Just what is hope? The dictionary gives this definition: “Desire, accompanied by expectation of obtaining.”
This is not too good a definition for things that are hoped for in this world. For instance, speaking first of ordinary people who have no particular goal in life, they may hope that it will be a nice day for the picnic tomorrow; that they will be able to visit some friends next summer; that they will find a satisfactory position soon, etc. But they cannot be at all certain that events will turn out in the manner hoped for. It might rain tomorrow in spite of being sunny today; something could happen to make it impossible for them to visit their friends; the position they are looking for may not be available at any time soon. These obstacles to their plans are entirely beyond their control, it is not within their power to bring their wishes to fruition.
But the hope that we have in the Truth is a hope that it is quite possible to realize; in fact, our own faithlessness is the only thing that will keep us from receiving the prize of immortal, eternal life.
Now let us examine a few Scriptures on the subject of hope which will give us assurance and contrast the hope that we have with the hope of the people of the world.
Acts 24:15. Paul says that we have a hope toward God that there will be a resurrection of the dead. Our hope in this case is positive, because the Scriptures tell us plainly that this will be the case.
Romans 15:13. God is a God of hope who will fill us with joy and peace if we believe, that we may “abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit”. We know, of course, that this does not pertain to material things, but that it is the “hope that is set before us” of reigning with Christ in His kingdom.
Proverbs 10:28. “The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish”. Our hope will bring us gladness, but, no matter how great the hopes of the ungodly, their expectations shall perish.
Romans 15:4. This verse tells us how we may obtain this hope of future life. “For whatsoever things were written afore-time were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” It is indeed through diligent study that we may have the comfort of this hope. This takes a great deal of patience, but the result is a hope that will hold steadfast in every trial.
Ephesians 1:18 tells us practically the same thing. We may know what is the hope of our calling when the eyes of our understanding are enlightened. And how are they enlightened? Through daily reading of the Bible and books by our brethren as supplements to the Bible.
Ephesians 4:4. We are called in the One Hope of our calling. We all hope for the same thing, with the understanding that we may achieve this hope if we remain faithful to the end.
Colossians 1:5. This hope is Laid Up for us (See also Hebrews 3:6). By these Scriptures we see that our hope is something substantial, and not something that is likely to vanish, as do so many of the hopes of this present life.
Lamentations 3:26. We should hope and Quietly Wait for the salvation of the Lord. Our hope, then, is for the great salvation, and sometimes we must wait a long time for it. It may be a discouraging experience, but the hope is certain; God has done His part, and if we do ours we shall one day realize this glorious hope.
Must be pure
What must we do if we have this hope of eternal life? We must purify ourselves even as Christ is pure (1st John 3:3). We read in Romans 3:10 that ” . . . there is none righteous, no, not one”. If this is true, how then can we purify ourselves? We may be Deemed righteous through Christ, our Mediator. This righteousness we obtain by faith (Romans 3:22). We have been begotten to a “lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1st Peter 1:3). Had He not been raised from death, we would still be in our sins, and there would be no hope for eternal life. But Jesus opened to us a “new and living way” (Hebrews 10:20), and through Him we can and do have this blessed hope.
There are many more Scriptures on this subject, but these are sufficient to inform us that we who are in Christ do have a sure and blessed hope that we can grasp and be certain of obtaining if we remain faithful to the end.
Hopes can be dashed
Now let us look at the people of the world who have reached or are in the process of reaching the goal which they —had set for themselves. Perhaps some of them, by means of years of hard work, have accumulated a considerable amount of money. Overnight they may lose everything they have. This happened in the depression, and, having no real hope or faith to help them, many people committed suicide, leaving nothing behind them to show for their years of grueling labor.
Suppose a few of them, after much toil and effort, have become executives in a rich and great industry. This may easily vanish, too. Younger men may take their places, leaving them in subordinate positions because of age. Perhaps they forgot, in the intensity of the struggle, that age does creep up on all of us sooner or later, and found, to their sorrow and dismay, that the best years of their lives had been spent for nothing.
Again, some of them, by one means or another, may have obtained recognition and honor as great statesmen, actors, artists, writers, etc., honored and showered with adulation. But in a moment the mood of the public may change. Statesmen are often removed from office; actors and actresses after years of fame, are no longer in favor, others having come to the forefront and pushed them ruthlessly aside; modernistic writers and artists replace those who have written well-known books or painted worth-while pictures, and so it is in all walks of life.
And again, how many of these great men and women, having reached the pinnacle they sought, and in the height of their careers, have been forced to “go the way of all flesh” years before the proverbial “threescore and ten”. The Bible tells us that these unfortunate people cannot take their money or their honor with them, and the majority of them are soon forgotten by their once admiring public. They cease to be, their hopes vanish with them, and what hope of the future have they?
As for the meek of the earth whom the Lord has chosen for the greatest honor that can ever be bestowed upon man, they may, in this hostile world, have suffering and sorrow, sometimes almost unbearable, and if it were not for their faith and hope they, too, might end it all. Perhaps they have no earthly friend to whom they can turn in their times of trouble. But God’s children are never alone, because we have a great High Priest who understands and sympathizes with us, because He was deserted in His hour of trial by those He loved most, His disciples; He had no place to lay His head; He was despised and rejected of men; He was in all points tempted as we are. We have only to come to Him, because He has told us that He will help us bear our burdens when we are so heavy laden. He is “closer to us than breathing, nearer than hands and feet.” There is nothing, not even incurable illness which has placed us without earthly hope in the hospital, not even death itself, that can separate us from the love of God. “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord” (Romans 8: 38, 39).
Do not envy
Having such a hope, then, let us not for a moment become envious of those who have much of this world’s goods, while we have so little we can call our own, or of those who receive momentary honor and recognition from a fickle and forgetful public. Let us remember that “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1st Corinthians 2:9).
Psalm 37 contrasts our hope with that of the people of the world. We are told not to fret because of evil doers (v. 1); that they may spread themselves like the green bay tree. (v. 35), yet they will pass and not be found (v. 36). It also informs us that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord (v. 23), that he shall not be utterly cast down (v. 24), and that the Lord loves the saints and they shall be preserved forever (v. 28).
In our times of direst distress let us remember Romans 8:28. “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose”. All Things, not just some of them Work together for our good. Perhaps we cannot understand why some of these tribulations afflict us. But some day we shall know and see God’s wisdom is permitting them to happen. Then God will wipe away all tears, and there shall be no more sorrow or crying, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:4). Yes, “now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (1st Corinthians 13:12).
This, dear brothers and sisters, is Our Hope, and no matter how dreary the world may seem to us, let us indeed rejoice and lift up our heads, for the fulfillment of this great hope draws near (Luke 21:28). Realizing this, let us then “. . . press forward toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Philippians 3:14).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One