Hope

Galatians 5:5 "For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith." Hope, after the manner of the Scripture, is taken two ways, namely, for the thing that is hoped for, and for the affection of him who hopes. For the thing that is hoped for, it is taken in the first chapter of the Colossians: "For the hope, which is laid up for you in heaven." That is to say, the thing, which you hoped for. For the affection of him who hoped is taken in the eighth chapter of Romans: "For we are saved by hope." (Martin Luther)

Romans 8:24-25 "For we are saved by hope: but hope that is not seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. 1 Peter 1:13 "Gird up he loins of your mind, be sober and hope to the end for grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

The first kind of hope is the righteousness hoped for, which will in time be revealed. We wait through the Spirit by faith for the hope of this righteousness.

The second kind of hope says: we are righteous, although our righteousness is not yet revealed, but hangs in hope (Romans 8:24). We are encouraged to wait with patience for this hope seeing that we have the first fruits of the Spirit.

Romans 7:13 "But, sin that is might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandments might become exceeding sinful." This means as long as we are alive in the flesh that sin remains in our flesh. The law of our flesh rebels against the law of our mind and attempts to lead us captive again and try's to crush our hope.

We have begun the process of justification through God's Spirit and have received the first fruits and the mortification of the flesh has begun but we are not perfectly righteous because we still live in the flesh. Our righteousness is not yet in actual possession, but lies under hope. Jesus is our righteousness in whom we place our confidence and hope that one-day we will be clothed with that same righteousness and be able to stand on our own. As long as we remain in the flesh we are unable to stand on our own for we have no righteousness. "There's none righteous no not one." However Jesus becomes our righteousness and this is our hope. Jesus is perfect and everlasting who stirs up hope in us by His faith. It is not our righteousness it is not our faith, it belongs to Him and he covers us with it (Romans 5:1-2).

Faith shows me Christ. Otherwise I could not see Him and would have no hope. I am made righteous by the righteousness which is begun in me, and also that I am raised up in the same hope against sin until that which is perfect is revealed in time.

Hope lays hold of the thing, which is revealed by faith! So faith is not hope. Faith comes before hope.

Faith rest in understanding and hope rest in the will. (Martin Luther)

Faith is an action word because it moves God. Hope is an exhortation, which brings strength and courage. 1 Peter 1:21 "Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God."

Faith's object is the truth looking upon the Word and promise of the thing that is promised. Hope seeks the goodness of God.

Faith is the beginning of life before all tribulation (Hebrews 11), hope comes afterwards, proceeding from tribulation (Romans 5).

So my faith lays hold of Christ and teaches, judges and fights against evil and I am made righteous by this knowledge. Faith conceives the ideal of whatever is to be believed. When the devil comes against us to crush us, hope lays hold of faith becoming the captain urging us and assuring us through patience of the faith making us strong again. Hope encourages faith by being stirred up in afflictions. By faith we began, by hope we continue and by revelation we shall obtain the whole. Romans 5:4 Experience worketh hope." Experience here means to test, proof, and trial, approved or tried. So experience is the tribulation that the Christian faces. Psalm 11:5 "The Lord trieth the righteous." Psalms 139:23-24 "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God, that is, the love which God and works is us an unshakable adherence to Him, is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. It is in our innermost being.

Wherefore we thus believing and justified through the Spirit by faith do wait for the hope of our righteousness.

To conclude what seems to be confusing is this: We possess Christ by faith, and in the midst of our afflictions we wait with hope for that righteousness which we possess already by faith.

Psalms 34:18 "The Lord is near unto them that are of a broken heart; and saves such as be of a contrite spirit.

Faith and hope are seen clearly in 2 Corinthians 6:10 "Having nothing, and yet possessing all things." By faith we believe by hope we wait to obtain.

Our hope is a living hope! 1 John 3:2 "Now are we the children of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, (by hope) when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall behold him as he is."

We attain this living hope by the resurrection of Christ from the dead. (1 Corinthians 15:17).

"Set your hope perfectly in the grace that is to be brought unto you (1 Peter 1:13).

In Christ Jesus,

Dale Thompson