“God’s Hope”
“For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” (Romans 8:19-21, English Standard Version)
Today’s “3-Minute Retreat” from Loyola Press was based on 1 Corinthians 13:13.
Why is it a problem for God to have hope? It isn’t, IF God doesn’t know the future. This is one of the beliefs of an approach to God called “open theism.” I have some sympathies for that approach, but I still think it is wrong.
In fact, when I asked my wife the question, “Does God hope?” she immediately responded, “How could God hope? He already knows the future.”
However, there are some verses in the Bible that might suggest that God does indeed hope. For example, considering the following verses. I am indebted for these Scriptures (and some very helpful comments) to an excellent online article by the editor of The Baptist Standard. You can read the whole article at https://www.baptiststandard.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-does-god-hope/.
Here are some of the Scriptures that Marv Knox listed, along with some good introductory comments:
“In God, hope abounds
That syllogism—God is love; love hopes; God hopes—seems to be a stretch. But it gets to the clear message of Scripture: God is the source of hope; in God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—hope abounds.
• “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).
• “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe” (Ephesians 1:18-19).
• “… God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:17).
• “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope” (1 Timothy 1:1).”
• “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us …” (Hebrews 6:19-20).
• “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).”
There is not much I can add to Knox’s good comments, except perhaps for this: The Bible clearly portrays hope as a virtue, and as something that God extends to us and requires from us. If God gives hope, the chances are pretty good that God has hope. It is pretty difficult to give anyone something that you don’t have yourself.
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