Friedrich Nietzsche has a famous quote: “Hope is the worst of evils, for it prolongs the torment of man.” Do you agree? I would say, it depends on what you are hoping for. False hope brings humiliation and disappointment and prolongs the torment. True hope should not. But is there a true hope?
Yes! In his letter to the Roman Christians, Paul tells us that there is a hope that does not disappoint us or put us to shame.
Romans 5
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through Him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
This hope that does not bring us disappointment or shame is the hope of the glory of God (v2b). No matter how weak, ungodly, or aimless we were or are, God’s divine character will be instilled in us (8:17, 18, 21, 30).
How can we be sure that this hope is true?
First, God’s grace initiated it (v1-3). We gain this hope not by our achievements but through Jesus Christ. It is God who has been striving to reach us and give us the gift. The hope through Jesus Christ comes to us through the grace of God.
Second, believers’ lives prove it (v3,4). We no longer have to fear suffering; instead, we can boast in the trials and tribulations that afflict us in this present evil age. In the storms of life, we are made stronger, transformed by God, and gain proven character. Without dark nights, there would be no bright morning dawn. Without the suffering on Good Friday, there would be no glorious Easter Sunday. Against all odds, suffering produces in us more hope, because even though we are still imperfect, God will complete what He has started in us until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil 1:6).
Finally, Christ’s love confirms it (v5-8). In times of torment and despair, the Spirit of God speaks to us and reminds us of Christ’s death and God’s unyielding love for us. We find the authentication of our hope in the love of God. As God’s children who are secure in the love of God, we dare to hope even in the midst of sufferings!
Let’s pray,
Thank You, Lord, for Your grace in Christ so that we can rejoice in our true hope of a glorious future, even in the midst of our present sufferings. Always remind us of the love You have shown us in Christ so that we can have the firm assurance of this hope. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
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