Hope in the Bible is based in the confident expectation that the God of the Bible is good for his promises.

If you’re looking (or sniffing) for hope, you’ve come to the right place.  The Bible is a hope filled book.  Bob is particularly excited about this topic – he likes nothing more than the confident expectation of tracking down the next great promise of God he’ll discover.

1 Peter 1:3-4 in the Contemporary English Version of the Bible

We tend to use the word “hope” in a wishful thinking sort of way.  “I hope she gets married.” “I hope I get chocolate for Valentine’s Day.” “I hope Bob finds my Bible.” “I hope he stops barking.”  But the Bible uses the word “hope” in a different way.

Bob’s excellent tracking skills have found some savory nose-filling truth about biblical hope:

Psalm 33:18 (New Revised Standard Version)

“Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
    on those who hope in his steadfast love.”

To trust in God is to have the confident expectation that he will come through for you with his love.

Psalm 62:5 (English Standard Version)

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
    for my hope is from him.”

We can wait patiently in the confident expectation that God will respond and answer.

Jeremiah 29:11 (New King James Version)

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

God thinks deeply and affectionately toward us.  Therefore we have the confident expectation that he has only good plans for us.

Acts 2:24-26 (The Message)

“But God untied the death ropes and raised him up. Death was no match for him. David said it all:

‘I saw God before me for all time.
Nothing can shake me; he’s right by my side.
I’m glad from the inside out, ecstatic;
I’ve pitched my tent in the land of hope.’”

The Apostle Peter spoke to a crowd of thousands, grounding hope in the resurrection of Jesus from death, and, so therefore, the Christian has the confident expectation of a future resurrection with him.  Death does not have the final word.

Romans 8:18, 23-25 (Common English Bible)

“I believe that the present suffering is nothing compared to the coming glory that is going to be revealed to us…. We ourselves who have the Spirit as the first crop of the harvest also groan inside as we wait to be adopted and for our bodies to be set free. We were saved in hope. If we see what we hope for, that isn’t hope. Who hopes for what they already see?   But if we hope for what we don’t see, we wait for it with patience.”

The Apostle Paul paints a picture of all creation suffering the effects of a broken sinful world.  But it will not always be this way.  There is a time coming when, because of the person and work of Jesus, we have the confident expectation of ultimate deliverance from sin, disease, disaster, destruction, death and hell.  The Holy Spirit is the deposit, guaranteeing our inheritance to a new life.

Ephesians 1:16, 18-19 (English Standard Version)

“I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers…. that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe….”

This is a grand prayer of Paul, who desired for the church to know beyond a shadow of a doubt the confident expectation they have of their place with God in Christ – that they have a position with Jesus which gives them the ability to rise above the dark forces of this world.

Colossians 1:4-5 (New Living Translation)

“For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.”

Here Paul makes clear the connection between faith and love coming from the confident expectation of what is coming – a reservation awaiting the redeemed.  It’s activated by embracing the good news of deliverance by Jesus from and forgiveness of shortcomings, disobedience, and offenses.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-15 (New Revised Standard Version)

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.  For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died.”

It’s understandable and commendable that people ask the questions, “What happens to people when they die?” and “What will happen to me when I die?”  Christian hope is grounded in the confident expectation that Jesus is coming again.  It’s a game-changer when we have confidence in the future and can reorder our lives now with faithful engagement with the world – knowing what will eventually happen, even if we don’t know all the details.

Titus 2:13-14 (New Century Version)

“We should live like that while we wait for our great hope and the coming of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.  He gave himself for us so he might pay the price to free us from all evil and to make us pure people who belong only to him—people who are always wanting to do good deeds.”

We patiently wait for our hope, the confident expectation that Jesus is coming again.  True and genuine biblical hope shapes the way we live right now.

1 Peter 1:3-4 (International Children’s Bible)

“He gave us a living hope because Jesus Christ rose from death.  Now we hope for the blessings God has for his children. These blessings are kept for you in heaven. They cannot be destroyed or be spoiled or lose their beauty.”

The Apostle Peter reminded a persecuted church that their sufferings would not last forever.  They have a confident expectation of being kept safe and seeing their ultimate deliverance from this broken world.

Just as sure as the nose on Bob’s bloodhound face, we can bank on the promise that Jesus Christ is coming again and will enact our final deliverance from all the terrible evil of this present age.  A new age will come.

To summarize, hope in the Bible is the confident expectation that:

• Our patient endurance will be rewarded
• God’s future plans for us are good
• Death is no match for Jesus
• Present suffering will not last
• There is an inheritance which awaits those who persevere
• Ultimate deliverance from the power of evil is coming
• We belong to God
• We can live in freedom with boldness right now
• Our salvation will never rust
• Jesus is coming soon

 

This page, along with the entire site, is continually under Bob’s nose.  We’ll keep tracking down some great content for you about hope in the Bible.  Come on back and check in from time to time.

Feel free to leave a comment, ask a question, or go to the Contact page and connect with us.

Thanks.  See you on the trail.