The Hope of the Gospel

What is the hope of the Gospel?   There are two places in Chapter one of the book of Colossians that speak of a certain hope and this hope is contained in the message of the Gospel. 

 

The Apostle Paul gave thanks to God for the believers in Colossae because of their faith in Christ and love for other believers and “because  of   the   hope  which is laid up for you in heaven,  of  which you heard before in  the  word  of   the  truth  of   the   gospel” (1.5).

 

Paul also writes to the church in Colossae that they must continue in that “hope of the Gospel” to be presented before God as holy, blameless, and above reproach:  “to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight--  if indeed you continue in  the  faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from  the   hope   of   the   gospel  which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven,  of  which I, Paul, became a minister.” (1.22-23)

 

The Hope of the Gospel must be the promise of eternal life.  The Gospel is not a message without hope.  It contains the promise of eternal life, and this was the aim of why Christ came to die on the cross, and it is the promise of God for all who believe in Christ for it.  

 

The Apostle Paul speaks of this hope of eternal life in his letter to Titus.   “Paul, a bondservant  of  God and an apostle  of  Jesus Christ, according to the faith  of  God's elect and the acknowledgment  of  the truth which accords with godliness,   in  hope   of   eternal  life  which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,  but has in due time  manifested  His  word  through  preaching,  which was committed to me according to the commandment  of  God our Savior.” (1.1-3)   “But when the kindness and the love  of God our Savior toward man appeared,  not by works  of  righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing  of regeneration and renewing  of  the Holy Spirit,  whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior,  that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the  hope   of   eternal   life.” (3.4-7)

 

Jesus often spoke of this hope, especially in the Gospel of John.   Jesus said he came to give life:  “I have  come that they may have  life, and that they may have [it] more abundantly.” (John 10.10)  Jesus said: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting  life , and shall not  come  into judgment, but has passed from death into  life.”  (John 5.24)  Jesus said to the Jews that eternal life was through Him alone:  “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal  life ; and these are they which testify of Me.  But you are not willing to  come  to Me that you may have  life .”  “I  am  the way, the truth, and the  life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14.6)  “"I  am  the resurrection and the  life . He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11.25, 26)

 

Jesus came to die so eternal life could be given: “I  lay   down  My  life for the sheep.” (John 10.15) To “lay down” your life speaks of death, and the death of Christ and His resurrection are part of the Gospel message.  It is the provision aspect of the gospel message, because His death paid for the “wages of sin” being death (Romans 6:23), and his resurrection is proof and guarantee of who he was and what he did and promised.  The hope or promise of the gospel is eternal life.  Both the provision and hope are there in the message of the Gospel.  Just as we see it in John 3.14-16:  "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up [death by crucifixion],  that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal  life.  For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have  everlasting   life.”

 

Eternal life is the hope of the Gospel message that was proclaimed.  That hope is the promise of the provision of the message, the provision is that Christ died for your sins.  The Hope of the Gospel is eternal Life to those who believe in Christ, their sin-bearer on the cross.  Eternal life is “the   hope  which is laid up for you in heaven,  of  which you heard before in  the  word  of   the  truth  of   the   gospel.”  And we can take God at his word: “in  hope   of   eternal  life  which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.”