Living Hope, Hope for Life

Written by Sarah Teo

Living hope – what is that? How can the word “living” be used to describe hope? To some, hope is not something that appears to be alive, or tangible. In fact, with the plethora of problems that plague the world today, there are many who think that “hope” does not even exist! We live in a seemingly hope-less world. But...

“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 being kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” – 1 Peter 1:3-5

The verses quoted above were written by the apostle Peter to the “pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia”. These “pilgrims” were Christians who had been scattered throughout Asia Minor. They were strangers in foreign and unfamiliar places, living in areas with people hostile to Christianity. There was also the problem of persecution. Life was definitely not easy. They could have fallen into feelings of hopelessness and despair.

But Peter wrote these beautiful words to them – A LIVING HOPE! A hope that gives life such that the one who possesses it would not merely exist on earth, but live with drive and purpose… hope! A hope that would see one through life’s pressures and stresses. A hope for a beautiful and glorious future. For Christians today, this living hope is something we have in us too!

New Life on Earth

“Begotten again”

Living hope in us begins when we are “begotten again”, which means that we are born again, and now have newness of life. Through Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, from the death of His physical body to the raising up of a new body, we have new, eternal life available to us! New life for us is given through the word of God (1 Pet. 1:23) just as it was by God’s word that the earth was created and physical life on earth began, so this new life also begins through His word. He says it, and it is done! It is not our body that becomes new, but the spirit that is new – it now has hope, and life. It is also our spirit that will live forever, and have eternal life. Eternal life means that we will live forever, even after our physical bodies pass away. But this life is not just for later, but it begins now, on earth! We now have something special in our hearts to help us with living life – HOPE! This hope enables us to see beyond physical things that will inevitably fade away, to spiritual things that are eternal!

A Heavenly Inheritance

“An inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away”

What on earth can we have hope in? Actually, to be more precise, it is Who we have in heaven who gives us much hope! He promises each one of His children an inheritance that is of greatest value, that, unlike inheritances that parents here on earth pass to their children, will never decrease in quality or quantity, but instead will last us our entire eternal lives! This magnificent gift has already been set aside for us, and is now in heaven awaiting us! The pilgrims in the Dispersion may not have been rich on earth, and we ourselves may not be financially well-off, but as God’s children, we all have a rich inheritance in heaven that we can look forward to with much hope while we are on earth!

Earthly Keeping

“Kept by the power of God”

Wait – there is more to find hope in! Hope is not just about what we can experience AFTER we go to heaven, though that is certainly a significant part of it, it is also about how here on earth we are presently being kept by God’s power. Wherever we are in the world, however small we may feel (the pilgrims were described as “dispersed”, literally like tiny seeds scattered!), God watches over us, and preserves our lives – by His power! Our lives are not small and meaningless to Him, but He sees them as precious, and worth taking care of. For us this means that we should also see life in the same light – it is not something tiresome or boring, but if God sees it as something worth keeping and caring about, then we have something to live for, with hope!

A Living Hope

Hope in us helps us to live on with gladness, no matter the circumstance! In life we may go through trying times, but we have treasure in heaven and we are treasured by God, so we ought not to mope, but instead, have living hope!