The English language is a very descriptive
tongue, yet oftentimes the same word can have different meanings
depending upon the context in which it is used. Sometimes men
forget this fact and try to force the notion that a particular
word means the same thing each time it is used. Many study the
Bible as if it was a mere collection of words rather than a collection
of thoughts, which were written by men as they were given utterance
by the Holy Ghost. We are certain that there are
no words which are out of place in that utterance, but we are
equally certain that the Lord designed the whole of the scriptures
and not simply the individual words which can be taken without
a proper consideration of the purpose for which these words
are set forth in the scriptures. The study of his truth is further
complicated, humanly speaking, by the fact that the scriptures,
as they were originally written, have been translated into various
subsequent languages. It is remarkable and a true testament
to the veracity of those scriptures that the coherence of the thoughts
contained in those scriptures have been preserved down through
the ages. in such fashion that the saints
in the present age, without any knowledge of the original languages
in which the scriptures were written, can discover their meaning
as the Spirit reveals the truth to them, quite without the necessity
of the scholarship of men. Thus the Lord told His disciples
that He would send forth His Spirit to lead them into all
truth, quite before the scriptures were completed. Now that we have
the completed scriptural record, the same spirit does readily
perform the same function in those to whom he is sent. The
English word hope appears 129 times in the King James Version.
There are several different words which are translated from the
original languages as hope in English. In practically all of
them, the basic meaning of the word is anticipation, usually
accompanied by a pleasurable expectation. In many cases, the
word hope is synonymous with faith and is expressed clearly
as the believer's rest in Christ Himself. Christ is the hope of
His people. Christ is their Savior. They
look for no other, nor do they have any hope outside of Christ. There is also an activity of
hope which is stirred up in the sons of God by the very Spirit
who would teach us that Christ is our perfect salvation. This
is that activity which Paul describes as not yet fully realized. But
hope that is seen is not hope, for what a man seeth, why doth
he yet hope for? This is that longing for full
deliverance which we have not yet experienced. There is also
the hope that is expressed by the awakened sons of God, as
they are clearly acquainted with their own innate corruption and
unbelief, contrasted with the sovereign work of God in the
salvation of His people. Paul said it like this, Brethren,
I count not myself to have apprehended. The sons of God cannot always
read their title clear, and in such times of doubt and fear
speak of that hope which they cling to. Modern Christianity,
so-called, knows little of this exercise, since for the last
150 years there has been an emphasis placed among the rank and file
on man's free will decision to follow Christ, rather than a
recognition of the necessity of a work of grace. Most of those
who claim to be the followers of Christ simply do not doubt
their standing with the Lord, since they are convinced that
their standing with Him rests in their own ability and willingness
to believe. Others believe that an expression
or confession of faith is synonymous with the possession of it. These
are the places where fools do not fear to tread. Edwin Mote
wrote these words, My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus'
blood and righteousness. Many in these modern times of
light-hearted Christianity would agree with Mote, but they nonetheless
err because they fail to see that true hope is built on nothing
more either. But let us who are of the day
be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a
helmet the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us
to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, which
he hath shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
that, being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs
according to the hope of eternal life. If you would like a free transcript
of this broadcast, email us at 4the4 at windstream dot net.