What Is Real Christian Hope?
By Sarah Frazer
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” - 1 Peter 1:3 (NKJV)
A few months ago, I read a memoir about a woman who divorced her husband. The title of the book was promising. But when I got to the end, it felt like I had wasted my time. The title of the book promised something, but the author failed to keep that promise.
Why didn’t I like this book? The author never gave the reader any hope. Would her life be better? Did she learn valuable lessons about herself, her husband, or her children? No. In fact, she came across as someone who was still bitter and working through her own healing. There was no hope offered to us as readers. When I read books, I want to have a little bit of hope.
Poet Donna Ashworth writes about hope in Wild Hope:
“Hope floats, as a fated ship is dragged to its demise on the seabed. Hope rises when everything else in sinking."
When we think about the idea of hope, we often think of it in terms of wishes. Most of the time, the wishes or hopes are not bad things at all. I hope my children serve the Lord and follow Him as they grow older. I hope my husband and I live very long lives together. I hope that the loved one whom I pray for each day gets saved. What we hope for is often what we wish for, but is that real Christian hope?
Biblical hope is more than a wish. It is much deeper, more concrete, and lives on a foundation that will never falter. Hope is only as strong as what you place underneath it. Where is our hope, as Christians?
The answer is found in the Bible. In fact, the Bible has a lot to say about hope, but as we read today’s verse, we are going to see that Christian hope not only is the foundation of our faith, but helps us through whatever trial this world brings.
1 Peter 1:3-5 says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” (NKJV)
These verses tell us that our hope is alive. When something is alive, it means that it is growing. Hope moves, changes, and grows with us as we walk this Christian life. I was saved at a very young age, but through my teenage years and into early adulthood, my faith shifted, and it became less of my family’s faith and more of my own faith. Hope also moved with me through these times of growth. Hope became more and more a reality in my life.
Peter reminds us that our hope is rooted in something unshakeable: Jesus’ resurrection. Have you ever thought that your entire hope for eternity is based upon the fact that Jesus rose from the dead? Paul expounds on this in 1 Corinthians 15:14 Paul says, “And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” (NIV) Jesus physically rose from the dead. This hope that we will also raise again is the foundation for our hope.
Do you suffer from a bodily illness? Although we pray for healing and use modern medicine that God has given us to treat disease, nothing can keep us from dying. We can walk through our physical ailments knowing that our hope is based on Jesus’ physical raising again!
There might be circumstances in our lives that cause us to lose everything we own. People lose their homes in fires, floods, and tornados. Maybe we have had bad people do bad things to us, and we lose what we have in this world. Peter tells us that we have “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade.” We can have hope that although our earthly possessions might fade, rot, or disappear, we have a heavenly place for us that is “shielded by God’s power.” God is protecting our heavenly home and we can have hope in this.
Hope is more than a wish or a feeling. Christian hope is based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If we believe that Jesus truly did rise from the dead, we can walk through this life knowing everything is temporary. One day we will live with God and our hope will be seen!
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Is your hope rooted in the deep-seated belief in the resurrection of Christ? How can believing in this power keep you moving forward?
Further Reading:
Micah 7:7
Hebrews 11:1
Romans 8:24-25
Romans 12:12
Romans 15:13
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/ksenija18kz
Check out fantastic resources on Faith, Family, and Fun at Crosswalk.com!
Related Resource: How Habit Stacking Will Help You Discipline Your Mind, Body, & Spirit
The process of success is not hidden. It is on display for anyone to see. However, it is a daily grind that requires a great deal of work that is tedious and often uncomfortable. Successful people simply do the work. They embrace the grind and everything that comes with it. Ultimately, successful people understand this truth - Hope doesn’t produce change. Habits do! Everyone has the desire, but many lack the necessary discipline! That’s why today on The Built Different Podcast we have a very special guest who understands the importance of discipline and habits at a very high level. Don’t just focus on changing the thoughts in your head and the habits in your life, but also allow God to transform your heart from the inside out. If you like what you hear, be sure to subscribe to The Built Different Podcast on Apple, Spotify or YouTube so you never miss an episode!
