Religion & Spirituality
Most sports fans hope their favorite team will win the championship. But they also realize that only one team can actually bring home the trophy. The word hope can be a noun or a verb. When fans “verb- hope” for their team to win, they want something to happen. However, when we have “noun-hope,” we have the assured expectation that something will happen. For Christians, the hope Christ gives us through His resurrection is not a wanting or wishful hope, but an assured expectation of what we know is to come. Peter explains that believers in Christ are given a “new birth into a living hope” (v. 3). It’s similar to Paul’s idea in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that when one trusts in Jesus, he or she becomes a “new creature.” We are given a new life and a new identity. In verse three, Peter uses hope as a noun. This message of hope is more than just a want or a desire. Peter assures us that this living hope is a joyful and confident expectation. Peter continues in verse four to say that the new birth also gives us an eternal inheritance. This assures us that we will be united with Christ forever. Unlike any earthly inheritance, we might receive, this eternal inheritance can “never perish, spoil or fade” because of God’s omnipotence and supremacy (vv. 4–7). Christ’s resurrection from the dead gives us complete confidence that this hope will last for all eternity. The idea of a living hope and inheritance was a brand-new message for those early believers (vv. 8–9). Now, we have the honor of receiving that same hope and sharing our living hope with others. Remember, that your hope in Christ is not wishful thinking, but an assured expectation of what is to come. >> When we place hope in things and people, we are often disappointed. How does your “noun- hope” in Christ compare to your “verb-hope” for things in this world?