SAVED BY HOPE
Part 9
Rom. 8:24-25
Morning Meditation 1/13/17
Verse 24-25 says, “For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.”
We will take a look at the word hope and the strong statement that is made by Paul that we are saved by hope. We use the word hope in a way that would make salvation very uncertain. There is no assurance in our word hope. For instance if you ask a man, “Are you saved?” and he responds, “I hope I am,” we are not satisfied that the man really knows the Lord. The word hope in that sense is a very weak word. Paul is not using it this way in our text. Let’s look first at a:
A DEFINITION
Someone has defined hope as the joyful anticipation of a reality. This is a good definition. So when I use the word hope in this meditation it will have that meaning.
Paul begins this verse by saying, “For we are saved by hope . . .” The word “for” translates “gar” which is a conjunction joining this statement with what has just been said. There was the groan of creation for the manifestation of the sons of God which would be the time of its deliverance from the curse. Then we discover that the believer groans with creation for, “the redemption of our body.” It is the hope of, “the redemption of the body,” that is being connected with the words, “we are saved by hope . . .” The words “we are saved” translate “sozo” and means, “to save, to keep safe and sound, to rescue from danger or destruction.” It is an aorist passive indicative verb. The words “by hope” translate “elpis” which means, “the expectation of good and in the Christian sense the joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation.” — Strong’s. It is the joyful anticipation of a reality. The redemption of the body and the deliverance of the creation from the bondage brought on in by the fall, is not something that Christians have come up with through the imagination. God has promised the redemption of the body. Truth does not have to be believed to be true. Romans 3:4 says, “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.” God has a plan for man that is being worked out on the stage of human history. It is a plan to restore man from his fallen condition to fulfill God’s original purpose for him. This is why Jesus came as God incarnate in the flesh (John 1:1,14; Col. 1:15; Phil. 2:6-8). He came as God intended man to be. He was a Man totally surrendered to the will of the Father. He had perfect humanity and perfect obedience. He died a perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). He was, is, and will ever be, God manifest in the flesh reconciling the world unto Himself (2 Cor. 5:19). He did not just come to redeem man’s spirit. That is true but that is not the end of it. That is only the beginning! He died also to redeem mans body (not the flesh) and His blood was the price of the purchase. Paul says in First Corinthians 6:19-20, “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your BODY, and in your spirit, WHICH ARE God's.” (Caps mine for emphasis). We belong to God lock stock and barrel.
The redemption in all its prospects takes place when we are born again but just as Abraham waited in HOPE of the promised seed, we wait in the HOPE of the redemption of the body. It is a hope based on the immutability of God’s promise (Heb. 6:17-18). Back to our grammar lesson. The words “we are saved” in the aorist tense and indicative mood is a point of time divorced from time and perpetuated forever. We were saved at a point of time, that point of time was divorced from time (present experience of eternal life), and was perpetuated forever (we have in the present tense life that will never end). Glory to God and the Lamb forever! This is what our infallible, inerrant, verbally inspired Bible says. Then next Paul gives,
AN EXPLANATION
Then Paul says, “ . . . but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?” Faith deals with the unseen. Faith is the evidence of things not seen. One of the things not seen is the redemption of the body. We have been told about it (1 Cor. 15) and based on what we have been told we believe. Our faith is what gives substance to what has been promised (Heb. 11:1). It is the evidence of things not seen (Heb. 11:1). The unsaved world sees the evidence of the truth of the redemption of the body in the faith of the believer. We live in hope of the redemption of the body. Unbelieving doctors see this evidence. How many times have unbelieving doctors witnessed the HOPE of the believer as he responds to a death message. The doctor says, “I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you have a terminal illness. You had better get your house in order, you will be dead shortly.” The believer’s response goes something like this: “Oh, doctor, I got my house in order a long time ago. I have been living in anticipation of the reality of God’s promise of a new body. I am living IN Christ now I will soon be living WITH Christ!” God is not a God of the dead but of the living (Luke 20:38). Many times the doctor will patronize the believing patient and will say something like, “Well, if that comforts you, great.” I am not criticizing doctors. There many good godly doctors. I praise the Lord for them, even unsaved doctors that God uses to help His people. What I want you to see is that our faith is not only the SUBSTANCE of things HOPED FOR, it is also the EVIDENCE of things NOT SEEN. The believer’s faith and hope is evidence that God exists and that He rewards His people.
Hope then is what we see that cannot be seen with the natural eye. 1 Peter 1:8 says, “Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” We love Jesus whom we have never seen. Moses was motivated by faith in God whom He had never seen. Hebrews 11:27 says, “By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.” Moses saw God who is invisible. That is a contradictory statement. You cannot see the invisible. But the Bible says in this verse Moses did. How did this take place? He saw a manifestation of God. Have you ever seen God manifest His unseen presence? Every Christian has. Maybe not in the same way Moses did, i.e., at the burning bush. Moses saw and had fellowship with the unseen God by faith. Faith is the capacity that God has given us to see Him. Hope embraces the reality of unseen promises and faith is the SUBSTANCE of those promises. Those promises become reality to us once we believe them. Moses was sustained by his faith in what God had promised. Moses lived in the hope of God’s presence with him as he led the Nation of Israel in every future step he took. Was his hope based on something that he came up with? No. Exodus 4:10-12 says, “And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” God said, “I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” God was with Moses every step of the way. This promise became the HOPE of Moses. In Exodus 33:3 God tells Moses to go ahead and lead the people into the land that flows with milk and honey and then says, “for I will not go up in the midst of thee.” Then Moses prays, “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.” God told Moses that He would send an angel instead (vs 2). This didn’t satisfy Moses because his HOPE was in Jehovah not an angel. Angel watchers need to take notice of this. Angels do exist and they are servants of the saints (Heb. 1:14). But there is an unhealthy interest in angels today. We are not to seek out angels, we are to look unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of out faith (Heb. 12:2). If I saw and angel, I wouldn’t need Rogaine (I am bald), I would grow a new head of hair instantly!!!
We are sustained through the trials of life as we joyfully anticipate the promise of the redemption of the body. Our hope is not weak because it is rests on the promise of God and God’s promises are as sure as the existence of God. It is impossible for Him to lie. Next let’s look at HOPE as,
A MOTIVATION
We are motivated to patient waiting by our hope. Paul says, “But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” The words “we hope” translate “elpizo” which is the verb form of the word we have already defined. It is a present active indicative verb which means we continually live with the joyful anticipation of the reality of the redemption of the body which is not yet seen. Paul says, “for we hope for that we see not.” This is the way of faith. Faith believes what is hoped for. What is hoped for is what God has promised. Paul says when we continually live in hope of what we do not see, it is necessary to patiently wait. The word “patience” translates “hupomone” which means, “steadfastness, constancy, endurance.” Why patience? Because we become weary as pilgrims. Satan messes with our minds. He accuses God to us and tells us that all we have believed is nothing but religious fanaticism. Satan does not tell us there is no God. He has better sense that the so-called infidel or atheist. He just denigrates God and casts doubt on His Word. Paul says when we live by this hope, it is founded on the unseen, and requires steadfastness and constant endurance. This patience will pay off at the rapture and resurrection and gives us joy in this life. It motivates to holiness of life and endurance of suffering as we wait patiently for final stage of our salvation, i.e., the redemption of the body.
Do you hope you are saved? No, I am saved and my HOPE is what sustains me in the midst of trails. My HOPE is in the promise that He will also glorify the body at His return. Amen.
May The Lord bless these words to our hearts.
In Christ
Bro. White
