Living Hope
In 1 Peter 1:3-4 (ESV), Peter writes, “According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance…” We are born again to a living hope. What exactly is this living hope?
The word ‘hope’ in our everyday conversations usually has positive connotations. We might say, “I hope you get well soon,” to a sick friend, or “I hope my parcel arrives,” or “I hope to visit Antarctica one day,” when you’re looking forward to something. We desire, or even expect, that what we hope for will happen or be granted to us. But there’s an uncertainty in this kind of hope. We don’t really know if any of these things will happen. So, we usually hope because we don’t know what the actual outcome will be.
But ‘living hope’ is different. It’s not an unknown expectancy for what the future holds. Even just the word ‘living’ in itself implies something is alive, real, and present. For example, ‘living’ friends and family are wonderful, because we can enjoy each other’s presence and companionship. The opposite is not so attractive, to say the least. So it is with hope. Dead hope isn’t attractive; saying we’ve ‘lost hope’ in something suggests we’ve given up, that there’s no cure, answer, or relief – we are hope-less. So, living hope sounds a lot better!
We have also been born again to the living hope. Our hope is living because we are spiritually alive. Peter seems to back this up by pointing us to an inheritance. Inheritances are usually left to living heirs. In most cases, it would be silly to leave an inheritance to a dead person, for what can they do with it? That there is an inheritance assures us that we have a living hope, right now.
Finally, our hope is living because of Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus rose from the dead and conquered death. Death has no hold on him, and it no longer has a hold on us either. Though our bodies eventually die, our souls live on forever, and our bodies too will one day be raised up in new life. Our hope is as secure and certain as Christ is alive today.
This is the living hope that we as Christians have. Our hope is not dead. Our hope is not in earthly things, which will one day perish. Our hope is not in ourselves, our abilities, or our righteousness. Unsaved people are without hope (Ephesians 2:12), but we – we have a living hope! A living hope for what? What do we look forward to? What will we get? Easy, we get God himself, who is our inheritance and our salvation.
With so great a hope before us, what should our response be? Peter writes, “In this you rejoice…” (1 Peter 1:6). You rejoice. Peter doesn’t command his readers to rejoice. No, he simply states that they do rejoice. And so should we! Rejoice in living hope. Rejoice in Jesus’ resurrection. Rejoice in our salvation. Rejoice in God! May the ripples of rejoicing go forth from every believer – you, me, and the missionaries who have shared their stories in Serving Together – that all the world may know the one in whom living hope can be found: our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.