Hope vitally redirects and redefines. It is the inseparable companion of faith in Christ. The gospel announces promises to be trusted, hope is confident trust in those promises. Salvation is thus linked with hope (8:24). Spirit-borne hope anchors the soul tossed by the storms of life, keeps an otherwise sinking soul afloat, and fills the sails of the soul to press on to the shores of glory. Paul advances his message of security in the Spirit by focusing on the hope of glory. So immeasurably great is the work of God in Christ that the material universe itself is brought into view with eager longings and excited expectations. The cross has cosmic consequences. Nothing short of a completely renovated new creation awaits our full and final redemption. All of this speaks of an unfathomable glory. Deeply practical. Profoundly relevant. It is the Christian’s definite and defining hope.
