Let’s try to summarise what we’ve been thinking about on the topic of, “Hope in believing and believing in hope”
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” Romans 15:13
Biblical Christian hope leads to confidence and total assurance; hope that is not founded on Jesus Christ is fickle and leads to despair and dread.
Hope is not simply some vague wish that our future will be OK. Biblical hope is something which leads us to total assurance about who we are in Christ and the consequent trust that our future is secured.
The foundation of this hope is not in our effort, or our intelligence, but in the glorious sovereign grace of God.
This hope is marvellously extensive: we hope in the return of Jesus in glory; the redemption of our bodies; the completion of our righteousness; the reality of eternal life. This Christian hope is no slight thing.
There is nothing more important for our young people to believe in, and on, than Jesus. This is not a truth simply to be addressed in Biblical Studies, chapels, or retreats. If that’s the only place that our students are exposed to the Triune God, we could be creating a false dualism. We may be communicating that God is simply an “extra” to normal life. We may be suggesting that He is only relevant to devotional spots, or other designated “spiritual” times. These times are essential, but they need to be connected to every other moment of our lives.
Our communities need to see Jesus reflected in how we think, act, relate, understand knowledge and wisdom, why we celebrate and lament, how we deal with stress and tensions – the fullness of our daily lives. He should be as natural to us as the air we breathe. Consequently, it will raise the question about us: “Why do they have ‘joy and peace in believing?’”.
Blessings
Brian