About twenty-five years ago, a small group sat together in a Sunday school class discussing how through Christ’s death and resurrection we could look forward to heaven.
“I hope so,” a man in his sixties interjected without confidence.
I was dumbfounded. Larry (not his real name) was an usher in, and had been a member of, that church for decades. Thankfully, I didn’t blurt out my surprise. I was reminded that just because someone has been a long-time member of, or even a leader in, a church doesn’t guarantee their knowledge or understanding of the Bible. Some in the church lack understanding of the basics of Christianity. Others struggle to believe they’re saved. They don’t have the assurance of salvation or grasp the promise of heaven through faith alone. It’s hard for them to fathom that God would allow a sinner like them into heaven.
Wishful Thinking and False Hope
Larry’s use of the word hope fits one of the standard meanings of the word: to want (or wish) something to happen or be true. This applies to statements such as, I hope to one day marry. I hope to visit all the national parks. I hope the right candidate wins. All of us hope for things or events in our life to come our way. Nothing wrong with that.
But as Christians our hope about salvation and eternal life (the matters of faith) should match another definition of hope: to desire with expectation of obtainment or fulfillment; to expect with confidence—trust. That definition matches the biblical definition of hope, which is tied to faith. Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
It’s not false hope based on an optimistic view of ourselves, like many who believe going to heaven is about being a good person. It’s confidence in Christ’s promise that all who believe in Him will have eternal life (John 3:16).
The Christian’s Hope
The hope Christians have is based on their belief in and relationship with God. It’s the kind of hope that spurred David to implore God: “Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. . . . May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you” (Psalm 25:5, 21). And it’s the hope that prompted the author of Hebrews to write, “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:22-24).
Our hope (our assurance, our confidence) comes from God; the “hope held out in the gospel” (Colossians 1:23). As Paul wrote, “our hope [is] in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe” (1 Timothy 4:10).
My Hope
I can’t imagine living without hope, the kind of hope I have because of my faith in God. The kind of hope that perseveres despite circumstances (see Romans 5:1-5). A hope based on my trust in God: Trust that all He spoke in and through the Bible—and continues to speak to me through the Holy Spirit—is true. Trust that He loves me and has a plan and purpose for my life even when my way seems unclear and answers to prayer aren’t always apparent.
Without that hope my life would be meaningless. That hope has sustained me through difficult trials and circumstances that sometimes seemed more than I could bear and to have no end. (Praise God, they did! And I can now look back and say, “Now I see God’s hand at work.”) It has helped me to persevere and to experience the joy of the Lord—and to grow in my faith. And it has given me a desire to please Him and to share with others the hope I have that could be theirs as well.
In God alone, we find true and lasting hope.
—Written by Alyson Kieda. Used by permission from the author.
