Articles
A (Much-Needed) Message of Hope
Sometimes the world seems to be a pretty dismal place. Terrorism and threats of war saturate the daily news. As if that that weren’t depressing enough we often hear reports of violence even in our own country: rape, cruel cases of child neglect or even murder, and school shootings (recently a shooting happened at the very school where a friend of mine teaches in Louisville, KY). There also are things we cannot control that threaten our lives like tornadoes, drunk drivers, and cancer. Just last week the first case of the deadly virus ebola was documented in the United States. You can probably add to this list of bad news.
Anyone with a sense of morality easily recognizes that to live in such a world with purpose and meaning (which is the only way to really live) we must have something greater than ourselves to grasp onto. We were created this way intentionally.
Jesus came to fill that void. In fact, He is the only One who can offer a hope which transcends any earthly danger or disease. He claimed to be God, the powerful and all-wise Creator, and then rose from His grave (after having been dead 3 days) to prove that claim. He has authority over life and death because He created the life within each of us. Surely, He can give us something true to live for.
Those who put their trust in Jesus’ death and resurrection are said to have a “living hope,” one that looks forward to “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven” (1 Peter 1:3-4). They believe in a living King who has prepared for them a place where death, decay, and disease are not even remembered. These ills do not exist in heaven because God is there; in His presence there is only goodness, love, holiness, peace, and joy.
Yes, Christians still suffer today. But their hope is so powerful that even persecution (let alone the everyday trials of life) cannot quench it. We know that suffering produces endurance, which produces character, which produces hope, the kind of hope that “does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5). Jesus gives us hope to endure anything.
There are different types of hopelessness. There is the despair which comes from lacking purpose in life; but there is also a kind of hopelessness which many religious people suffer from, even Christians. The countless religious divisions within Christianity cause people to doubt whether or not there is such thing as an absolute truth; as a result they often give up entirely the search for that truth because “everybody teaches something different” and “how can we be so sure that what we believe is right?” This kind of hopelessness enslaves us to ignorance and ambivalence. Jesus came to rescue us from this kind of despair too. He promised those who believed in Him, “If you abide in My word you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32). Jesus gives us hope to know right from wrong.
The message that Jesus died by crucifixion and was resurrected 3 days later is called the “good news” for a reason; it is a message of hope. The apostle Paul wrote that he preached the “hope of the gospel” to all creation under heaven because it was intended to reconcile every person to their Creator through Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:23). Hope and the gospel of Jesus Christ go hand-in-hand.
Do you struggle with hopelessness of any kind? Does the world discourage you by its bombardment of bad news? Do your past sins continue weighing on your conscience? Do you despair at the fact that Christian denominations believe in the same Bible but teach contradictory doctrines? Do you wonder why you are alive in the first place? Whatever the case, you were not built to live that way. You were created to hope in Jesus Christ. Let us help you find rest in Him.
