The Word of the Day is "hope." In today's scripture study of Romans 15:7-16, Paul closes the body of his letter to the Romans with a benediction. In this beautiful sentence, Paul prays that the believers in Rome would experience the overflowing blessings of joy, peace, and hope.
Hope Is Not Wishful Thinking
In contrast, in our age, cynicism borders homelessness. Many are skeptical of anything. Most question everything but their own opinions. In this ocean of doubt, some treat our hope in Christ as a wish that we cast into the future like a message-in-a-bottle is thrown into the sea.
However, Paul writes a lifesaving message: "Now may the
God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound
in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13). Our study today
will show that our hope in Christ is not an empty wish or a hollow fantasy. It
has its basis in faith in the Lord. It is grounded in our relationship to
Christ and confirmed and strengthened by the peace and joy that are the fruit
of faith.
Hope Is the Expectation of Future Goodness
Paul ends his blessing of the Roman congregation with the
prayer that they 'abound,' that is, they prosper in hope. To "abound in
hope" means to have an abundance of hope, to be filled with hope in every
aspect of life. The root of the word for hope is the confident expectation for
the future (Strong's #1679, 85). Whatever it is facing, hope expects a good
outcome. Hopefulness looks forward to the completion of all that God is doing
in the church and the lives of the faithful. Thus, it is the consummation of
everything Paul has proclaimed and advised in His letter.
Believing is the Foundation of Hope
The word that Paul uses for believing has the same
derivation as faith. Both believing and faith stem from the thoughts of
persuasion and conviction (Strong's #4100, 202). The apostle teaches in
Hebrews, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of
things not seen." The word "substance" has the literal meaning
of "what stands under"
(Strong's #5287, 260). Believing and its associated term, faith, refer to the
foundation of our looking forward to the future.
Hope, therefore, is not empty. It is not desperate longings
thrown into the unknown future. Hope must have something or someone to believe
in, a trusted supplier that will bring about the goodness it expects. That
confidence in the source of hope is built from the experience of trust. For
believers, the foundation of our hope is their relationship with Jesus Christ.
We have our hope "in Him," just as the apostle says, "In Him
also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the
purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will"
(Ephesians 1:11). The closer we are to Christ the more we abide in Him, the
stronger our hope will be.
Hope is the Root of Happiness, Joy, and Peace
Moreover, Paul says that we have "joy and peace in
believing" (OSB vs. 15). Because of these blessings, we "abound"
in hope. Augustine wrote, "Though human life is compelled to be wretched
by all the grievous evils of this world, it is happy in the expectation of the
world to come"—that is to say, in eternity" (Augustine. City of God.
19.4 quoted in Metcalfe 2012, 240). In Augustine's view, despite the corruption
and death of this world, hope for eternity is the only foundation of all
human happiness, bringing us the assurance of eternal life.
It is also the root
of joy and peace. How can we have lasting joy without the hope of the
resurrection beyond death? And who can have peace of mind, heart, and soul
without the expectation that all our troubles and sorrows will reach their end
in the blessed life of eternity? This understanding should inspire us and fill
us with hope.
For Reflection
Paul wrote, 'For the kingdom of God is not eating and
drinking but righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Spirit' (OSB Romans
14:17). Along with righteousness, the peace and joy that come from believing in
Christ are signs of the kingdom of God. These are not just random blessings,
but they are the direct result of our hope in Christ. Given by the Holy Spirit,
these blessings confirm our faith, for they are its fruit. Moreover, the peace
and joy that we have now in this world show evidence of the kingdom's coming
fulfillment when we experience these blessings forever. Therefore, we do not
have a desperate and impossible hope as if we were hopelessly lost in a raging
sea. But the apostle writes in Hebrews, 'This hope we have as an anchor of the
soul, both sure and steadfast (OSB Hebrews 6:19).
Romans 15 7-16, Romans 15:13, the God of hope, fill with all
joy and peace in believing, abounding in hope, believing is the foundation of
hope, the closer to Christ, the stronger the hope, hope-the anchor of the soul,
Augustine-hope the foundation of happiness, hope is built on the experience of
trust, our relationship with Christ is the foundation of our hope
Works Cited
Metcalfe, Jeffrey S. 2012. "Hoping Without a Future:
Augustine's Theological Virtues Beyond Melancholia." Anglican Theological
Review.
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