Eternal Hope

When the apostle Paul wrote to the church at Colosse, he began his letter with his expression of joy because of their obedience to Christ Jesus. Since these had obeyed the gospel, being baptized into Christ (see Colossians 2:12, 13), Paul wrote to these Christians about their hope of heaven.

Let’s notice his words in Colossians 1:3-5. “We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel.”

A word frequently longed for in a person’s life is “hope.” The dictionary defines hope as “to expect with desire.” We hope for sunshine. We hope for rain. We hope for cooler weather. We hope to accomplish certain things. There are some things that we hope never happen.

Sometimes people want and desire a great many things of this world, but often without any real hope of gaining them. Perhaps this is why so many people’s hopes end in disappointment. If a person’s hopes only concern the things of our world, they may not always be realized.

The Bible, however, speaks of a hope that will never disappoint us. This is made possible because of the One on whom this hope is established.

Paul wrote, “Having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:7). The hope of eternal life is real. It is spoken of as a hope because it is not fully known and enjoyed in this life. Obedient Christians wait in hope (anticipation) of the time when their faith in Christ will become sight. But until that time comes, we can have every confidence that it will come to pass. Why? Because it has been based on the promise of God, accomplished in the sacrifice of Christ our Savior, and guaranteed by His resurrection from the dead.

1 Peter 1:3-5 states, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Christians do have this “living” hope because of Christ. This hope stands in contrast to all of the false promises others endeavor to make, but are never able to bring to pass. We can trust God to do what He has said. “This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:1113).

The question, then, isn’t whether the word of God is true, and His promises in which we have hope are real. The question is whether you will live in such a way that this hope becomes reality for you.

One can profess to have such a hope, but it’s an empty claim if one’s life isn’t in harmony with the will of God. Scripture makes it clear we must “continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel” (Colossians 1:23).

Hope is a real and powerful factor in daily Christian living. “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end” (Hebrews 6:11).

You earnestly need this eternal hope in Christ. It begins with your obedience to Jesus. The Lord commanded, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). This eternal hope continues as we remain living faithfully for Him. Christ declared, “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). Always obey the Lord’s teachings and your hope of eternal life will be secure in Him.