Faith and 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)

Jesus knew beforehand that He was going to suffer and be killed, and also that He knew He was going to rise from the dead. The confidence that Jesus had that He would rise from the dead is referred to in biblical terms as “hope.”

Nowadays, when we use the word “hope,” it is generally understood as referring to something that someone would like to see happen. Scripture sometimes uses the word “hope” in this manner as well, but more often this word conveys a different and much more substantial meaning.

The expectancy of biblical hope is akin to surety or certainty because it is rooted in the fact of Jesus’ resurrection. His death, followed by His rising from the dead, is what gives us the surety—or certainty—that we too will one day be raised from the dead.

Faith and hope are closely connected, as the certainty of hope is based in our faith in God. Hope, in the biblical sense, relates to the future, as it is the certainty that something promised by God will happen. It may not have happened yet, but we are assured that it will.

Our faith is based on the surety of hope, which Scripture calls “a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.” We know that His promises are true, even though we haven’t seen the complete fulfilment of them yet. These include the promises of forgiveness, salvation, and eternity with God. [1]

Hope is the seed that grows into a flourishing garden of faith and love. - St. Jane Frances de Chantel

[1] Anchor Our Hope in Jesus