Hope

Occurrences in Scripture

In the Old Testament the term appears chiefly in the Psalms and the prophetic books. Psalm 42:5 says, "hope thou in God," and Lamentations 3:21-26 confesses hope in the mercies of the LORD even in the face of ruined Jerusalem. The word is also used in contexts that promise restoration after judgment, as in the "door of hope" of Hosea 2:15.

In the New Testament the term appears frequently in the Pauline and General Epistles.

• Romans 5:2-5: Tribulation produces hope by way of patience and experience, and this hope "maketh not ashamed."
• Romans 8:24-25: "Hope that is seen is not hope"; believers wait with patience for what they do not see.
• 1 Corinthians 13:13: Faith, hope, and charity are mentioned together (see the Love Chapter).
• 1 Peter 1:3: A "lively hope" through the resurrection of Christ.
• Hebrews 6:19: Hope is like "an anchor of the soul."
• Titus 2:13: "That blessed hope," the expectation of the glorious appearing of Christ.

Original Languages and Background

The Hebrew noun tiqvah denotes waiting or expectation, and the verb qavah means "to wait" or "to hope." The Greek elpis could, in ordinary Greek usage, refer even to a vague anticipation of either good or bad events, but in the New Testament it denotes a sure expectation grounded in God's promises. The New Korean Revised Version usually renders the term as somang, while some other Korean translations use huimang.

Meaning Across Scripture

In the Old Testament the ground of hope is the faithfulness of God, who keeps His covenant. Amid crises such as exile and national destruction, the prophetic books sustain a hope that looks for restoration and for the Messiah. The New Testament regards this expectation as having begun to be fulfilled in Christ, while teaching that its consummation still lies ahead in the Second Coming, the resurrection of the body, eternal life, and the renewal of creation (Romans 8:19-23). New Testament hope is therefore closely bound up with faith (Hebrews 11:1).

Interpretation and Issues

• The object of hope: Traditionally, hope has been read as centered on heaven after death and on individual salvation. Other interpretations, by contrast, emphasize the consummation of the Kingdom of God and the new creation. Jürgen Moltmann's "theology of hope" is regarded as a representative attempt to reread the whole of Christian faith from the standpoint of eschatological hope.
• The certainty of hope: The Reformed tradition, on the basis of the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints, holds that the believer's hope is secure to the end. The Wesleyan and Arminian traditions also teach the assurance of salvation but place greater emphasis on the believer's response in continuing in faith.
• 1 Corinthians 13:13: One interpretation holds that hope will be realized at the consummation and will then no longer be needed. Another, citing the text's statement that these three "abideth," holds that all three virtues remain forever.
• Distinguishing hope from this-worldly application: The promise of "a future and a hope" in Jeremiah 29:11 (KJV: "an expected end") was originally given to a people carried away into the Babylonian exile, promising their return after seventy years (Jeremiah 29:10). Some point out that reading it as a promise of personal success or prosperity takes it out of context. This point is also frequently raised in criticisms of prosperity theology for reducing hope to material blessing in the present life.

In the Korean Church

At funeral services, the words "that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13) are often read, and the hope of the resurrection is the central theme of the sermon. The word somang (hope) is also commonly used in church names and mottoes. Hymns that confess Christ as the ground of hope, such as "My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less" (Korean title "I mom-ui somang mueonga"), are widely sung.