… in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you …
Summary: Language takes on a new dimension when we begin to see things from a spiritual perspective. The word “hope” is no exception.
The human brain is a marvelous gift from God. The fact that it functions at all is a testimony to our Creator. (No amount of random selection of DNA nucleotides could ever generate a brain, let alone a living cell.)
Unfortunately for us, our brains do not function as they were originally intended. The brain, as it is described in Genesis, chapter two, functions as a passive link between Adam’s spirit and his body. After Adam and Eve rebel against God’s instruction, two things happen.
One is that our spirit was separated from God. Scripture refers to this as being spiritually dead (Genesis 2:17, John 3:3-8, Luke 15:11-32). The other thing that happened was that the “eyes” of the body were opened, seeing both good and evil (Genesis 3:5).
The impact of being exposed to “good and evil” without knowing the difference is devastating. Imagine being locked in a room with no windows or doors. The only information you can get is from watching news shows. Some shows say it is the end of the world because of this, other shows say the end is approaching for exactly the opposite reason. You have no way of knowing who is right and who is wrong. The only thing you “know” is that there is a lot to worry about!
Getting to know Jesus is like having God himself show up in your locked room. He laughs at the “news” you have been watching and turns off your TV and internet connections. He takes your hands and looks you in the eyes. “Trust me,” he seems to say. Feeling the power and glory of God all around is amazing. Having the room filled with light is life-changing. The fear and anxiety that had filled your life have been displaced by something new. All that is left is God’s radiant light and a sense of joy that fills every part of your being. The word we use to describe this joy is “hope.”
From the world’s perspective, “hope” is simply another emotion. It comes and goes. We “hope” our meeting with the boss goes well, but that kind of hope is nothing more than a child’s wish for more candy. We might “hope” for world peace, but the world continues to struggle as everyone competes for attention from everyone else. The Christian’s view of “hope” is very different.
The Greek word elpis, from which “hope” is translated in this passage, is also sometimes translated as “faith.”
Imagine that.
Application: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…” (Proverbs 3:5)
Food for Thought: How does Paul call us to this hope he is talking about?
I believe the hope that Paul is speaking about is God’s love. Not that that we should “hope” God loves us, but that knowing the fullness of His love gives us the hope that we are safe in Him. Our hope is that no matter what happens on the outside, God is with us on the inside, and there is nothing that can happen to us of eternal consequence as long as we look to Him. Christ came to pay our debt of sin, so that we could be with God. Even more, Christ came and showed us a life filled with the Spirit of God. Looking at the life of Jesus, I find hope in that there really is more that what this world has to offer.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Nicely said, Chris!
I completely agree: God’s love is the source of our hope.
How does Paul call us to this hope? If I focus on the “how” part of this question, it comes to us in the middle of a prayer. He prays that the eyes of our heart may be enlightened for the purpose that we may know this hope. One way to look at this is that he is calling on God to work in us for this hope to be realized. Our best hope is instilled and developed through God working in us by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Rich,
Yes! Only by the power of the Holy Spirit. I think that is absolutely essential.
I’m with Rich!
03-13-2023, How does Paul call us to this hope he is talking about?
Ephesians 1:18, Paul asks that the eyes of our hearts be ENLIGHTENED, so that we may know THE HOPE OF HIS CALLING.
Followers of Jesus are receivers of His blessings and power. Paul is reminding us that a more complete understanding of Christ, leads to a greater love and a stronger faith with LIFE as God originally intended it to be.
“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” John 14:21
“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” John 14:23
As we draw closer to Jesus, the Bible words we have read, heard and spoken so many times before will suddenly become alive for us. Dry verses that had little meaning before will become full of the power required to live the life that Jesus lived. We will sense the Spirit of revelation as He speaks in our inner self. We will understand the Word of God and our own life more intensely. Faith will be born in our heart at a deeper level with each revelation from the Word. And as our faith grows, so does the power of the Spirit in our life, so that we can follow in Jesus’ footsteps even more.
Ron,
Thank you! I have experienced the transformation from “dry verses” to “full of power” myself. An awesome experience.
Yes indeed Brother!
Will be going through John for at least the 4th time next year. Will be an amazing study.
Blessings,
Ron