What Is Hope?

Some variant of the word “hope” (hope, hoping, hoped) occurs approximately 70 times in the course of the entire New Testament. This would lead one to believe that hope is quite an important topic in the life of the Christian.

Peter admonishes us to “always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). However, before I can defend the hope that is in me, I need to define hope.

The standard definition of hope that I have always heard is that it is “desire plus expectation.” It seems that this differs somewhat from our modern usage of the word. Today we often use “hope” just as an expression of desire without much expectation (e.g. “I hope to be rich someday”). Yet the usage of “hope” in a Scriptural context should always carry with it both the idea of desire AND expectation. Why? Because a Christian’s hope is tied to the Promises of God.

If you search the Scriptures diligently, you will find that God has made many promises to man over the years. Here are but a few examples:

• He made a three-fold promise to Abraham: to make of him a great nation; to give his people a land of their own possession; and to bless all nations of the earth through the seed of Abraham. (Genesis 12:1-3)
• He promised to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt into the Promised Land (Exodus 3:7-10)
• He promised to preserve a remnant of His people when they were led into captivity due to the sins of the nation (Isaiah 10:21-23)
• He promised to offer salvation to those of all nations who will hear His voice (Isaiah 2:1-3)

The beauty of these promises is that God kept each and every one of them. He kept His promises to Abraham, to the Israelites, to the remnant of Judah, and to all of mankind. So, we learn that when God makes a promise, we can be assured that He will keep it. God has promised a home in Heaven to those who will put on the name of Christ, work to please Him, and strive to bring others to Christ. God kept all of these promises because God cannot and will not lie (Titus 1:1-3).

Who would not have the desire to spend an eternity where there are no more tears, no more pain, no more suffering, and no more death (Revelation 21:4)? Not only can we have the sincere desire for such a place, but we can have the expectation to receive that reward if we serve the God who cannot lie.

Hope for the Christian encompasses both the desire and the earnest expectation to receive the blessings of a merciful, gracious, loving, and just God.