Our messages on hope have focused on hope in this life, such as how hope is oxygen for the soul, how fervent hope gives us strength despite difficulties, and how hope is a light in the darkness. We’ve explained how the hope that comes from forgiveness is a new beginning in life and a hope that doesn’t disappoint; it is therefore priceless. We focused on how we can ‘hope against hope’ because of the future and hope God has for us. We simply cannot live without hope. We need hope for our souls and minds as much as we need oxygen for our lungs and bodies. We need to learn to handle life when hope is deferred and continue until the desire is fulfilled.
Apart from the hope we have in this life, a hope that gives us courage, there is also an eternal hope, a hope that gives us comfort. In Christ, we have ‘the hope of eternal life’ (Titus 3:7). The ultimate comfort in the struggles in this life is that there is the promise of eternal life and eternal comfort. Paul stated that ‘the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us’ (Romans 8:18), speaking of the new creation in relation to the eternal life we have in Christ. Through Him who loves us, we can overcome the challenges in this life (see Romans 8:31–39). One day, the pain, struggles and suffering of this life will be over. Justice will prevail, righteousness will reign. The story of Lazarus, a poor, sick and neglected beggar, and a seemingly indifferent rich person, shows how there will be a vindication in the world to come (Luke 16:19ff). There is a just God who will give each person what they deserve. Indeed, ‘death is the great leveller,’ as Claudian had said.
There is a world to come, a life after death, in which righteousness will reign and justice will prevail. It is a place of no sorrow and no pain. This divine hope is rooted in the salvation in Christ for eternal life. This divine hope is, therefore, an eternal hope that does not disappoint. In this life we will have tribulations, yet our hope is in Christ who has overcome this world and its trials and pain (John 16:33). Our faith in Him is the victory over the sin and suffering of this world (1 John 5:1–5). The hope we have in Christ is eternal because it reaches into eternity. It is an anchor for the soul. It gives stability because of the hope we have. It also gives comfort, knowing something beautiful awaits us. It gives patience, knowing that something better lies ahead of us. And it gives us modesty, knowing that we don’t have to gain the whole world in order to be happy while risking to lose our soul. The hope of eternal life is powerful.
Life does not end when we die physically. We pass on into the afterlife, into the world to come. The Gospel of Jesus Christ gives us ‘everlasting life’ (John 3:16) and therefore eternal hope. Paul called it the ‘blessed hope’(Titus 2:13), because it is the ‘hope of eternal life’ (Titus 1:2; 3:7). Paul preached ‘the hope and resurrection from the dead’ (Acts 23:6). Jesus rose from the dead and so will the believers—to eternal life. This resurrection applies to everyone and is related to the Final Judgment—this was Paul’s ‘hope in God’ (Acts 24:15). The final resurrection leads to eternal life for the believers, yet those who chose sin and darkness remain under the condemnation of it (see John 3:16–21). After death comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27), yet salvation and eternal life are in Christ (v 28). People must choose life while alive. Eternity is decided on earth.
Paul prayed for the believers to understand and know ‘the hope of His calling’ (Ephesians 1:18), a ‘hope … laid up for you in heaven’ (Colossians 1:5). ‘Christ in us’ is this glorious hope (v 27). It is a hope we have beyond this life, a hope for eternal life. This hope removes the fear of death (Hebrews 2:14–15). It is a ‘living hope’ (1 Peter 1:3) both for the present, in this life, and for the future, in the life after death. It is a hope not seen, but eagerly expected (Romans 8:24–25) and ‘sure and reliable,’ and is therefore ‘an anchor of the soul’ that reaches into Heaven (Hebrews 6:19). It is a hope that won’t be denied. Heaven is real.
Yet we all know from experience that loss, especially the loss of a loved one, can be very painful, even traumatic, despite the hope we have. It still hurts. In his Lament for a Son, Nicolas Wolterstorff, after losing his son in a climbing accident, wrote of seeing ‘the world through tears,’ which perhaps made him ‘see things that dry-eyed [he] could not see.’ The pain was real. ‘Only our death can stop the pain of his death.’ Yet, he concludes that ‘God is love’ and that the ‘tears of God are the meaning of history.’ He encourages us to ‘treasure each other.’[1] Such painful experiences make us realise, like Job, that our days are few, yet our troubles are many. We blossom yet fade away like a flower (Job 14:1–2). Despite that, life must be appreciated—every moment of it. The Christian hope gives us comfort when facing such harsh realities. Death cuts short the future on earth, yet paves the way for the future in eternity.
When such tragedies happen, people look for comfort. Believers suffer the same experiences as anyone else, yet there’s a difference: believers have an eternal hope that gives them divine comfort. Loss is always accompanied by great pain and deep sorrow, but there is a difference between sorrow without hope and sorrow with hope—having an eternal hope. Paul reassured the believers that we are not those who ‘grieve’ but ‘have no hope’ (1 Thessalonians 4:13). We have the hope of eternal life and the hope that Christ the Saviour will return and gather us to Himself (vv 14–17). Believers can ‘comfort one another with these words’ (v 18). We have the hope of a resurrection—to an eternal life free of pain and sorrow. There is comfort in the divine assurance of eternal life. It is the ‘hope of eternal life’ that brings comfort despite loss and pain. There is comfort in the hope we have in Christ. It’s an eternal hope because it is eternal life without sorrow and pain. Heaven is real. By faith in Christ, you can have peace with God and receive eternal life. This gives courage in life and comfort for eternity because of eternal life. Christ is risen and so shall we—to eternal life. His ressurection was the victory over death (1 Corinthians 15:55–57).
Divine hope is eternal. In Christ we have eternal hope. His resurrection paved the way to heaven and eternity.
[1] Wolterstorff, Nicolas. Lament for a Son. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1987.
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