No Hope!

That at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. (Ephesians 2:12 NKJV)

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13 NKJV)

Hope–The Definition

Hope gives us something to which we can look forward.  Hope means things are going to get better, not worse.  The Strong’s concordance says hope is anticipation with pleasure.  Hope gives us a reason to continue.  Having no hope is the pit of depression and often leads people to consider suicide.  Obviously a Christian does not hope to be saved for eternity because God has promised us a certain and secure salvation if we take Him at His word and trust Him.  But once we are saved, we have hope no matter what Satan throws our way.  Our confident assurance is that when we die we get to go to heaven to be with the Lord. That is the believer’s hope.   Even those who are martyred for the sake of their faith in the Lord have hope at their time of trial.  

Before Salvation

Before we trusted Christ for salvation we did not have anything to properly motivate us in life or death.  Some think riches and power are truly motivating forces but ultimately those things die with us when we die.   Ephesians 2 talks about a people who were not part of the covenants God had made with the nation of Israel and they were without God in the world.  I suspect many of those who Paul says were without God, thought they were worshiping God when they worshiped the pagan idols.  But idols have no power for good or evil and are not God.  Sometimes we need to be awakened to the fact that the only hope for a person is in worshipping the one true God.  But that will not happen until we realize that before salvation we are without God and without hope.  

The Disciples and Apostles

In the early new testament church, it appears that all of the believers thought that the Lord would return in their lifetime.  It motivated them.  It was their hope.  But by the time Paul wrote 1st Thessalonians many of the believers had died.  What was their prospect for eternity?   Paul assured the living saints that those who had died would be part of the coming of the Lord for the church.  They would not be forgotten.  Their future would be glorious.  Paul reminded them that they were not like unbelievers who had NO HOPE.  

What About Us?

Recently, we have had two of our adult children diagnosed with cancer.  There was a day when that was a death knell.  There was NO HOPE of a future or of a cure.  But today treatments have progressed to the point where many cancers are either curable or at least treatable.  At this point, we have HOPE that both of our children will be cured.  But even if they are cured, at some point death is going to be a reality in their lives unless the Lord intervenes and comes before that for those who believe in Him.  

This time of the year, most people in Western Civilizations are celebrating the birth of a child that has given the world hope.  This child was destined for a crucifixion, but He knew that after the crucifixion there would be a resurrection.  While the cross makes salvation and hope possible, it is the resurrection that seals the deal.  Because of the resurrection of the Lord, we know that He has the right and authority to tell believers, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also (John 14:3 NKJV).”  If we trust the Lord we have a certain glorious future to which we can look forward.  It is called HOPE.   

But the Lord also has the power and authority to say to unbelievers,  “He who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him (John 3:36 NKJV).”  While unbelievers may not see the danger ahead, once they die they have “no hope.”

Observation

I may never make a lot of money and I may never have a gold gilded office.  I may never have large crowds listening to me preach.   I may never travel to some of the exotic places where I would like to go, but one day I get to go to heaven.  I am told that the streets are paved in gold and that there is no sorrow or sickness there.  Life may be cruel at times, but I have hope.  And so do my believing friends.  I hope you are one of those people who have Biblical hope.

Bruce Collins

Meditation for the weeks of December 7 and 14, 2025

If you would like further conversation about the issues in these meditations, contact me at collinsbd@yahoo.com and I will try to accommodate you with a virtual Bible Study.