What is hope?

Hope is not just wishful thinking. Since hope is built on faith, and faith lays hold of truth, the truth of God's word, then hope is a matter of certainty, rather than a matter of probability for the one who believes.

Where hope is treated as a somewhat unlikely semi-delusional positive attitude, it does not bring about real joy, but secret anxiety and fear. Without this joy of hope, the spiritual resources necessary for suffering love beyond self, family, or tribal loyalty, will be absent.

Hope takes the promises of the Scriptures seriously, and permits the heart to accept them as certain facts, since they come to us from the God of heaven, who does all He pleases. His pleases are eagerly longed for with anticipatory joy.

John Calvin speaks of faith and hope this way in his brief introduction to Christianity called Truth for All Time:

"Faith believes God to be truthful:

hope waits for him to display his truthfulness at the appropriate time.

"Faith believes that God is our Father:

hope reckons that he will always act as such toward us.

"Faith believes that eternal life has already been given to us:

hope waits for the day when it will be revealed.

"Faith is the foundation on which hope is built:

hope feeds faith and keeps it alive."

The message of certain hope is that the eternal purpose of God will be accomplished.

But what is this eternal purpose?

Tomorrow...