Key Word: Hope (2) Divine Hope doesn’t disappoint

Divine hope doesn’t disappoint. It doesn’t disappoint because it is rooted in the God of hope and the Gospel of hope.

‘Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.’ Romans 5:1–2

Faith, justification, peace, grace and hope—this sums up the Gospel.

What sin ruined, faith restores. Where peace was lost, grace provides anew. What was hurt by transgression gets healed by hope. God justifies the sinner by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Christ died for us, so we can become righteous before God, that is, in right standing with Him. In essence, God cleans up our mess. Justification by faith means we believe in the substitute sacrifice for sin Christ offered before God. This reconciliation leads sinners, who were once at enmity with their Creator, back into peace with God. Through faith in Christ, we gain access to the grace of God. Grace is the free gift of God’s forgiveness and justification despite sin. Because of this we have reason to rejoice in hope! Apart from Christ there is no hope of eternal life. But in Christ we do have hope—and this is reason to be glad.

‘And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.’ Romans 5:3–5

We not only rejoice in the hope of the Gospel (vv 1–2) when things are easy, but can do so also when things are tough (v 3). Trials and tribulations are never pleasant, but hope gives us power to persevere. Perseverance is the power to endure trials towards the desired goal without falling into despair, as noted in our earlier post. We keep hope alive by staying focused on the goal we desire. We press on to reach the destiny we pursue. Trials can actually bring the best out of us if we handle things well. Difficulties can awaken the genius in us, as one philosopher stated. Proven character emerges from the fires of trials and tribulations if we choose growth instead of giving up and playing the victim. Trials can make us or break us—they can kill the last hope we had left or bring out the best in us during difficult times. If we take the trials as training to make us better, we will win. But if we use tribulation as an excuse to feel sorry for ourselves, we will lose. This type of process activates the best in us and leads us to an unshakable hope—and that type of hope doesn’t disappoint, because it is divine hope.

Divine hope is fuelled by divine power. God’s love fills us, His Spirit empower us (Romans 5:5). God’s Spirit inspires divine hope and that hope is oxygen for the soul. God’s Spirit gives life. God’s Spirit is the breath of life. The God of hope breaths the oxygen of hope into our souls. That divine hope is rooted in the God of hope and the Gospel of hope.

‘Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.’ Romans 15:13

The God of hope supplies joy and peace in our faith in order that we can abound in hope—we can be joyful and at peace in our faith and hope in God. His Spirit gives us the power to believe and have hope. Strong hope is based on strong faith, and strong faith is rooted in God’s faithfulness. The God of hope is also the God of patience and comfort (v 5). He comforts us through the encouragement of the Scriptures that we might have hope (v 4). Scripture is full examples of how God inspired hope in difficult situations and showed a way into a better future. The Scriptures also reveal the Gospel of hope.

The Gospel promises us eternal life and is, therefore, an eternal hope. Paul called it the ‘blessed hope,’ the ‘hope of eternal life’ (Titus 1:2; 2:13; 3:7). He wrote of the ‘good hope’ we have in Christ (2 Thessalonians 2:16), referring to the Gospel Christ and the hope of the resurrection unto eternal life (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13–17). There is comfort in this hope (v 18). It also encourages us to live a sober and responsible life in love and hope (5:1–11) and honour and peace (vv 12–15). Joy, prayer, gratitude and spirituality are all fruits of this hope (vv 16–20). We must also have a good measure of discernment (vv 21) and abstain from evil (v 22). God called us to purity (4:1–8) and a life of love and responsibility (vv 9–12).

As we are being sanctified by the God of peace (5:23), we can trust in His faithfulness to fulfil His purpose (v 24). He won’t fail us. It is blessed to endure trials and become mature (James 1:2–4, 12). God provides His wisdom as we face challenges and we can ask His guidance by a steadfast faith (1:5–6). The present suffering vanish in view of what God has prepared for us in the future (Romans 8:18).

Look to God. He is faithful—He gets us to it and He will get us through it! Trust Him.

Divine hope doesn’t disappoint.