More Than Me
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NASB
Hope – What does Paul mean by the term “God of hope?” Does God hope? Does He wish things would turn out better? Does He dream of full restoration, aspire to see His purposes come to pass? That hardly makes any sense at all. How can a completely sovereign Being who has ultimate power and final control of everything wish for something better? Maybe we are reading this wrong. Maybe what Paul has in mind is not God’s hope but rather the God who provides us with hope beyond us.
Heschel may be close to the mark when he writes, “There is something which is far greater than my will to believe, namely, God’s will that I believe.”[1] God’s desire that I believe is beyond me. It means that He will bend the fabric of the universe in order to bring me to the place of trusting Him. He will do whatever it takes to provide me the opportunity to choose Him. It is much more than my hope for something more, something better. God involves Himself in my attempt to believe. He steps in where I cannot step and transports me to a place I cannot find without Him. He believes in me before I can believe in Him.
By the way, hope (in Greek, elpis) is not some ascent to a creed or doctrine. Hope is connected to the Hebrew words batah (trust), yahal (wait), qawa (look for, wait) and tiqwah (expect). These are all actions, not thoughts or words. To hope is to trust, to wait, to look for, to expect something to happen for the better. Apply this to Paul’s phrase, “the God of hope.” This means God trusts you, waits for you, looks for you, expects something better from you. God hopes in you! He doesn’t have to hope in Himself. He has no need. His hope is in what you and I will do, what we will become, how we will seize the opportunities to place our confidence in Him.
Most of our lives we thought that being religious meant jump-starting our souls in order to garner more spiritual energy for God. We thought it was up to us to get into the Spirit, to ratchet up our enthusiasm for the things of God so we could feel His presence. But we never understood what comes first. What comes first is God’s will that I believe, His confidence that I will find Him and His engineering of my life so that I am confronted with His faithfulness toward me. What comes first is Him. I am His afterthought.
Topical Index: hope, elpis, batah, yahal, qawa, tiqwah, wait, expect, Romans 15:13
[1] Abraham Heschel, Man’s Quest for God, p. 58.
Hope is definitely NOT something I can ‘manufacture’. When I was perishing, and to the extent that I was perishing, I was without hope. Hopelessness, in fact, is a killer. We have to move to live. I remember studying the basics of life in elementary school, and, along with consuming (eating) and growth, among other things, I remember the big eye opener for me was that something had to move to be alive. When I am dead in trespasses and sins, I am STUCK. My pawn on the gameboard is out of options. What stops me dead in the water? I run out of choices. But, do I REALLY run out of choices, or do I run out of choices given my current trajectory?
I have slowly learned that hope is an assessment of options, and if I am without it, perhaps I should check my direction. Love gives me wings, but hope gives me a direction; rather, it signals when I am going in the right direction. If I have sinned myself off the gameboard, only repentance (turning around) and forgiveness can reinstate my options and, thus, restore my hope.
I cannot, for the life of me, set a direction for myself. Oh, I can make lists and goals and proclaim all sorts of things, but, like the old saying says, “man proposes; God disposes”. I cannot create the conditions for true hope. Only when I line up my will with His can true hope come into play, for, hope, like all the other good stuff, is something that only “comes down from the Father of all lights”. He shares His goodies with us if we are to have any at all. His hope in me is something that I have to AGREE with before I can have it too.
This is where all those promises are so precious. The promises, because they are, almost without exception, conditional; that is, they promise this IF that, establish a direction for me. I get salvation IF I turn around. I get delivered IF I put my trust in Him. Direction grounds my hope and provides the conditions for its fulfillment. Hopelessness, then, is where I am not doing the actions that those promises guide me toward. My hope returns when I accomplish the faith (active verb) in what they direct me to do. My hope, ultimately, is based on a confident expectation in His faithfulness (which is His hope in me).
I can confidently expect (hope in) His faithfulness when I obey His directions (LOL).
Skip said: “This means God trusts you, waits for you, looks for you, expects something better from you. God hopes in you! He doesn’t have to hope in Himself. He has no need. His hope is in what you and I will do, what we will become, how we will seize the opportunities to place our confidence in Him.”
God’s hope…This TW brings me greater understanding to this verse:
“20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”
How awesome, my heavenly Father beleives in me before I can believe in him, Skip that is such a powerful statement, and an eye opener for me , to think that the creator of the universe BELEIVES IN ME! Beautiful!
Reminds me of a pivotal scene in the movie, the Count of Monte Cristo.
For years, the Count, Edward Dante, had been imprisoned in solitary confinement on the impenetrable Chateau D’If, for a crime he was set up for but never committed. Eventually, through tapping on the wall, Dante meets his cell mate next door — Abbe Faria, a priest. Together, they decide to escape whereby Dante, once free, vows to take revenge against his perpetrators. Prison conditions, however, takes the priest’s life before this reality occurs.
Just before the priest passes away, a haggard, emaciated, and hopeless Dante hovers over his friend. Abbe Faria’s last words were…
Abbe Faria: Here is your final lesson – do not commit the crime for which you now serve the sentence. God said, “Vengeance is mine.”
Edmond Dantes: I don’t believe in God.
Abbe Faria: It doesn’t matter. He believes in you.
One of my favorite Bible scriptures is I Thessalonians 5:23-24 because it is here where the apostle Paul reveals how God’s faithfulness to us prevails IF (as Skip expounded upon above) we treasure God’s initiative and covenantal relationship, RSVP and respond.
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”
It’s almost as if you were to ask the question, “What is God’s calling?” From I Thessalonians 5:23-24, one can certainly answer, “His calling is to make sure you fulfill your calling.” In that respect, we really can’t fail unless we choose to because God is continually in the mode of fulfilling one of His callings through us and that is pretty mind-blowing when you think about it.
That’s why the crucifixion is not about having “faith” or “belief” in Yeshua, it’s about the Father now bringing us into a profound relationship with He who was and is fully FAITHFUL.
I Corinthians 1:9
“God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
So there is really nothing that God holds back on when it comes to fulfilling His calling in us because now, He who is FULL of faith resides in us if we allow that FAITHFULNESS to have its way…
So I would tell the “Edward Dantes” in this life, for ALL that God has given us and continues to give us, quit living as a victim and start living as a victor in this life.
Because God has living faith and hope in us and CHOOSES to reside in us, lets not make it hell for Him. Let us release living in the comfort of our fears and walk out those prison doors in His faithfulness and supreme love for us. May this not be a nice intellectual exercise but a true living experience through the Life-giving power of the Ruach!
We all “know” ….”faith, hope and love “. Listened to a FOT sermon on this, he focused on “hope “. My dear husband felt the topic/perspective was off a bit, why focus on hope? But I really needed to hear that focus because I feel all is lost without hope. Funny, because out of the blue last night before going off to sleep, I told my sleepy 😉 husband I was going to be a bit philosophical. …and decided I wasn’t so sure I would pick “faith, hope and love “. I think I prefer Love, Truth and Righteousness…they are more Real…Faith and Hope are something you have for something you want, but don’t have…yet. .Love, Truth and Righteousness seem more Dependable, already Certain. .Just thoughts of my head on my bed 😉
Hope = “confident expectation”
If God said it, it is my “hope” (confident expectation) it will come to pass. I wait for His timing.. He will (always) give us what we need – when we need it .
Skip wrote: By the way, hope (in Greek, elpis) is not some ascent to a creed or doctrine. Hope is connected to the Hebrew words batah (trust), yahal (wait), qawa (look for, wait) and tiqwah (expect).
Thank you for clarifying the word hope – it does explain a lot and helps connect the Old Testament prophetic reasons with the teachings in the New Testament. But I do not agree with your interpretation of Paul referring to God as the topic of hope in this excerpt. I believe Paul as in his other letters reiterated what our relationship should be to have hope in our faith in Christ…
Laurita wrote: I have slowly learned that hope is an assessment of options, and if I am without it, perhaps I should check my direction. Love gives me wings, but hope gives me a direction; rather, it signals when I am going in the right direction. If I have sinned myself off the gameboard, only repentance (turning around) and forgiveness can reinstate my options and, thus, restore my hope.
WELL SAID. And this repentance and turning around is what Jesus referred to as rebirth in the word which takes on flesh… Rising from death with and living in Christ in heavenly places. The hope in the eternal promise.
David F from Rom 8: 19For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, 21Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
David after a long search I found you took an excerpt from Romans 8. Although late from the chapter I find this would rather be a reference to what Paul wrote in the beginning of the chapter – being in Christ being born of the spirit etc. Which was misunderstood from the beginning of the creation although my favourite reference Job, had this connection experience as a son of God before Moses even introduced the laws, commandments and judgments… and this is Christ our hope and glory.
If I read this with other references unto our hope in Christ I find…
1 Cor 15: 19If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
Not referring to an unhealthy or lost uncertain way of living as Christ said we need to seek the Kingdom and then God will add. Something like sowing and reaping, sow nothing reap nothing, sow the fruit of the spirit and of the spirit reap from the spiritual realm… Seek not and there is no inheritance or promise.
And for me this is where Paul explains the effect of the hope and rebirth or living in Christ
1 Cor 9: 11If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? 12If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used
this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
Now this ability to suffer and not know what is next as those led by the spirit of God know not where they go nor why… And here is for me the answer on the God of hope. God provided everything we need, long before our birth to find salvation namely peace, joy and righteousness in this spiritual realm for that is His Kingdom manifested in us. So Yes skip, for me God requires us to act it is not God that is aspiring anything it is what He has offered for us to find… Be we willing to seek it first. And for me the hope therefore refers to this offer that is still open for all.
Exactly as Carl stated
If I err with this understanding please let’s discuss on the forum.
You see If you just tell me I will forget
When you also show me I might remember
But it is only when you involve me that I will comprehend.
A long post with lots of stuff to comment on. I can begin with just this for now. The translation of “faith in Christ” versus “faithfulness of Christ” alters some of your position. I have written about this, but here is a link to a longer article (http://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/trevinwax/2011/05/23/faith-in-christ-or-faithfulness-of-christ/). The technical analysis of the Greek allows both equally, but the context suggests “of” not “in,” and this changes Paul’s idea of hope in relation to YHVH. My suggestion is to think like a rabbi from a Hebrew background. Read Heschel on God’s hope in us. See if that doesn’t resonate. Then ask if the Christian interpretation glorifies YHVH in the same way, or does it intentionally (or not) push in the direction of another “god.” Remember Isaiah’s word from YHVH that ONLY HE SAVES. Tell me how Paul can be faithful to that revelation (as he must be) and suggest at the same time that we put our faith is another.
Then maybe we can get to the other parts of this excellent blog you have offered.
Thank you I will study your posted link and respond at a later stage.
I do not know how a rabbi thinks as I have not yet communicated with one. What i have heard and appreciate is the way they apparently teach through facilitation Asking questions and responding to questions with references to records and or more questions. Implying we need to assert ourselves of the facts and not only accept what others claim or say…
Sorry but I prefer reading the scripture for answers as nothing new will be revealed after that what was made know… I understand we all claim we live in a more informed era. Not really we are in a knowledge overloaded era and this will eventually be our downfall – my on understanding of life today. For me we are just in that era what Solomon warned us about many books no end study just a tiring experience…
I somewhat agree that 90% of the so called christian doctrines of today do not glorify or acknowledge God as they should… But so do we every time we reference someone else’s understanding instead of how God revealed unto us which is His new covenant with all the lost sheep… Which I do not yet understand that I am part of.
I like referring to our era as the Eve feeding Adam the fruit of knowledge era… We need to decide what we want to eat of the knowledge overload or the tree of life…
If I understand Paul’s calling correct he was some kind of powerful “law” enforcer. And after Ananias was instrumental to restoring his sight (or – understanding of what happened) he actually went to restudy the records before he began with his apostleship… For me what Paul wrote was for specific audiences we read through this information and try to find how we can apply the teachings. I cannot argue for or against what Paul believed or had faith in other than that revealed. I commented more specifically on the term :God of Hope. As elsewhere we read of our hope in or faith in and how this saves not our trusting in the records of what others shared. Again my interpretation of a reference to God. As the majority of Paul’s teachings were about how to understand and accept Jesus Christ….
Just as Jesus said – we search the scripture to find salvation while it only bears witness of Him… or rather teaches us the principles that we need to understand the anointed / Messiah / Christ and I think it was this calling that Paul was honouring…
Excellent discussion on the link. Thank you Skip.
On Paul, I believe he was true to his calling and the words used would meet the requirements of what was needed for the audience, e.g.
If Paul had to convince others of the gospel of Christ I would believe the reference translation would be better phrased as Faithfulness of Christ. As this argument would be to reinforce the intention that Christ is the only mediator not any other form of doctrine… As the earth is true to its nature – What you sow you will reap not something else. The earth produces the result so does Christ provide we meet His proviso…
Should Paul be reinforcing the insight of the audience then Faith in Christ would be more appropriate as this would then emphasize that the audience needs to trust in that what occurred rather than accept that, that which occurred was for their benefit…