The Bridge of Hope
1 Corinthians 13:13
Hope – Desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it or belief of obtaining it, or belief that it is obtainable.
Hope is different form a wish or desire in this, that it implies some expectation of
obtaining the good desired, or possibility of obtaining it.
Hope therefore always gives pleasure or joy, whereas wish or desire may produce or be accompanied with pain and anxiety.
In the verse for this lesson, we see that Hope is between faith and charity. We will look at hope as a bridge to get from faith to charity.
The Bridge of Hope:
1) In Salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9)
- Faith and Hope are connected (Ephesians 2:8-9)
- Faith is the substance of things hoped or the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1)
- Romans 8:24-25 shows how hope and salvation are connected.
- Since Jesus Christ is the substance of our salvation and our faith is in him and the work that he did for us, then his work is what our hope is based on as well (Colossians 1:23).
2) In Service (Ephesians 2:10)
- While it is true that it is not our works that save us, we should still work as a result of salvation.
- This is where we see charity (the subject of 1 Corinthians 13) come into play. The goal of what ever we do for God or how we use our gifts for God is charity.
- Since Jesus was the substance of our faith then he must also be the substance of our work (Philippians 4:13).
- How do we get from faith to charity, Hope (Jesus Christ) Romans 15:13
If what we do is done in faith with the hope that only Jesus can do something with it, then we will do it no matter what the results are that we see. We can also only do things in true charity if they are done for Jesus Christ.