Our Sure Hope

by Gary Henry

"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope" (I Timothy 1:1).

Jesus Christ is “our hope,” as Paul wrote to Timothy. To the brothers and sisters in Colossae, he said that the good news of the gospel is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). And in his letter to Titus, Paul said that we are “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). If there was ever a forward-looking religion, Christianity is it. And frankly, if there is no substance or reality to the Christian’s hope of heaven, then we are a pathetic bunch of people: “If our hope in Christ is only for this life here on earth, then people should feel more sorry for us than for anyone else” (I Corinthians 15:19 ERV).

Our hope, however, is not just wishful thinking. It is supported by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and the historical truth of that event rests on evidence more than sufficient to convince honest inquirers that it actually happened. So, the future that we cherish in Christ is not only a hope; it is a sure hope. “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (Hebrews 6:19).

Our confidence in God’s promise of eternal life grows over the span of our lives in Christ. It won’t grow, of course, if we don’t “water” it and “feed” it. But when we walk with the Lord, nurturing our faith by prayer, study of the Scriptures, meditation on God, and interaction with our fellow Christians, we find that the hope of the gospel becomes more real — and also more intense! Perhaps it is just that as we reach old age, we are nearer to heaven, but I think more is involved. Regardless of our age, it takes time for hope to mature and become the active force in our lives that God means it to be. So we need to be patient and persistent while our hope increases.

Ultimately, our confidence in what God will do is based on the bedrock of what He’s already done. May we “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). The good news is not hard to understand. It is not complicated. But it is the most important thing you’ve ever heard.

Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
Alleluia
(The Gospel of Christ)