Biblical Hope
The Apostle Paul named three vital virtues: faith, hope, and love (1 Corinthians 13:13). These virtues are essential for life. Faith is acting on God’s Word, and it “comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). Love is the greatest commandment, which Jesus summarized as “Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,” and second, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:35–40).
Hope, however, is often misunderstood. Biblical hope is not a vague desire for something uncertain. It is the confident expectation—grounded in God’s faithfulness—that He is both willing and able to fulfill the promises He has made to those who love and obey Him.
The world often defines hope as a mere feeling that something desired might happen. This is uncertain and can be just wishful thinking or hopeful dreaming.
- Wishful thinking is when we try to change reality simply by wanting it—like hoping the Detroit Lions will win the Lombardi Trophy this year.
- Hopeful dreaming involves setting a personal goal, such as becoming the best basketball player in the world, then working hard toward it. While admirable, it is still limited by human constraints like height, strength, or skill.
In contrast, biblical hope is never uncertain. You don’t say, “I hope I’m a Christian,” just as you wouldn’t say, “I hope I’m Nigerian.” You know you are a Christian when the Spirit of God bears witness with your spirit that you are a child of God (Romans 8:16). Being a churchgoer—or even a pastor—does not automatically make you a Christian. It begins when you confess your sins and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. False hope comes from thinking our good works alone qualify us for heaven. Jesus warned:
Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father … I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!
(Matthew 7:21–23)
Source of Our Hope
Jesus Christ is the supreme source of our hope. He knows what is best and has the power to bring it to pass. The Bible calls this “living hope” rooted in His resurrection:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3)
In the Old Testament, God was the ultimate ground of hope, proven by His mighty acts: He promised 75-year-old Abram—childless at the time—that he would be the father of many nations (Genesis 17:4), and He fulfilled it. He redeemed Israel from Egypt, sustained them for forty years in the wilderness, and brought them into Canaan.
Even when Israel was unfaithful, hope was not lost. The prophet Jeremiah called God the “hope of Israel, his Savior in time of trouble” (Jeremiah 14:8). Deuteronomy 7:9 says, “Know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.” Israel’s hope was in the faithfulness and mercy of God. You too can put your trust and hope in Him. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD” (Jeremiah 17:7 NKJV).
The New Testament echoes the same truth. The Apostle Peter reminded us that “our faith and hope are in God” (1 Peter 1:21). The Apostle Paul said God is the “God of hope” (Romans 15:13) and identified the hope of glory with “Christ in you” (Colossians 1:27). Paul also wrote that it was the “God who raises the dead” on whom “we have set our hope” (2 Corinthians 1:9–10 NIV). Furthermore, “we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men” (1 Timothy 4:10 NAS).
Hope in Trial
Hope anchors us in Christ during trials (Hebrews 6:19). It looks forward to a better outcome, even in hardship. The psalmist declared, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me” (Psalm 23:4). The valley is not our destination—it is a passage. You may face financial trouble, illness, betrayal, or loss, but you are never alone. Even when the trial seems long, God is refining your faith for eternal glory (1 Peter 1:6–7). Paul affirmed that nothing, “neither death nor life … nor any other created thing,” can separate us from God’s love (Romans 8:38–39).
Future Hope
The emphasis on hope in the New Testament centers on the second coming of Christ, the “blessed hope” of the church. “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). With this divine hope, we can live in the present anticipating the return of Christ, and the fulfillment of God’s promises should encourage us to live every day pleasing God.
May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace as we trust in Him, so that we may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen!
—Philip O. Akinyẹmi