“Abound in Hope.”

“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.” (Romans 15:13 ESV)

Every good thing that happens inside us is a gift from the Holy Spirit. The grace that is given so that we may come to faith, the conviction of sins so that we recognize our depravity, and the desire to change our minds in the repentance of our sins, all gifts of the Holy Spirit who manifests them in our hearts, minds, and souls.

We are thereby changed at a core level. We realize that despair no longer manifests itself inside us, but that it has been replaced by hope. We place our faith and hope in our Savior Christ Jesus, for He is the provider of all hope and assurances in our salvation and everlasting eternity in heaven.

Therefore, as the writer of Hebrews wrote, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (11:1)  We hope because we recognize our sins through the convictions of the Holy Spirit. In our understanding and faith in Christ we find assurances knowing that He paid our sin debt in full, in His death and resurrection we have faith and assurances that just as He raised Himself from the dead, He too can raise us, His saints from bodily death as well.

We did not see His death or resurrection, yet through the Bible, our faith allows us to recognize the inerrant truth of the Scriptures from which our hopes flow. Paul stated this in Romans 15 as well, writing, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” (v. 4)

This hope for the unseen is the reason our testimonies to the lost are vital to opening their hearts to the gospel by God. What we read in the Scriptures, preach, and teach in ministries are unseen. We are the seen, and our testimonies are just a tangible snapshot of the life-changing power of Christ. Paul also wrote, “For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Romans 8:24-25). What we hope for with patience, the unbeliever will not understand without the prompting of God, which can be initiated within the testimony of the believer.

The eyes of our hearts are opened to the glory of Christ and the hope that overflows. But until grace is given to the unbeliever, they remain blind. In Ephesians, Paul wrote, “Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” (v. 1:18). Friends, do you remember your blindness, your denial of a gospel call? Can you recall your unbelief in Christ? More importantly, do you remember the opening of your eyes to the truth of the gospel, and the grace and hope that spread through you like a warming wind on a cold day? Those who do not know Christ do not know these things and have no hope.

Let us all spread the Gospel of Hope, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Peter taught, “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,” (1 Peter 3:15) Let us spread hope and always be prepared to defend the gospel with solid apologetics so that God may reach the lost through the ministries of the church.

Hope abounds in Christ, and without Him, well, there is only despair. Seek Christ today and find hope and assurances in the Gospel that is Jesus Christ. If you have questions, reach out to us here at In Messiah Ministries, and we can point you to the scriptures that reveal faith in Christ through Him alone.

Grace and Peace.