The Christian’s Hope – Alive and Well
By the mercy of the blessed God and Father we have become children into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:3-5).
Hope is alive and well if we are in Christ. If you have that hope it is a blessing that gives you strength, courage, and stamina to continue.
We have hope because God is merciful
Our hope does not rely on our own righteousness. It can’t because we are all imperfect (Romans 3:23). If our salvation depended on us we would be hopeless because our righteousness would never been good enough to overcome our debt to God. We can’t deceive ourselves (1 John 1:8-10), thinking that we are good enough before God. Thanks be to God that we don’t have to be! Christ substituted His righteousness for us because when we are so week and wretched in sin, He died so we aren’t killed by God as punishment (Romans 5:6-8). That’s strong language because it’s a powerful message that God’s mercy prevents our obliteration from existence. He doesn’t want that and He gave us a way to prevent that punishment – forgiveness. All we have to 1 is ask for it (John 1:9). What a merciful Lord!
1 John 1:9 (ESV): If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We Have Hope Because Jesus is Alive
The death and resurrection of Christ is necessary or we would have no hope (1 Peter 1:3). If Jesus was not resurrected from the dead, He wouldn’t be divine, He wouldn’t have preached an effective Gospel, He wouldn’t be the perfect sacrifice, and we would be hopelessly lost in our sins for all time. We have renewed hope because we have the promise that because Jesus was resurrected, we will be as well, as long as we were also buried in the likeness of His death (Romans 6:3-6). The apostles witnessed His resurrection and did not preach a lie to all the world. It was so powerful they were willing to die for that truth, knowing that physical death was not their end. They knew they had hope of life with God in eternity.
John 11:25 (ESV): 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.
We Have Hope Because of Our Special Inheritance
Jesus left a will that bestowed His mansion to you (1 Peter 1:4 (ESV). You are the benefactor of His effort and the eternal life He passes down to you. You receive this inheritance not because you earned it but because He loves you.
Consider this: you entered a contract with Satan at some point in your life because you chose your desires over God. Satan was thrilled but God looked knowingly at your plight and offered Jesus. You separated yourself from God, like an estranged child from a parent. But the parent never stops loving the child and God never stops loving you. He only waits for you to come back. When you do, you become an heir of the vast estate of God in heaven that not even Satan can take away.
John 14:2 (ESV) In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
We Have Hope Because We Are Safely Guarded
We are in the protection and care of God. Not from earthly distress, but from the consequence of siding with Satan. Moreover, God knows how to help you overcome temptation (2 Peter 2:9). When you are child of His you have a direct audience with God to request His guidance and assistance to overcome. We are all tempted and there is no novel temptation that only you suffer. On the contrary, God has seen it all and knows how much you can endure (1 Corinthians 10:13). Not only does He keep you from being tempted too much, He also offers His armor to withstand temptation. You just have to put it on (Ephesians 6:10-13).
1 Peter 1:5 (ESV) who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
The only way you can lose this hope and inheritance is to give up and go back into a worldly life. A believer can become an unbeliever (Hebrews 3:12-13) and be deceived by sin all over again. Don’t depart from God. Don’t leave His shelter. Don’t give up your inheritance. Don’t give up your hope!