Our Hope
Christianity is the only doctrine of hope among the great religions of the world. Hope is the confidence that everything works out according to God’s ultimate plan… according to his divine design; according to his sovereign will. Biblical speaking, hope is different from what the world says hope is. Hope according to the Word of God is the ultimate fulfillment of God’s purpose.
The first three verses of First John Chapter 3 are about truths related to the hope: past, present, and future. 1 John 3:1-3: Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
God’s love is manifested in that he has made us his children. Beloved now are we the sons of God, as such we are! Prior to God’s intervention through Jesus, we stood before God as complete strangers, having a debt of sin that we could not pay. When Jesus intervened on our behalf and we confessed him as Lord, God placed his seed of holy spirit within us and made us his sons.
Words are inadequate to describe the beauty of God’s created spirit within us. According to 1 Corinthians 2:9 …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. At the present time, it does not yet appear what we shall be. However, in the future we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is! As 1 Corinthians 13 says, for now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face we shall know him even also as also we are know by him. Our Heavenly Father loves us so much that he always cheers for us as his dear children. Even though we see our own frailties and imperfections, he sees us not as we are, but as we shall be. For even if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things.
Our spiritual response is that we are sons of God and that the hope of the return of Jesus Christ covers all of the negative contingencies of this present life. The hope of the return liberates us… it frees us to live, not according to the problems of this present world, but that we may live genuinely according to the security we have in anticipation of the Hope of his return.
Humanity chases after the things that do not really matter. Being a man of God means to chase after the Man of God Jesus Christ who gave his life on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him. Our hope is in Him, for all things work together for good to those who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose. For this light affliction which is but for a moment worketh a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Our Hope is the blessed assurance of knowing how the story ends.
May God richly bless you.
Your brother in Christ,
Michael