The Hope of the Gospel

The gospel grants us a share in a blessed hope. Paul prayed to God that the Ephesians might receive enlightened eyes of the heart so they would understand the hope of their calling. The fact is, we also need enlightened eyes. The hope of the gospel surpasses every kind of hope in this world. We have been born again to this hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. What is this hope? James puts it like this: “Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.” Jas. 1:18. These words hide a blessed hope. A firstfruit of God’s creatures! This gives us hope for this life and for eternity. This is where we are molded to be a firstfruit—the bride of Christ—and then we shall live and rule together with Christ as His bride, first in the millennium, and then for all eternity.

We have a hope in our calling: the hope of being the bride of Christ. Paul says, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.” 1 Cor. 15:19. This is how it is. The hope of the gospel reaches beyond this life. It is very true that the joy of hope bears us up in the battle; Jesus patiently endured the cross for the joy that was set before Him. Heb. 12:2. Nevertheless, we sense that our hope will not be fully realized in this life. We will understand this one day when we are caught up in the clouds in the air to meet the Lord, and then we shall always be with the Lord. Because we have this hope, we purify ourselves just as He is pure. This is a blessed hope that has been revealed through the gospel.