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Setting Your Hope

... setting your hope completely to the extent of the grace brought to you in revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:13)


Hope is an important part of the Christian armor, we are to put on the hope of our salvation. Paul writes that "now remains faith, hope, and love..." these three I believe to put emphasis on its importance. Hope is an element of faith which exists unseen. "For of hope saved, now hope seen exists not hope, for does anyone hope for what he sees? but if hope like as not seeing, we wait expectantly through endurance" (Romans 8:24-25). Of hope we are saved, and we have a hope of our salvation to come, hope of our calling, of eternal life.

for creation early awaits the revealing of the sons of God. For creation was subjected to futility not of choosing but through the one subjecting to the extent of hope (Romans 8:18-21)

It is an amazing verse, God subjected the earth to corruption to the extent of hope. What does this mean? "because also the creation itself will be set free from its bondage of decay unto the glorious freedom of the children of God" (Romans 8:21). As children of God we have hope for there will be a glorious revealing and freedom of the children of God. We feel this in us, even as the earth (body) is dying and groaning, our bodies are dying and groaning, and "the Spirit himself moans inwardly in us as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies." Our salvation is not complete, our adoption is not complete, our redemption is not complete, our transformation is not complete. We even hope for a complete righteousness, "for we by the Spirit, through faith, eagerly await the righteousness for which we hope" (Galatians 5:5).

But if we hope as we await these things through endurance the Spirit helps us in our weakness (Romans 825-26).

In our weakness Paul writes his grace is sufficient and his power is completed. God knows those who are his, his Spirit dwells in them, and when we do not know how we ought to pray the Spirit intercedes for us groaning too deep for words. This brings hope as the Spirit intercedes as we "know all things work together for good, the ones loved of God, the ones existing called according to purpose..." (Romans 8:26-30). Paul prays that we have a spirit of wisdom and revelation so we "know the hope that he called you, what the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints" (Ephesians 1:13-14).

through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of sharing the glory of God (Romans 5:2)

We are called to share in the glory of God. If we could but just grasp a little of what that means, the things of this earth would become dim, we would not put our hope in this life. Sharing in the glory of God is the reason we can rejoice in sufferings, because we know it produces endurance, and endurance produces hope. If we have hope "we wait expectantly through endurance" Paul says in Romans 8:24-25, because we know sufferings produces hope. First, the proving  produces endurance, and as James says, its intended work is maturity, a outcome of the proving of the trial, and this proving or building of character works out hope and hope (that we are being conformed to the image of God, sharing in his glory) and "hope doesn't disappoint because of God's love is poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit." As we know Christ more, proven in character, becoming more like him, we experience more hope and deeper love. Isn't this how a healthy relationship with an earthly father works? This process helps us to endure the next trial or discipline, to rejoice in it, as we are being conformed to his glory.

to the extent we the ones hoping in Christ, exist to the praise of his glory (Ephesians 1:12) 
 
Christ in us is the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). We read earlier "we rejoice in hope of sharing the glory of God" and now we read those who set their hope in Christ exist to the praise of his glory  Oh, how we need hope. Paul tells us to set our hope completely to the extent of the grace brought to us in revelation of Jesus Christ.We set hope completely, not partially, on grace which is something revealed to us. So hope is an element of faith, that unseen but revealed to us. The hope of Abraham hoped against hope, seeing that he was 100 years old and Sarah was barren, he could not see the reality of God's promise that Sarah would have a child, he could not see hope from an earthly perspective, but he did not judge according to unbelief but was strengthened through faith until he was fully convinced that what God said he would do.

so that through endurance and through the encouragement of the scriptures we have hope (Romans 15:4)

We have a living hope, because Jesus did not just die for our justification, so that we are forgiven our sin and saved from wrath, he rose again and lives so that much more we are saved in that his life (Romans 5:6-11). God demonstrates his love for us that while we were still sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). And while we were dead in our trespasses and sin Christ made us alive. We experience or have revelation of knowing our heavenly Father and Jesus and we are set free from sin, free from wrath, no judgement and condemnation, and we come to experience life.  
 
"Now abides faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13). 
 
Paul prays in Ephesians 1, God would give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation in knowing him. The eyes of our hearts would be open to the hope of our calling. The Spirit is an important part of our hope, life, and love. Peter writes the goal of faith is the salvation of our souls. And Faith also exists hope. And agape love bears, believes, and hopes all things (1 Corinthians 13:7). Before Christ made us alive, we were dead, without God and without hope. Without love, faith is nothing. Without the resurrection our faith would be in vain, as we would have no hope in this life, for the next.
 
"now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13). 

God is a God of hope. We don't hope for what can be seen. One way to look at this is the circumstances of this life is not a basis for our hope,"If our hope in Christ is for this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied" (1 Corinthians 15:19). We are called to the one hope of our calling (Ephesians 4:4). We see how faith, hope, and love are connected. "for we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love like as having for all the saints both through the hope laid up for you heaven..." (Colossians 1:4-6). Faith and love spring from the hope laid up for us in heaven? 
 
The gospel is a gospel of hope (Colossians 1:4-6; Colossians 1:23). This is how I personally experienced salvation, not from hearing the gospel as a message of fear, judgement, and condemnation but of faith, hope, and love. Hope comes alive when we hear and believe and experience new birth of the Spirit. More hope is given as we mature in Christ. We have this hope in us, that we are his, and we set our minds on the hope of our salvation.

 



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