Developing a Theology of Hope

Hope is a mighty force. To affirm this, you need only know its absence. Scripture puts it on par with faith and submits it only to love.[1] The importance of faith is uncontested. Scripture is plain. It is absolutely necessary in the Christian journey.  It is the mechanism that connects us to God and his saving action.[2] It is a gift.[3] It is Christian muscle.[4] Without it, pleasing God is impossible.[5]

Could the same be said of hope? Do we place it on the same plane as faith? Does it have a central place in our theology and practice? When considering the triad of faith, hope and love, which is the most underdeveloped and applied in your life?

This is no academic exercise. I recently preached a Sunday sermon on hope, forgot it by Wednesday and was hopeless by Friday. I know the absence of hope and I know it well. I am well versed in the despair that marks life without Jesus Christ. I also know the hopelessness that assaults the Christian. I am confident of one thing, I need hope. I need it desperately. This project flows out of need, mine and yours.

What better way to foster hope than to explore what God says about it. I desire to be well acquainted with hope through reading, studying and writing on the theme. To you my reader, it is my prayer that in reading and meditating on the gift of hope you will know its power and joy in your life.

Hope must be set against its appropriate backdrop: hopelessness. The logic of the writing flow begins with exploring hope’s opposite. It moves from dark to light as we transition from hopelessness to the Old Testament’s expectation of hope. From there we transition to hope’s coming in the New Testament and conclude with a thematic summary of hope in Scripture.

As we explore this theme together, I pray that God would bring this hope-filled benediction to life: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”[6]

[1] 1 Corinthians 13:13

[2] Romans 3:8, 4:3-5, 5:1, Galatians 2:16

[3] Ephesians 2:8-9

[4] James 2:14-25, 2 Thessalonians 1:11

[5] Hebrews 11:6, Romans 10:15-17

[6] Romans 15:13

*This introduction to the Hope Project can also be found here: THE WHY OF THE HOPE PROJECT