ROMANS 8:24 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?
The meaning of the word "hope" as it was employed in the New Testament differed from what it is today. When we employ the word "hope" today, we normally mean something that is merely a wish or a desire but not that we are truly expecting.
Instead of the Biblical meaning, this contemporary definition of hope is used in the majority of Bible instruction on faith and hope. And because of that, it has been challenging for us to comprehend the Bible's instruction on faith and help.
The definition of hope in the New Testament is "a positive expectation." It gives us a good idea of what we can truly look forward to in the future. Hope never addresses the past, it only addresses the future.
Because the things we aspire for are always in the future, they are not yet visible. Keep in mind, Romans 8:24 states, "hope that is seen is not hope".
Humans can just "see" things that haven't occurred yet through their imagination. Therefore, there is no way to experience Bible hope without using our imagination. We must employ our imagination to hope.
Bible hope—the expectation of positive things—comes from faith in God. Fear is the result of believing terrible things will happen. Hope and fear are both supported by, built upon, and underlying by faith.
Without faith, which is the decision to trust in something, it is impossible to have hope, which is a positive expectation. Without faith in something bad, which is the decision to believe it, you cannot have fear, which is a negative expectation of what you believe.
Our faith provides the support and stable ground that allow our hopes and fears to arise. Therefore, your hopes and fears will change as your faith does.
Many believe that Biblical faith is a mindset, perspective, or mood. But those are the hopes of the Bible. Faith is mainly a choice we make according to proof that we deem trustworthy.
Hebrews 11:1 can be translated literally as "Faith (in God) is the support for our hoping, a refutation of things, not coming from the senses".
Thus, our hope is supported by our belief in God. Our belief in God is the cornerstone of our hope. We anticipate (and necessarily imagine) positive outcomes as a result of our belief in God.
SAY THIS: Bible hope is an optimistic expectation based on a choice to embrace God's Word as truth.
