Romans 8:22-25
We were saved in hope of being adopted and of having a redeemed body. The word hope gives us a clue that it hasn't fully happened yet, because it goes on to say that you don't hope for something that you already see or have. That helps me make sense of the futility issue from earlier in the passage. Sure, there's futility--but we also have the hope of exchanging our fallen, futile body for a redeemed one!
One more word on hope that I recently learned in chapter 5 of Romans...it is not intended to be the flimsy word we use today: "I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow!" There is nothing uncertain about the Biblical use of hope--it is characterized by a confident trust that what has been promised WILL happen in time. That is why we should "eagerly wait" for our redeemed body with "perseverance."
1 comment:
Interesting thoughts on the word "hope". . . I definitely leaned toward it being more a "by chance" than a "biblical expectation" . . . good stuff JCork!
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