Just hoping is no hope at all “Hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” - Hebrews 10:23
by William Mundt
W
e say it a lot—seriously, all of us do, and more often than we should. Two words, five letters, many meanings: “I hope” But what is hope? It is one of the three—faith, hope, and love—that abide, according to St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 13. What he failed to mention is that all three are among the most misused and misunderstood words in the Christian vocabulary (“grace” being a very close fourth). All ought to be understood as gifts of God rather then viewed as human accomplishments. Faith is firm trust and confidence in God’s promises, not a feeling of being saved or a decision I’ve made. Self-sacrificing love is what Christ meant when He said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). It’s what He demonstrated in His own sacrificial life, suffering, and death for us as our substitute—not the self-seeking, giddy, can’t-live-
6
THE CANADIAN LUTHERAN March/April 2021
