Jesus is my Hope

Some words in the English language are both nouns and verbs. Love is one of them. We can say, “I love you” and “You are my love” as an example. Another example is HOPE.

Normally we think of hope as a verb because it seems like something we do, but the Bible often uses hope as something we have, like confidence or assurance. It can mean a desire or a wish, such as “I hope yesterday’s snowfall will be melted by suppertime.” However both testaments tell us to hope in God with a difference in the source or desire; instead of it being something I want or wish for, biblical HOPE is a gift, a noun that comes from God.

Romans 15:13. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Another example is in Romans 5:2 which says, “Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” This is not a mere wish — wishes easily produce anxiety because we are not too sure they will happen, but biblical hope is a confident expectation that produces joy because we are certain of the object of our hope. Romans 5:5 says this hope is a result of God’s love being poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit; again, it comes from Him, not my own wishes.  

While hope is about the future, about events like the return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead, a restored creation and being in heaven with all God’s people, my hope is centered on Jesus Christ. He is my hope, both now as concerning all the issues of this life, and the future where I will be with Him for all eternity:

Colossians 1:27. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

1 Timothy 1:1. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope . . .  

In trying to think of a parallel, falling in love and marriage could illustrate. A bride hopes for a lovely wedding, a family, a good life, but her hope is centered on the groom, the one she joins with who will be with her in making that hope a reality. He is her hope for the future. The difference is that as the bride of Christ, the church (including me) has a certain hope in our Savior. All His promises assure the hope we have. He is our hope in the sense that He will give us a forever union with Him and eternal life, even a ‘marriage supper’ as declared in Revelation 19:9:

And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. I’ve the sense of a bride walking down the aisle toward Jesus, my hope for all eternity. From the little I know at this time about Him, I have great anticipation that eternity will be filled with great and amazing discoveries about who He is and what He has done. The joy in my heart tells me that it will be far better that anything I can now imagine.

 

 

A marriage that lasts forever

In some circles, marriage seems to have fallen out of favor. Yet for those who choose Christ, they must also choose marriage, a union of a similar sort but that goes beyond “’till death do us part.” In this marriage, there is no parting and death is just the beginning.

God speaks of this marriage in both Old and New Testaments. His promise is amazing…

And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. (Hosea 2:19)

And He hints at it in allegory, painting word pictures that are not fulfilled until the Bridegroom comes for His Bride…

My beloved is mine, and I am his…. (Song of Solomon 2:16)

When Jesus arrived, He identified Himself when asked why His disciples did not fast, again using slightly veiled language…

And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. (Mark 2:19–20)

The New Testament identifies this marital union with the Bridegroom as one of faith, but it is closer than our normal understanding of marriage where God says two are made one flesh. Betrothal to Christ means that He and His bride are made one spirit…

But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. (1 Corinthians 6:17)

As Hosea says, this union is forever. There is no divorce because the Bridegroom has made a commitment to love His Bride forever, no matter what she may do. However, the more Christians understand that love, the more we love Him.

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, (1 Peter 1:8)

One day, the Bride will see Him face to face. For that, He has planned a grand celebration, a feast…

And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” (Revelation 19:9)

This marriage is a never-ending joy, a union that never ceases for there is no more death to end it and no more sin to create any reason for separation. Our relationship of love will be perfect.

In this life, we have the contract, a covenant made with God. It begins with a choice, not ours but His. He sets His eyes on those who will become His Bride and by faith we give consent. We desire Him for we realize His love for us and our need for that unconditional, eternal and glorious love. Faith is the bond of the union. We are joined to Him by His Spirit and faith ties the marriage knot.

The result is that I am His and He is mine, a reality so wonderful that my mind can scarce take it in.