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Hope in the Bible is rock solid. It is not wishful thinking as we often use the word, as in “I hope to see you soon.” When the writers of the Bible use the word translated “hope” in English, they invariably use it to refer to something that will surely happen in the future. This is true whether the word “hope” translates one of several different Hebrew words in the Old Testament or only two words so translated in the New Testament.
To understand the Scriptures which use the word “hope,” we need to look at the context of each use of this powerful word in all of the many verses in which it is used in the Bible. As we do so, we will glean great nuggets of God’s plans for the future for those who hope in Him. Not only this, but we will see that God’s promises for the present will be realized in the future as each believer trusts in God to act in the future according to his promises.
Why can the believer in God hope in and depend on God’s promises? The answer is in the character of God and of his Son and servant Jesus Christ. Just after Jesus had healed a man with a withered hand in a Jewish synagogue on the Sabbath, the Pharisees went out and sought to destroy him.
Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all and ordered them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; and in his name the Gentiles will hope” (Matthew 12:15-21, emphasis added).
In the Bible, the character of a person was caught up in his name. Though this varied to some degree with people, for God particularly, his character was integral to his name. The name of Jesus is full of meaning. “Jesus is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Joshua, “The Lord is Salvation.”1 To put your hope in Jesus is to trust the Lord who is salvation. Jesus is the Rock or massive living rock (Greek petra) on which Jesus Christ said he will build his church.
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:13-18).
Because Jesus is the Rock, all who hope in Jesus have their hope in the massive living Rock. So, our hope in Jesus Christ is rock solid. This is why Edward Mote could write these words for the hymn The Solid Rock:
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.
When He shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.2
Not only is the believer in Christ’s hope rock solid, but this hope is sure to come true if it is based on God’s promises. God the Father is the Power. When Jesus Christ was being falsely accused before the high priest, Jesus initially did not reply.
But he remained silent and made no answer. Again, the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62).
Jesus earlier had said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). So whatever the All-Powerful Almighty God promises, He will do. We can confidently hope in His promises. The word HOPE can then become an acronym:
Holding
Omnipotent’s
Promises
Expectantly.
Hope is defined in the Spirit Filled Life Bible in the following fine and faithful words:
“Hope, not in the sense of an optimistic outlook or wishful thinking without any foundation, but in the sense of confident expectation based on solid certainty. Biblical hope rests on God’s promises, particularly those pertaining to Christ’s return. So certain is the future of the redeemed that the NT sometimes speaks of future events in the past tense, as though they were already accomplished. Hope is never inferior to faith, but is an extension of faith. Faith is the present possession of grace; hope is confidence in grace’s future accomplishment.”3
Overall, then, hope in the Bible is “confident expectation based on solid certainty.”Yeteach of the Hebrew and Greek words used in the Bible and translated “hope” in English has a distinct shade of meaning. Also, the context of each word translated “hope” in the Bible sheds light on how hope is focused and/or made real for that believer. By examining each of these Scriptures, we can gain insight and understanding and more confidence in the future reality of the things for which we hope in God.
When you repent and receive Christ, you receive hope. Jesus Christ then is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Yes, it is on Christ the solid Rock that we stand and find fulfillment for our lives and confident expectation for our future with Him in glory.
1. Jack W. Hayford, ed., Spirit Filled Life Bible New King James Version (Nashville, 1991), p. 1508.
2. Edward Mote, Hymns for the Family of God (Nashville, 1976), p. 92.
3. Hayford, p. 1826.
This article is taken from the first chapter of Tom’s newest book Hope in God, available at Amazon.com. In it, Tom examines all the Scriptures he could find referring to “hope” in its context in the Bible. He categorizes hope into eight nuanced meanings. Each use of hope is explained by testimonies and/or comments, many from conservative Bible scholars. By reading it, you will increase your confidence in “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).
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