I heard a great lesson on hope the other day. This is a subject that brings a great deal of comfort to God’s children. When it comes to Biblical hope, we can also use the word assurance. Our hope of going to heaven is based upon evidence. This is why our expectation of heaven more than just wishful thinking.

Peter spoke on this subject: “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, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time,” (I Pet. 1:3-5).

What a wonderful message! Knowing that Jesus resurrected from the dead, there is power through which we can obtain salvation by faith. This is clearly not a dead faith (Jas. 2:24-26) but rather a faith that obeys from the heart that form of doctrine (Rom. 6:17). Knowing that Christ did rise from the dead, we can be baptized into His death and bury our old man of sin and rise up in newness of life (Rom. 6:3-7). Having entered this new life, we can then walk in the light by striving to living faithfully until death (Rev. 2:10). We truly have a living hope.

In contrast to all of this, many “hope” to go to heaven like they hope they do not get cancer or hope they do not get into a car accident or face some other calamity. That is not the kind of hope we are talking about, yet many religious people have just that kind of hopelessness. They do not have a living hope based upon a strong feeling or desire. Jesus Himself said that this sort of faith would not make it to heaven (Matt. 7:21-23).

Having this assurance creates a confidence that Paul expressed in his final days where he said, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith,” (II Tim. 4:7). Like the many examples we can find in the Bible, let’s make sure that our hope is a living hope.

Chuck