What is Hope?

Our Bible Study “homework” questions for June 8th, were:

"What is hope?" and "To what are we called?

Another Blogger, “C Grace” asks these same questions on June 14, a week later.

"What is the goal of our salvation? What are we hoping for?

My initial reaction is to define Hope as looking forward to something which may or may not happen.

To think about the questions, “What is hope? Or What are we hoping for?” I read ahead to 1 John 3 and found these verses.

1Jo 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.
1Jo 3:3 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
1Jo 3:4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. (ASV)

3. All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus' life as a model for our own. (MSG)

John Gill’s notes say this:

“though they are sons, they do not appear now as such, as they will do, when they shall be introduced into their Father's house, . . . besides, they will appear then not only to be kings' sons, but kings themselves, as they now are; they will then inherit the kingdom prepared for them, and will sit down on a throne of glory, and have a crown of righteousness, life, and glory, put upon them. . .”

So, this makes me think of two things. The first relates to the Eldredge Books P.T. let me borrow. (I am grateful and indebted to him for that!) We have hope because we have been made (by being called) children of God. I hope for the future because, even though I don’t look or always act like a princess, or ruling Queen, I will! I look forward to Jesus’s return, not only because I long to see him, but because I long to be what he’s promised to make me. I imagine it’s how Lucy felt when she was in England, longing for the promised return to Narnia. It’s how Eowyn felt, doing menial chores, taking care of women and children, or trudging miles to arrive at a seemingly hopeless battle. But her hope was that the King would return and be victorious, and she would be set up as a ruling Princess.

Robertson’s Word Pictures says that in verse 3, the word is “resting upon” as a location, as opposed to “looking to.” The foundation of the dream, or hope, is Jesus. We follow him and walk as He walked, because we remember that through his love, we have been made children of God. Verse 2 even says, “when He appears, we will be like Him.”

The second thing I thought of was the parallelism between verses 3 and 4.
Paraphrased:
“Everyone who has hope founded on Jesus purifies himself, because Jesus is pure.”
“Everyone who practices sin practices lawlessness, because sin is lawlessness.”
It seems as though hope and purification go together, and are further defined by what they are not. Someone who has this hope of seeing Jesus and completing the transformation into a Child of God will not practice sin, but will use Jesus’ life as a model of purity.

My friend Doc said: (see Grace-Study.blogspot.com)

A quick thought on hope. To hope is to be in a position of dependence. If the desired outcome or the finished product was within our power/ability to accomplish, it wouldn't be hope.

Here too hope is a position of openness and vulnerability. That which is hoped for may or may not occur. It seems that it comes back to dependence. If hope is a position of dependence, the question is: On what or on whom are you depending? I guess that brings us to faith.

So:

What is hope? It is the eager anticipation of abundant, eternal life, both now and after the death of the body, based on the foundation of the redemptive work of Jesus.

What are we hoping for? The fulfillment of the call/invitation to abundant, eternal life.

What is the goal of our salvation? To what are we called? Life, abundant, eternal LIFE.

Some more verses on hope:

Eph. 1:18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.

Eph 4:4 - 6 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called (invited, bidden) in one hope (anticipation) of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

Joh 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (Jesus says.)

Tit 3:7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.