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Christian hope is not a form of escapism or wishful thinking. In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis calls hope a theological virtue: “If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.” Christ’s resurrection is the foundation of our hope, grounded upon God’s love as demonstrated by the Cross.
Verse 1 begins with “therefore,” which requires that we look back to Romans 4:23-25. There we learn that we have been “justified” or made right with God through Christ’s death and resurrection (4:25; 5:9-10). Once we were God’s enemies, but through Christ, our relationship with God is restored, and now there is peace between us.
Then Paul distinguishes God’s love from human love (vv. 6-8). He suggests that for humans, only very rarely would someone die for another virtuous human. This reality highlights the “outrageous generosity of God,” as one New Testament professor describes it. Christ did not die for the righteous, but rather for us when we were “powerless” and “sinners.”
As another theologian explains, today’s passage insists that “if God loves sinners enough for the Son to die for them, God will surely complete what was begun at such a cost.” Note the “how much more” language (vv. 9-10). Assurance results in our hope and rejoicing, even in the midst of trials and sufferings. First, we “hope in the glory of God” (v. 2). What was lost with Adam and Eve is restored in Christ: God’s image in us and His uninhibited presence with us.
Second, the Holy Spirit is a sign and guarantee of the new creation to come, beginning with God giving us new hearts filled with His love (v. 5). Third, suffering that produces perseverance, then character, and then hope reflects the experience of Israel in the wilderness and in exile, as well as Christ and the Cross. Hope in a final resurrection and new creation does not let us down because it has been initiated in Christ’s resurrection and confirmed in the Holy Spirit (v. 5).
TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Do you notice how deeply personal the description of our relationship with God is in today’s passage? Following Jesus is distinct from other religions because it is more than believing certain things about God. It is about being in a reconciled relationship with Him, initiated by God and made possible only through God’s gift of His Son, Jesus. Praise God for this indescribable gift (2 Cor. 9:15), and reflect on the kind of hope in the midst of suffering that does not disappoint us.
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