03 Mar Forgotten Hope

In Ephesians 1:15-23, Paul gives thanks for the Ephesian church and prays that they may be made conscious of the hope to which God has called them. Hope is a central theme in Paul’s letters, and it informs much of the theology of the New Testament, especially at times when followers of Jesus were being persecuted for their faith. This hope was primarily in the return of Christ, which would inaugurate the destruction of evil, the end of sin, the vindication of God’s people, and the beginning of eternal life in the presence of God. Paul also exhorted the Ephesians to have hope in our glorious inheritance in the saints (1:18) as well as the working of God’s mighty power for us (1:19).

Hope was incredibly important to the earliest Christians, but it seems to have greatly declined in importance in our American context. Perhaps I may be alone in this, but I rarely think about the return of Christ or my future participation in the heavenly inheritance. My daily life is characterized by class, schoolwork, spending time with my friends, and volunteering at a local high school. Certainly, I strive to spend much of my time thinking about the Gospel and how to apply it to my life. I think about what I need to do in order to love others and follow God’s commands, and I think about the power of the cross and the resurrection. However, I rarely think about the hope to which God has called me, whether that be in the return of Christ or my future inheritance in Heaven. I may be unusually neglectful in this regard, but I feel as though many others also fail to consider this crucial aspect of Christianity.

Why is there such a lack of focus on the future hope that the Gospel gives us? Let’s consider the beginning of the Biblical book that focuses most on this hope: the book of Revelation. In Revelation 1:9, John writes, “I John, your brother and the one who shares with you in Jesus the persecution… was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” This book was written by a man who has been exiled because of his faith. He had “shared the persecution” of his readers. John, as well as his audience, had a great need for hope because their circumstances were extremely difficult. They were enduring a great deal of persecution – imprisonment, exile, or even death.

However, those of us who live in an easy, free, and comfortable American context experience no persecution. Life may be difficult at times, and some of us certainly do experience very real and difficult hardships. I do not mean to downplay any of these things. What I mean to say is this: In 21st century America, life as a Christian is relatively easy when compared to the hardships that the early believers endured. We should not feel guilty about this; it is a great blessing and one for which we should be incredibly grateful. However, I think that this relative lack of suffering may be directly correlated with the lack of emphasis on the hope of the Gospel. We do not long for the perfect world of the future because the world of the present seems not so bad to us.

For the most part, our hope in the future reign of Christ is replaced by a shallow optimism about the future. We can deal with our problems by hoping for better times ahead, a possibility that is created by American ideas of progress. We believe that our lives should get better, that our children should be better off than we are, that we will land our dream job, or eventually buy our dream house. But none of these things constitutes real hope. True hope, the kind that longs for the eradication of evil and the perfection of our sinful bodies, can only be found in Christ.

So what exactly is the hope that Paul sets forth in Ephesians, and what does it mean for us? Paul grounds our hope in the power of God, which “is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 1:19-20). We can have hope because this power, the power that can defeat death itself, is wielded by our God. This power raised Christ from the dead, seated Him above all creation, and gave Him authority over all things. Our hope is not empty, it is not shallow, and it is not foolish. It rests on the power of an almighty God who has created the universe and subjugated its brokenness to His redemptive plan. He has set into motion the redemption of His people, and He will return one day to bring this work to fulfillment with the destruction of sin and death and resurrection of His people. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things will be gone forever” (Revelation 21:4).

In light of this hope, we should live expectantly, with our eyes set on the future. Below are a few ideas for living perpetually in the hope of the Gospel:

1) In times of suffering and sadness, we should remember that Christ will return and make all things new. Hope cannot be found in worldly things. Time will not heal all wounds. Our world is profoundly broken, and it will remain so until it is remade by the Creator Himself.

2) The hope of Christ’s imminent return gives us a sense of urgency. Jesus himself says, “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming… You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected” (Matthew 24:42,44). When we expect Christ’s return, when we hope in it, we are prompted to be vigilant and watchful and to carry out His work, so as not to be caught sleeping when the Lord returns.

3) In the process of repentance, we should keep our eyes on the future hope. When we sin, our hearts should be broken as we grieve our broken and filthy nature. We should strive to repent and turn to the cross, but we should also pray for the day of Christ’s return, when we will be free from the curse of sin. Our spirits have been redeemed, but our bodies are still under the curse. “And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering” (Romans 8:23).

As the Church, God’s chosen people, let us set our hope in this: “The end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. For Christ must reign until he humbles all enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death… Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere” (1 Corinthians 15:24-28).

In the midst of this broken world, let us set our eyes on the return of Christ Jesus, the hope of glory.

-Alexander Batson