Friday, January 13, 2006
What should I Hope?
The Object upon whom hope is fixed can be seen in the greeting to Timothy:
"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope." (1 Timothy 1:1 NIV)
However, unlike Love, hope is not God. But God is the author of hope. I say this fact hesitantly. Convince me if you think otherwise. The reason I think hope is not God is twofold: (1) 1 Corinthians 13:13 says that Love is the greatest of the three: faith, hope and love. If God is Love AND God is hope, but Love is greater than hope, is God greater than God? (2) (the weaker of the two arguments) To say God is hope and hope is God comes across as Pantheism, where God is everything. This point is probably moot.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13)
Now we go to something more substantial. So what should we specifically hope for?
hope of the resurrection: "Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, 'My brothers, … I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead.'" (Acts 23:6)
hope of the promise: "And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today. This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night." (Acts 26:6)
hope of righteousness: "But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope." (Galatians 5:5)
hope of the gospel: "But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel." (Colossians 1:22, 23)
hope of the glory of God: "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ …" (Titus 2:11-13)
Next blog: Five more hopes!
"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope." (1 Timothy 1:1 NIV)
However, unlike Love, hope is not God. But God is the author of hope. I say this fact hesitantly. Convince me if you think otherwise. The reason I think hope is not God is twofold: (1) 1 Corinthians 13:13 says that Love is the greatest of the three: faith, hope and love. If God is Love AND God is hope, but Love is greater than hope, is God greater than God? (2) (the weaker of the two arguments) To say God is hope and hope is God comes across as Pantheism, where God is everything. This point is probably moot.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13)
Now we go to something more substantial. So what should we specifically hope for?
hope of the resurrection: "Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, 'My brothers, … I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead.'" (Acts 23:6)
hope of the promise: "And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today. This is the promise our twelve tribes are hoping to see fulfilled as they earnestly serve God day and night." (Acts 26:6)
hope of righteousness: "But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope." (Galatians 5:5)
hope of the gospel: "But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel." (Colossians 1:22, 23)
hope of the glory of God: "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ …" (Titus 2:11-13)
Next blog: Five more hopes!
# posted by Wesley Son of Cornelius @ 8:43 PM 
