A LIVING HOPE
We have been given hope from our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for our sins that we may know the love of the Father through Jesus.
Peter tells us in 1 Peter 1:3-4 (KJV)
Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that faded not away reserved in heaven for you.
But NIV states it a little different
1 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV)
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you
God has caused us to be born again to a living hope. The new birth has gives us a living hope. This living hope is based on the living resurrected Christ. The Living Christ is the source of our new birth and of our living hope.
1 Peter 1:21 (NIV)
Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
The definition of hope:
Hope as a noun means: the feeling of waiting for something to happen, thinking that it could happen.
Hope as a verb means: desire, anticipate, to trust, have expectation with confidence.
The definition of living: Living is an adjective it is an action. Living means: full of energy, activity, full of movement, alert, resilient, full of life.
So if you put these 2 words together look what we find.
We should be in a active state of movement having energy being alert with resilience and desire and having anticipation and expectation that God will do what he has promised.
We are to walk in living hope, Hopefully means to intensely desire and to be fully confident.
Hebrews 6:11 (KJV)
And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
Full assurance means strong confidence that God is going to do good to us in the future. A living hope should be fertile, fruitful, productive. Hope, a living hope means it is alive it has power to produce change in us.
What is a living hope? What is the hope we now have, that only the resurrection of Jesus Christ can give us? A living hope is a hope that never dies. This hope is like living waters flowing from a spring which never runs dry. Such hope springs from the very fountain of God Himself.
Our hope is built on Christ and it is on this truth that Christ is alive! Here “living” means that the believer’s hope is sure, certain, and real. We have a living hope because Jesus is alive. Our hope is based Jesus resurrection from death. We who have been born again have a living hope through our new life in Christ. This constant thought of a living hope is that death is not the end. Death is certain, but so is our hope of eternal life. Our hope in Christ is as certain and sure as the fact that Christ is alive!
Because Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected from the grave on the third day proves that death is not the end. With this fact it gives us assuredly that we know God the father loves us and forgives us and His blood that has been shed for us cleanses and protects us from every evil. We know new life is an option. We know a better tomorrow is coming and it is rooted in Jesus Christ our Savior and our living hope.
Because of Jesus’ resurrection we have a promise of a living hope that even if we die, one day we will live again. Not only do we have a Living Hope, we have a future hope.
Our hope includes the promise of a better tomorrow – 1 Peter 1:4 states that we have an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away,
We have been given a indestructible hope so that we may have for the future and also that we may not be broken down by present troubles, but patiently endure them, being satisfied with eternal happiness.”
Our living hope makes us able to stand firm in the midst of trouble, knowing that our ultimate reward is not found in this world. But is rooted and grounded in our Lord Jesus Christ and our future is complete in Him.
May God Bless you and assure you that have a living hope in Him.
