Truth Magazine

HOPE! a word bright with promise! When one has hope, he is buoyant, filled with anticipation and cheerful prospects for the future. A person only has to consider the opposite of hope (hopelessness and despair) to realize how important hope is in his life. Think about this: a family member has been involved in a serious accident. He was taken to the hospital and rushed into surgery. Hours later the doctor comes out to speak to the family. All this time of waiting, the family has been praying and hoping for the best. But the doctor sadly speaks saying he has done all he can do; the injuries were too severe. There is no hope for his recovery! The hope that had sustained the family during the time of waiting is now replaced with grief, sorrow, and broken-hearted despair! How sad to have no hope with regard to earthly matters and physical life.

Now consider spiritual matters, and what the Bible says about hope for the person who believes in and obeys the will of God. Sometimes Christians use the word “hope” in such a way that it has a wavering, uncertain sound. “I hope I’m a Christian.” “I hope I can live the Christian life.” The Scriptures seldom use the word hope in this way. In Acts

24:26, Felix “hoped” Paul might offer him a bribe. He was disappointed. We cannot place hope in uncertainty.

Hope Defined

W. E. Vine defines hope as “favorable and confident expectation,” also “the happy anticipation of good” (Vine, 562). The dictionary defines hope as, “to desire with expectation of fulfillment.”

True Bible hope then is not only something we “desire” to have, but also something that we can expect to come to pass (be fulfilled). In the New Testament, the word “hope” is found 66 times. They are translated from the Greek words elpizo (verb form) and elpis (noun form). The word “hope” is found three times in the gospels, ten times in the book of Acts, and 53 times in the epistles. It is the apostle Paul who uses the word most often in his writings and develops its meaning for us in the gospel age.

What is the Basis of the Christian’s Hope?

Our hope is first of all relational. The Psalmist said, “O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with Him is full redemption” (Ps.130:7, NIV). The Christian’s hope is wrapped up in what Jesus has done for us on Calvary. Jesus shed his blood on the cross that we might have the hope of everlasting life, a hope that cannot be shared by those who are yet outside of Christ. Those who are not Christians have “no hope” and are “without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12). However, the Christian is looking forward “in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began” (Tit. 1:2). Because the Christian has faith in Christ and has been baptized into Christ, he sustains a relationship to God as his child. He is a member of the body of Christ. By this sonship, every Christian, by the Word of God, has “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27).

What is the Source of Our Hope?

You cannot pick up hope at the corner grocery. Neither is it available across town at the mega-mall. It comes from God himself. “Now may the God of all hope fill you with joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 15:13). Our Savior is also involved in the Christian’s hope. “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope” (1 Tim. 1:1). God’s word also has a part in this. “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope” (Ps. 130:5). “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope” (Rom. 15:4).

The Practical Value of Hope

Hope gives the Christian assurance. “And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end” (Heb. 6:11). The Christian is assured by God that if he will live a faithful Christian life then God will keep his part of the agreement, the promise of eternal life (1 John 2:25).

Hope will anchor the soul. “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil” (Heb. 6:19). The metaphor of the anchor only occurs here in the New Testament. A ship firmly anchored is safe from drifting. Its position is sure. Hope is the anchoring force to keep the Christian from drifting. The person with a living hope has a steadying anchor for his life. The storms and trials of life will not blow him “off course” so long as he remains firmly anchored to Christ.

Hope will motivate one to live a pure life. “And every- one who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:3). The apostle Paul wrote, “keep yourself pure” (1 Tim. 5:22). Again Paul wrote, “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Tim. 2:22). The Christian with a living hope will exert every effort to clean up his life and remove sin from it, that he may be pure and acceptable in God’s sight.

Hope will cause the Christian to rejoice. “Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing stedfastly in prayers” (Rom. 12:12). Living in a sin-filled world and seeing the sins of modern man reflected in the daily news- papers and television news gives us little to rejoice about. But the Christian can rejoice precisely because his hope is not in any of the things of this world, but in Christ, “through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (Rom. 5:2, emphasis added, lrd).

And finally, hope saves. “For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?” (Rom. 8:24). Now, we are no more saved by “hope only” than we are saved by “faith only.” We would not ascribe any more to the concept of hope than the Scriptures teach. But let us not undervalue the importance of hope to the Christian. We will never be disappointed by living a faithful Christian life firmly anchored in hope! “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom. 5:5).

God expects his contemporary earthly dwellings to be as pure as his earthly dwellings of ancient times.

Imagine that God commissioned you to construct the tabernacle. What material would you deem suitable to use in its construction? Remember, this structure represents God’s dwelling among his people (Exod. 29:43-46). I imagine Moses was as thankful as we would be that God did not leave these matters for him to contemplate. Rather, God revealed to Moses every detail concerning the construction of this most important dwelling place.

One of the most consistently striking aspects of God’s instructions concerning the construction of the tabernacle was that it was to be constructed of valuable and pure raw materials. This is most evident with regard to the furnishings within the holy place and the most holy place. The table of shewbread, the ark of incense, and the ark of the covenant were overlaid with pure gold. The candlestick, the mercy seat, as well as each of the articles that sat on the table of shewbread, were made entirely of pure gold. In addition, the olive oil, myrrh, and frankincense that were used in the tabernacle were to be in their pure form. Only the purest form of these valuable elements was permitted in the representative presence of God. Later, God authorized Solomon to construct the temple. It, like the tabernacle, represented God’s presence and needed to be built of pure materials.

We have been reminded of these Old Testament facts to impress upon those who follow Christ that they are now God’s representative dwelling place. Peter spoke of the “tabernacle” of his body (2 Pet. 1:13-14). Jesus spoke of the “temple” of his body (John 2:19-21). The inspired word of God reveals that every Christian is the “temple of the living God” (2 Cor. 6:16). Certainly, God expects his contemporary earthly dwellings to be as pure as his earthly dwellings of ancient times. It is the purpose of this article to help us appreciate the importance of purity in the life of the Christian.

The Meaning of Purity

The word “pure” is translated from three different Greek words. A comprehension of the similarities and differences of these three words will help us to appreciate the fullness of the characteristic of purity.

“Pure” is translated from hagnos in four New Testament passages (Phil. 4:8; 1 Tim. 5:22; Jas. 3:17; 1 John. 3:3). The word means, “. . . pure from: carnality . . . every fault . . .” (Thayer). Of particular significance is that it shares the same root as the word from which “holy” is translated. That word is hagios; which means, “separated from sin and therefore consecrated to God” (Vine).

Eilikrines signifies “without alloy.” It is translated “pure” in 2 Peter 3:1, and “sincere” in Philippians 1:10. Thayer’s definition includes, “to be found pure when unfolded and examined by the sun’s light.”

The word from which “pure” is most often translated is the Greek word kathros, meaning, “clean, pure.” Kathros is translated into one of these two English words throughout the New Testament.

Each of these three words conveys the same thought. To be “pure” means to be free of anything foreign. Christians are not to mix God’s righteousness with any “alloy” of sin. Rather, we are to “separate” ourselves from sin. When the deepest folds of our spirit are unfolded and exposed to the light of God’s truth, they are to be found pure.

The Motivation For Purity

All Christians acknowledge that God has called them to purity. Nevertheless, we also realize that we are less than pure. Thankfully, God has furnished us with some things to consider that motivate us to strive for purity.

In his opening remarks of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). Many of the points of this sermon are focused not merely on impure actions, but on the impure heart from which the action proceeds. The desire to “see God” should motivate us to be pure in both thought and action.

In 1 John 3:2 our attention is focused on our eternal hope. Verse 3 reads, “. . . every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” Our eternal hope should motivate us to strive to be as pure as the One we claim to follow.

1 Timothy 1:5 reads, “Now the end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience . . .” This passage speaks to the purity of the selfless characteristic of true love. Yet it is also true that pure love for God is a major motivation to be pure. Our desire to honor and glorify our Savior should motivate us to be pure, “even as he is pure” (1 John. 3:3).

The Call To Purity

In 2 Timothy 2:19-22, we read “Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. Flee also youthful lusts: but follow  righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

These verses reveal what we con- firmed earlier: we are called to purity, yet we are aware of and acknowledge our impurities. We have come to appreciate our true value through God’s revelation and by Christ’s sacrifice. Righteous characteristics are avowed by Christians to be honorable and more valuable than silver and gold. We admit that our dishonorable characteristics of unrighteousness are temporal and corruptible and of no eternal value. Therefore, we are to purge ourselves of those characteristics that are dishonorable, and permeate our character with those things that are righteous and honorable.

This sanctification process makes us suitable vessels for the good works in which God instructs us (2 Tim.

3:16-17). The true Christian must go beyond the mere appearance of righteousness, faith, charity, and peace. The Christian is to display these characteristics from pure motives and a pure heart.

Manifestation Of Purity

In James 3:17, we read, “. . . the wisdom that is from above is first pure . . . without hypocrisy.” God’s wisdom calls us to be pure. To respond to God’s call to purity, we must first be committed to purity in the characteristics and manifestations of godliness.

Hebrews 10:22 reads, “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” Christians are fully assured that their sins are forgiven when they have fully obeyed the gospel, being immersed in water for the remission of their sins. Likewise, the full assurance of our faithfulness is confirmed when we are committed to separating our hearts from an evil conscience that excuses and justifies impurities. A pure con- science has been instructed in God’s pure righteousness and has conformed to its instruction; convicting its owner of unrighteousness while encouraging him in the way that is pure.

Christians are encouraged to be “holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience” (1 Tim. 3:9). The mystery of the faith has been revealed in the gospel (Eph. 3:3-9). Christians are instructed to think on those things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report; those things that promote spiritual excellence and are praiseworthy (Phil. 4:8). Such things confirm the true heart of the faithful Christian.

The souls of Christians have been purified by the blood of Jesus in obeying the Spirit-revealed truth (1 Pet. 1:22). True Christians rejoice in their purification and are committed to the eradication of every impurity from their life. They are committed to purity in the practice of the truth and have a valid reason to trust in God’s promises and the spiritual blessings that are available to them.

The spirit and the deeds of the pure and impure are vividly contrasted in Titus 1:15-16: “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.” Like Timothy, every Christian is exhorted to be “. . . an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12).

Reward For Purity

We began this article by calling attention to the purity of God’s representative earthly dwellings. It comes as no surprise to find God using the imagery of those things that are valuable and pure to describe his eternal dwelling.

In Revelation 21:18, we are told concerning heaven, “the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.” Revelation 21:21 says, “the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.” In heaven, we find the source of the spiritual sustenance that has instructed the conscience of every faithful Christian, the “pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Rev. 22:1).

God invites everyone who hungers and thirsts after righteousness to drink from this “fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son” (Rev. 21:6-7). “For this ye know, that no . . . unclean person . . . hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God” (Eph. 5:5).

Those who are committed to providing a pure habitation for God’s righteous presence on earth will be rewarded with being in the eternal presence of he who is pure. In the inspired words written to Timothy, Christian, “keep thyself pure” (1 Tim. 5:22).