, amounts to a denial of God's Promise or a doubting of God's Power to perform what He has promised.  This was the same two-pronged apologetical argument that the Lord Jesus Christ had used against the unbelieving Sadducees when they questioned Him about the nature and feasibility of a resurrection.  Christ's reply to them was, "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God ... have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?  God is not the God of the dead, but of the living" (Matthew 22:29-32).  To this statement the account in Mark's Gospel adds, "ye therefore do greatly err" (Mark 12:27).  It was the contention of both the Lord Jesus and the Apostle Paul that the hope of the resurrection was clearly taught in the Old Testament Scriptures!  We may note once again that Paul confessed that his worship of God included "believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets" and that this included having "hope toward God ... that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust" (Acts 24:14,15).  Thus he viewed the Scriptures that spoke of the resurrection as God's promise to His people:  "And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers:  Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come.  For which hope's sake ... I am accused of the Jews" (Acts 26:6,7).  It is clear from Paul's earlier preaching what he considered to be the elements of God's Promise:  1) The coming of the Messiah from the lineage of David:  "Of this man's seed hath God according to His promise raised unto Israel a Savior, Jesus" (Acts 13:23); 2) The Resurrection the Messiah from the dead:  "And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that He hath raised up Jesus again ... that He raised Him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption ..." (Acts 13:32-34); and 3) Forgiveness of sins through faith in the Risen Savior:  "But He, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.  Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses" (Acts 13:37-39).  Yes, God has promised these things to us in His Holy Word.  We should note that the Scriptures cited by Paul in this great message included Psalm 2:7; Isaiah 55:3; and Psalm 16:10 among others.  We might also note other Old Testament references to the doctrine of the resurrection (Job 19:25-27; Daniel 12:2; etc).  To these Old Testament verses we should add our Savior's own words of promise concerning His Resurrection as given in the Gospel accounts:  Matthew 16:21; 17:22,23; 20:18,19; 26:32; etc., as well as His words of promise regarding our own resurrection to everlasting life with Him:  John 5:24-29; 6:39,40; 11:25,26; etc.  And yes, what God has promised He has the power to perform:  "Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?" (Acts 26:8).  "And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by His own power" (I Corinthians 6:14).  God's promise is clear;  God's power is unquestionable;  But the hope of the promise is certain only to those who believe in His Son.  The event of the resurrection will include all men (both just and unjust), but only the believer in Christ can have hope toward God in that day.  There will be a resurrection to everlasting life for the Christian, but a resurrection unto everlasting death (separation from God in hell) for the unbeliever (Daniel 12:2; John 5:28,29).  Are you claiming the hope of the promise through faith in the risen Savior?

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #53 - Hope Toward God

As we work our way through the message of hope in the Book of Acts we are constantly reminded that the believer's hope is the hope of the resurrection.  This was the great Apostolic message:  that the atoning death, burial, and bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is the sole basis of man's salvation, and that this salvation includes not only the full and free forgiveness of all our sins but the gift of everlasting life through faith in the Person and Saving Work of Christ, and that this gift of everlasting life includes the physical resurrection of the believer's body from the grave so that we may live in a glorified state, perfected in body and soul to live for all eternity in the Presence of our God and Savior.  As the Apostle Paul preached this Gospel of the Risen Christ he began to be persecuted by those who refused to believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, largely because they refused to believe that He was indeed the promised Messiah.  This placed Paul in a position to defend his preaching of the Risen Savior before both Jewish and Roman authorities.  And the more he was attacked for proclaiming the Resurrection of Christ the more he defended his message by appealing to the Old Testament Scriptures that prophesied the future resurrection of the dead which even his persecutors claimed to believe.  We may trace his defense of this great doctrine as follows:  First, before the Jewish Sanhedrin he divided his accusers by proclaiming that the doctrine of the future resurrection of the dead was at the very core of his message:  "But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren ... of the hope of the resurrection of the dead I am called in question" (Acts 23:6).  This produced an immediate division between the sect of the Pharisees who believed in the doctrine of a resurrection and the sect of the Sadducees who did not (vs. 7-9).  It is clear that Paul was appealing to the historical belief of the more conservative Jews while exposing the radical departure from that belief among the liberal and unbelieving among them.  It is a grave error of modern so-called "scholars" who deny that the Jewish people had any concept of a resurrection or of life beyond death.  So much so that Paul could later declare before the Jewish elders of Rome that the very doctrine of the resurrection was the ancient "hope of Israel" (Acts 28:20).  Secondly, Paul not only appealed to the ancient faith of Israel in his defense of the resurrection, he attached that doctrine to his faith in God:  "But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and the prophets: and have hope toward God, which they also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust" (Acts 24:14,15).  In this great defense before the Roman Governor Felix, the Apostle Paul made it clear that to deny the resurrection  would amount to a denial of his faith in the God of the Bible!  This would be so for at least two reasons:  1) To deny the resurrection would be a denial of the Word of God, that is, all that is written in the Old Testament Scriptures (the law and the prophets); and 2) To deny the resurrection would amount to denying the Power of God, that is, that God is able to perform what He had in fact promised!  These two arguments are laid out before King Agrippa by the Apostle Paul in Acts 26 where he first speaks of the resurrection as "the hope of the promise" (vs.6,7) and then challenges Agrippa's unbelief by asking, "Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God should raise the dead?" (vs.8).  In other words, to assume that belief in the resurrection of the dead is unreasonable or to dismiss it as an impossibility is paramount to doubting God's veracity on the one hand and denying God's ability on the other!  When our hope is fixed upon God, the hope of the resurrection is not only believable, it is inevitable, for God cannot and will not deny Himself or fail to perform everything He has promised!

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #52 - Resting in Hope

Last time we began looking at the hope of the resurrection as mentioned in five passages in the Book of Acts and ended with a list of Scriptural claims we may glean from them, the first of which is: "The hope of the believer's resurrection is anchored in the fact of the Resurrection of Christ".  There is no doubt that the proclamation of Christ's Resurrection was the central doctrine of the apostolic message: (Acts 2:31,32; 3:14,14; 4:10-12; 5:30,31; etc.).  In fact, it was the central doctrine of their gospel message: (I Cor. 15:1-4; II Timothy 2:8; etc.).  There is no salvation apart from the Resurrection of Christ:  "And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.  Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable" (I Cor. 15:17-19).  R. A. Torrey wrote:  "Gospel preachers nowadays preach the gospel of the Crucifixion, the Apostles preached the gospel of the Resurrection as well .... The Crucifixion looses its meaning without the Resurrection.  Without the Resurrection the death of Christ was only the heroic death of a noble martyr; With the Resurrection it is the atoning death of the Son of God.  It shows that death to be of sufficient value to cover our sins, for it was the sacrifice of the Son of God."  One of the great Old Testament passages the Apostles loved to quote was Psalm 16:8-11.  Here they found Scriptural proof that the Messiah was indeed to be raised from the dead.  This was the passage the Apostle Peter quoted in his great message on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:25-28) and the passage the Apostle Paul quoted in the synagogue of Antioch in defense of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (Acts 13:34-37).  We looked at this Messianic prophecy briefly in our study of the Hebrew word betah (see study #35, Sept.29, 2013).  Both the Hebrew of Psalm 16 and the Greek quotation by Peter in Acts 2 speak of the believer's flesh (body) resting in hope because of the assurance that God would not abandon his soul to hell (Sheol / Hades) because of the fact that the Holy One (Messiah) would not experience the corruption of His body after death.  And this is interpreted by the Apostles to both predict and require the Messiah's bodily Resurrection from the dead as the basis of hope for the believer's own eternal salvation and future resurrection.  David's soul could rest in hope knowing that His Savior would one day conquer death by the power of His own Resurrection:  "For David speaketh concerning him ... my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption .... He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ ... This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses" (Acts 2:25-32).  There is a beautiful word picture in the phrase "my soul shall rest in hope."  The Greek word here for "rest" is kataskanao which literally means "to pitch one's tent" (Thayer's Greek Lexicon). Lenski comments:  "The verb means 'to put down a tent,' 'to camp in order to rest,' and thus simply 'to rest awhile.' This verb implies only a transient sojourn; a tent is not a permanent structure .... The temporary tenting comprises both the bodily life of David and the stay of his body in the grave.  In both conditions his flesh makes its tent and camp 'on hope,' on this as the ground .... What that hope contains follows in the next line."

Likewise, Vincent commented:  "It is a beautiful metaphor.  My flesh shall encamp on hope; pitch its tent there to rest through the night of death, until the morning of resurrection" (emphasis his).  Yes, the Savior's Resurrection is the ground of the believer's hope and rest, both in this life and for eternity.  We do not trust in a dead Christ but in the Living Christ who has conquered death, hell and the grave by the power of His own Resurrection.  Because He lives, we also live and  shall live forever with Him in glory!  There is no greater rest than this, no greater assurance, no greater peace!  "Here let me wait with patience, Wait till the night is o'er, Wait till I see the morning break on the golden shore ... There, by His love o'er-shaded, Sweetly my soul shall rest" (Crosby).

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #51 - The Hope of the Resurrection

In our last study we found that the Messianic Hope was confirmed by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  Our Lord's bodily resurrection was irrefutable evidence that He was indeed the Promised Messiah.  The Apostle Paul wrote that the Lord Jesus was "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Romans 1:4).  And so as we pass from the Gospels into the Book of the Acts we find that the word "hope" is almost always associated with the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  In fact, seven out of ten times the word "hope" occurs in the Acts it is used in connection with the Resurrection of Christ and/or of those who believe in Him as their Savior.  We may list these occurrences as follows:

Acts 2:26,27 - "Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:  Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."  (The Messianic prophecy of Psalm 16 foretelling the Resurrection of the Christ.)

Acts 23:6 - "... of the hope and resurrection of the dead  I am called in question."  (The defense of the Apostle Paul before the Sanhedrin.)

Acts 24:14,15 - "... so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:  And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust."  (Paul's defense before Felix.)

Acts 26:6,7,8 - "And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers:  Unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night hope to come.  For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.  Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?"  (Paul's defense before Agrippa.)

Acts 28:20 - "For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain."  (Paul's defense before the Jewish elders of Rome, the "hope" of which he spake being clearly defined by the previous references to it.)

We want to look at these passages in more detail in future posts, but for now even a casual reading of these verses reveals some very clear Scriptural claims regarding the hope of the resurrection:

1.  The hope of the believer's resurrection is anchored in the fact of the Resurrection of Christ.

2.  The hope of the believer is the hope of the resurrection of the dead.

3.  The hope of the resurrection was clearly taught in the Old Testament Scriptures (Law and Prophets).

4.  The event of the resurrection will include all men (both just and unjust), but only the believer can have hope toward God in that day.

5.  The hope of the resurrection is firmly established upon the promise and power of God and is therefore neither impossible nor unreasonable.

6.  The hope of the resurrection was a part of the ancient faith of Israel (believed by all the Jews except for the liberal sect of the Sadducees).  

It is certain that the central message of the Apostles and of the Early Church was the Hope of the Resurrection and that this hope was anchored in the fact of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead.  All men will face death one day.  Whether we will approach that day with hope or with no hope all depends upon whether or not we believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the means of our soul's eternal salvation.  "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation ... For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:9,10,13).   

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #50 - The Messianic Hope (Part V)

This will be our final segment on the Messianic Hope.  There is one last reference to the Jewish hope in a coming Messiah we wish to consider.  It is found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 24, verse 21:  "But we trusted  (Greek elpizo - hoped) that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done".  These words were spoken by the two disciples of Jesus who were walking along on the road to Emmaus after the death of the Savior.  It is the only place I know of in the New Testament where the Messianic Hope is spoken of in the past tense.  In the Greek text the verb elpizo is in the Imperfect tense indicating a continual action in the past.  The idea expressed is something like this:  "We were hoping all along up until his death that this Jesus was in fact the Promised Messiah who was supposed to redeem our people Israel."  The irony of this incident is that they were in fact unknowingly saying these words to the Risen Lord!  It is important to note that their hope in a Personal Messiah included the hope of redemption just like that of Anna and those she conversed with in the Temple (see Luke 2:36-38 and previous studies). However, like many of the followers of Jesus, including the Apostles, they had not yet come to know that the death of Jesus was the appointed means of that promised redemption and that it would be put into effect by the Resurrection of their crucified and buried Redeemer!  And so their previously confident hope that Jesus would be that Promised One had been temporarily dashed by the fact of His death.  They simply could not reconcile the fact that the Lord Jesus had come as "a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people" and yet "the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him" (verses 19,20).  G. Campbell Morgan wrote:  "Thus we see their attitude, and in it a wonderful revelation of what the Cross had done for the disciples of Jesus.  It had not destroyed their love for Him, nor their belief in Him, and His intention, but it had slain their hope.  In the Cross they saw failure" (emphasis mine).  They had heard the report of the women who had heard the angels declare that Jesus was alive, and they had heard the reports of an empty tomb, but they had not yet come to believe for themselves that these things were so (verses 22-24).  Morgan strikingly commented:  "That is where the whole Christian movement would have ended, had there been no resurrection"!  Likewise, William Hendriksen wrote:  "When the Master died, the disciples, too, died.  Their hopes, their aspirations, their deepest affections and fondest anticipations were buried with their Lord .... Never was there a more dejected, disappointed, crushed group of men and women!"  But then came the Resurrection and the Revelation of the Risen Lord to His disciples!  It was the Lord Jesus Himself, risen from the dead, who came along side them that day.  First He rebuked their slowness of heart, then He reminded them of the Scriptures that prophesied of the fact and necessity of the Messiah's death and resurrection, and then at last He revealed Himself to them (verses 25-31).  And so with their eyes opened and their hearts burning their hope was revived!  The Resurrection of Jesus was unmistakeable and irrefutable proof that He was indeed the promised Messiah:  He who has provided a ransom from the bondage and penalty of sin for all who will accept His death, burial and resurrection as the purchase price of their redemption.  That hope that was at one time all but dead has now become a living hope because of  the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (I Peter 1:3). 

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #49 - The Messianic Hope (Part IV)

This is our fourth study on the Messianic Hope as found in the New Testament Scriptures.  Last time we considered that hope as expressed in the Greek word prosdekomai (to look, wait for, expect) and we noted the three people recorded in the Gospel of Luke whose hope in the coming Messiah was expressed by this word.  Simeon was "waiting for the consolation of Israel" (Luke 2:25);  Anna spoke of the infant Jesus to all who "looked for redemption in Israel" (Luke 2:38); and Joseph of Arimathea "waited for the kingdom of God" (Luke 23:51).  We wanted to expand somewhat upon these three aspects of the Messianic hope in this study.  First, consolation or comfort (Greek - paraklasis).  This consolation was clearly associated by the devout Simeon with the coming of "the Lord's Christ", that is, the Lord's Messiah or Anointed One (vs.26), who was indeed God's means of salvation (vs.30).  The particular Messianic prophecy involved was probably Isaiah 40:1-5 where the coming of the Messiah was announced in a message of Divine Comfort:  "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God."  This message of consolation was the message of a double pardon to be provided for the people of God:  "Speak comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins."  The Lord Jesus is indeed the Consolation of Israel, and the only One who can provide for the pardon of our sins and then comfort us with the assurance of His abundant forgiveness!  In fact, Jesus referred to Himself as the Comforter of His people when He spoke of the Holy Spirit as "another Comforter", that is, One like Himself (John 14:6).  Second, redemption or ransom (Greek - lutrosis).  G. Campbell Morgan commented, "In that city of Jerusalem there was a company, however large or small we have no means of knowing; - perhaps a very small company, - of devout souls who were looking for the redemption of Israel; and it is evident that they were accustomed to foregather in the Temple courts to pray, and perhaps sing songs of hope, and talk to one another."  The widow Anna was just such a person and she was quick to speak of the baby Jesus among this company as the One through whom this redemption would come.  The word "redemption" speaks of a purchase made through the payment of a ransom.  It was a term well known to the Jews who were as a nation redeemed from the bondage of Egypt through the purchase price of the blood of the Passover Lamb.  Every sacrifice was an emblem of the redemption of the sinner from the bondage and penalty of sin through the purchase price of the blood of a slain sacrifice.  All of this pointed forward to the coming Messiah who would Himself be the Redeemer of His people through the ransom price of His own blood shed sacrificially upon the cross of Calvary!  Isaiah had declared, "And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD" (Isaiah 59:20).  The Lord Jesus said of Himself, "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28).  And the Apostle Paul wrote of Him, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:7).  Yes, the Lord Jesus as the Christ of God is indeed that Promised Redeemer!  And third, the kingdom of God.  The most prevalent concept of the coming Messiah in the Old Testament was that of a Coming King.  In Psalm 2 the LORD'S Anointed (Hebrew - Messiah) is the King set upon the hill of Zion; the Sovereign before whom all the kings and rulers of the earth must bow.  In Daniel 9:25 He is called "the Messiah the Prince" and in Daniel 7:13,14 He is the Son of man who is given "dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."

The Old Testament prophecies are too numerous to list here and the New Testament application of these prophecies to the Lord Jesus as the Christ are abundantly clear.  Indeed, the Lord Jesus was conceived as our King (Luke 1:30-33); born as our King (Matthew 2:2); came as our King (Matthew 21:4-9); tried as our King (Mark 15:12,13); and died as our King (Matthew 27:37).  And so today He reigns as our King (I Corinthians 15:24,25) and will one day return as our King (Revelation 19:11-16).  All aspects of the Messianic hope have been fulfilled in Christ Jesus.  He alone comforts us with His pardon because He alone has redeemed us from our sins.  And He alone is worthy to reign over us as our sovereign Lord and King!

Words of Hope

A Word Study on the Biblical Word "Hope"

Study #48 - The Messianic Hope (Part III)

As we continue our study of the Messianic Hope that existed among the Jewish people prior to the birth of the Lord Jesus we must acknowledge that not every Jew had a proper understanding of the true nature or purpose of the Messiah's coming.  Even among those who held to the hope of a personal Messiah sent from God, there were many who envisioned the Messiah in a political context rather than a spiritual one.  It was their "hope" that the Messiah would overthrow the dominion of Rome and exalt the nation of Israel as chief among the nations of the world.  Such were the Zealots who were ready to take up arms against Rome, and such were many of the common people who sought to make Jesus their king "by force".  But thankfully there were others who realized that the greatest bondage and enslavement the people faced was not the dominion of a foreign power, but the dominion of sin!  It was just such righteous believers who longed for a Messiah who would "save His people from their sins" that recognized the Lord Jesus as the LORD'S CHRIST (the Anointed One or Messiah).  Thus Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, exclaimed: "We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ ... and he brought him to Jesus" (John 1:41,42).  Likewise, even the Samaritan woman confessed: "I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ". To which words Jesus replied, "I that speak unto thee am he" (John 4:25,26).  With her new found faith in the Messiah, this woman quickly brought others to Jesus who also confessed Him as the Christ:  "Now we believe ... and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world" (John 4:42).  For many such persons their former hope in a coming Messiah became saving faith and trust in the Messiah who had indeed come!  The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, addresses such persons and includes himself among them as those "who first trusted in Christ" (Ephesians 1:12).  Here the word translated in the King James Version as "first trusted" is the Greek word "proelpizo" meaning "to hope before" and is a compound form of the verb elpizo (to hope) with the prefix pro (before).   Marvin Vincent, in his Word Studies in the New Testament explains the meaning:  "We refers to Jewish Christians, and the verb describes their messianic hope before (pro) the advent of Christ....In Christ should be 'in the Christ,' as the subject of messianic expectation ... It is equivalent to in the Messiah" (original emphasis by Vincent).  Likewise the Pulpit Commentary states that this is "applicable to the Jewish Christians, who, through the promises given to the fathers, had seen Christ's day afar off, and had thus hoped in him" (emphasis mine).  This true Messianic hope that led to saving faith in the Lord Jesus as the promised Christ was also expressed in other terms by those that longed for the coming of the Messiah.  In our study of the Old Testament synonyms for the word "hope" we found that the concept of "hope" was often associated and expressed by the words "waiting" (yahal) and "watching" (sabar).  And so in the New Testament there were those who expressed their Messianic "hope" by the Greek word prosdekomai which is variously translated as "waiting" or "looking".  This word literally meant "to receive to one's self, to embrace, or to welcome," and thus came to be used to express personal expectation or longing.  It expresses a hope that consists of an eager anticipation!  Three such persons may be found in the Gospel of Luke:

1.  Simeon - the just and devout man who was assured by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ.  He was described as one who was "waiting for the consolation of Israel" (Luke 2:25).  He recognized the baby Jesus as the promised Messiah.

2.  Anna - the widow prophetess who served God with fastings and prayers night and day.  She witnessed Simeon's declaration concerning the infant Jesus and "spake of him (Jesus) to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem" (Luke 2:38).

3.  Joseph of Arimathea - The "secret" disciple of Jesus who came forward to claim the Lord's body for burial in his own unused tomb.  He was described as a good man and just "who also himself waited for the kingdom of God" (Luke 23:51).  

In these three individuals we find at least three aspects of the true Messianic hope:  The Messiah's comfort, The Messiah's redemption, and the Messiah's kingdom.  All three expectations were fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ, for He came to redeem the sinner from the guilt, bondage and penalty of sin; to announce comfort  to those He has redeemed by the ransom payment of His own blood; and to reign as King in the hearts of those brought into His eternal Kingdom! 

Come, Thou long expected Jesus, Born to set Thy people free;

From our fears and sins release us, Let us find our rest in Thee.

Israel's strength and consolation, Hope of all the earth Thou art;

Dear desire of every nation, Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver, Born a child, and yet a king;

Born to reign in us forever, Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.

By Thine own eternal Spirit Rule in all our hearts alone;

By Thine all sufficient merit Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

                                                                   (Charles Wesley)