The Cross Symbol of Hope
In the previous paragraph Paul uses the word hope in the defense of the faith but he
also use it in presenting the faith. Because hope and faith are two legs of the same belief
and that belief is in Jesus Christ. Paul reminded the Roman church and he reminds us
today that at one time we were enemies of God (Rom 5:10) and His wrath was upon us
but by Christ’s death for us we now have peace with God and we can “rejoice in [the]
hope of the glory of God” because it is by “grace in which we stand.” Isn’t that reason to
“rejoice in hope?” 1 Paul makes reference to us who were once enemies of God, but now
are reconciled to Him by the death of His son. It is the death of Christ and His shed blood
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If you have never repented and trusted in Christ, then you will
have no hope for all time. It will be a hopeless eternity from which there will be no
escape. There will be nothing worse in the entire universe but if your hope is put in
Christ, there is no greater hope possible.
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The Cross Symbol of Hope
Have you ever being in a hopeless situation? Maybe you’re in one right now.
Hopelessness happens when you find yourself in a situation where there is no confident
expectation for a positive outcome. It’s being at the end of your rope. Lots of things can
bring us to a point of hopelessness. The death of a spouse or child, the loss of a job, a
chronic illness, a marriage on the brink of divorce, the potential of financial ruin, a
prodigal son or daughter. There may be someone that is in such a place in his or her life
right now. He or she might have lost all hope in the future, and have no confidence that
things are going to work out. He or she have tried everything and have looked
everywhere and things remain bleak. I want this person to know that real hope can be
found in the power of the cross of Jesus Christ.
For those of you who things are going well, everyone’s healthy, your job is secure
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Hope may be sealed at the resurrection but it all began at
the cross of Jesus Christ. Thank God for the cross of Jesus, to Him I give all the glory.
To hope in Christ is to hope in eternal life. Paul puts it nicely when he wrote to Titus.
“Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.” Titus 1:1-2 (NKJV)
This was a pastoral letter to Titus and he wanted to assure Titus who could thus assure
the church that there is hope in eternal life and this hope is as strong as the God Who
promised this never ending life. We know that God never lies, nor indeed can He.
This hope of His promise began before time did. But it was manifested at the cross of
Jesus Christ. Here we see again our hope of eternal life was made available through the
cross. You might ask how this was made available. The answer is through the shed blood
of Jesus. Jesus said “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many
for the remission of sins” Matthew 26:28. Man could not access this promise (eternal
"Hope - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary." Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Merriam-Webster. Web. 24 July 2011. .
Hope is the expectation and the desire for an event to happen. For many people, having hope is to see a reality with a positive feeling. From hope, faith comes in. Having faith in something unrealistic motivates people to keep moving forward and try the best of their abilities to make something happen. Most of today’s religions, especially Christianity, based most of their doctrine on the faith of salvation from Jesus Christ‘s sacrifice and the hope of living for eternity, if we obey the laws of God in accordance with the Bible.
Throughout history, humanity has found a guide. It can be seen as many things, a light at the end of the tunnel, a force pushing one forward, or even a lifeline. There are many ways to describe such a concept but, it can be simplified down to one word, hope. Hope can be defined in many different ways but, most widely can be defined as a feeling of expectation or desire for a certain thing to happen. In life and literature, hope can be the most powerful force in a person's life.
to be thankful to God for his Son, Jesus saved men from sin by giving
“Hope is defined as the action of wishing or desiring that something will occur.” Hope helps people move forward in life to see what’s coming next for them. For example, “I had no right to let myself die. What would he do without me? I was his sole support” (Wiesel, “Night”.) This quote explains the effects of hope in a pitiful situation. Eliezer Wiesel and his father were torn apart, mentally and physically from everything they
In these letters Paul provides the most complete statement of the doctrine in the New Testament. If want to know the ins and outs of Christianity, let people check out the writings of Paul to the Romans. So says a notable interpreter. Because of that this note on Romans should earnestly by every Christian, as very important and contains the full spiritual object.
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
Desmund Tutu, a South African social rights activist and retired Anglican bishop, once said “hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness” (“Hope Quotes”, n.d.). Hope is considered a critical state of mind that influences an individuals’ outlook on life and functioning (Kim, Kim, Schwartz-Barcott, & Zucker, 2006). “Hope is appealing because it is focused on how human beings survive and look forward to life, despite the many traumas and disruptive events that occur” (Tutton, Seers, & Langstaff, 2009, p. 120). This concept is recognized as an essential part of recovery in patients and nurses are acknowledged as having a vital part in enabling hope in patients and families.
Throughout biblical history , the idea of hope morphed. It began as confidence that God would provide the necessities of life - food, water, and land; protection from danger - not only as an individual but also as a group; justice - the righteous would be rewarded and the wicked would be punished; and community – God would always be there for His chosen people, and they would live in peace with other humans. However, the ways in which God would provide these four parts of hope changed in the New Testament. Characterizing this change, the Oxford Companion to the Bible says,
Hope stood in front of the mirror and stared straight into the mirror. She saw a person, who was anything but her, staring back at her. The girl in the mirror was nothing like what other people saw. Hope was a tall, broad-shouldered freshman in college with a fair complexion and long, chestnut-brown curls, which were worn down most of the time. When others looked at her, they see a very sophisticated and beautiful individual with a bright future. However, whenever Hope looks at herself in the mirror, she could only see her imperfections--her rough and freckled skin, her crooked teeth, and her bulky waist.
The movie Shark Tale also effectively demonstrates the difference between natural and theological hope. Oscar, of course, had “natural hope” of receiving all of the “good” things that life had to offer. He hoped to become rich, to become famous, to be “a somebody” and to live at the top of the reef. This hope, however, is far from theological, virtuous hope which is “a steadfast turning toward… the good”. Oscar does not hope to be a good, virtuous person and is not focused on his telos – that is, not until he begins to practice prudence, courage and temperance to turn his life around. In doing so, he recognizes his magnanimity and begins working towards a great and noble life.
Once one obtains this hope, the difficulty of Christianity shifts from the foolishness of believing myths to the stupidity of doing what they say. This is my challenge, for God has revealed His will plainly and has promised to help His adopted children understand His Word, the Bible. Once a person agrees to accept the entire Bible as God presents it in the Bible, the test of faith (or mere hope) comes. A mere hoper won't bother (or dare) to keep exactly what God says; a person with true faith will not only try but succeed when he does.
Optimism is the action of seeking the hope that lies in every situation. The hope is like gold or a valuable gem. It may be resting on the surface, or it may be buried deep down. Either way, if one does not actively seek it, it may never be found. Helen Keller wrote, “Most people measure their happiness in terms of physical pleasure and material possession….If happiness is to be so measured, I who cannot hear or see have every reason to sit in a corner with folded hands and weep….Only by contact with evil could I have learned to feel by contrast the beauty of truth and love and goodness.” However, there is a such thing as too much optimism. Helen Keller also explained this when she wrote, “It is a mistake always to contemplate the good and ignore the evil because by making people neglectful it lets in disaster….This is false optimism. A man must understand evil and be acquainted with sorrow before he can write himself an optimist and expect others to believe that he has reason for the faith that is in him.” A German theologian named Jurgen Moltmann backs this up by stating, “Genuine hope is not blind optimism. It is hope with open eyes, which sees the suffering and yet believes in the
What is hope? Desmond Tutu said, “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness.” It whispers, “You’ll overcome this hardship.” It reassures us, soothing our minds by reminding, “life will improve.”
Paul tells us to “fight the good fight of faith” (Tim. 6:12). We must not hold on to unbelief. When we give ourselve...