jay's Corner

The Root of Hopelessness

1 Timothy 1:1

Is there any reason why a Christian should ever feel hopeless? That is not as easy a question as it may at first appear. For ex-ample, is the subject hope in the ultimate eternal sense, or hope in a limited and immediate circumstance?

What exactly is hope? As believers our interest should always be in God’s definition, expressed through the languages in which He chose to reveal Himself. In the Old Testament “hope” is synonymous with “trust;” the New Testament broadens this out to include the nuances of “confident expectation” and “solid assurance.” It is directed toward the future, regarding things which are largely unknowable through common human means (Romans 8:24, 25). Mounce writes: “Christian hope is strengthened by the Scriptures (Rom. 15:4), by the work of Jesus (1 Pet. 1:3, 21), and by God’s present gift of the Spirit to believers (Rom. 5:5). God wants us to wear hope around our heads as a helmet (1 Thess. 5:8) and to be ready at all times to share our hope with others (1 Pet. 3:15). By contrast, those who do not have God in their lives are without hope (Eph. 2:12).”

Either eternally or in temporary circumstance, our hope is in God’s power in our lives through His Son, Jesus Christ!

Two things become clear about hope: 1) it is wrapped up knowing and walking with Jesus, and 2) when you stray from know-ng and walking with Him, you have no basis for it any longer.

Keeping a hope-filled outlook depends on maintaining closeness with Christ.