“... according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope” (1 Peter 1:3)
Electric cars have been in the news quite a bit lately, particularly with gas prices going through the roof. One area of concern, however, has been how far EVs can travel on a single charge. Even the most capable of batteries holds the potential of leaving a driver stranded when their charge is depleted.
As Christians, we do not need to be worried about the power needed to reach our destination. Peter tells us we are powered now by the resurrection life of Jesus Christ. Ours is a living hope.
What is a living hope? First, let’s understand what hope is. Hope is not wishful thinking. “I hope it doesn’t rain.” “I hope my team makes the playoffs.” That sort of hope is more hope-so. It carries no assurance, only possibility at worst and probability at best. It offers no certainty.
The hope Peter has in mind is something completely different. It carries absolute certainty. Ours is not a hope-so hope but a know-so hope. It engenders confident expectation, assured conviction, and vibrant certainty. It will neither fail nor will it disappoint.
From our experience, even the surest of things can fail. How can Peter speak with such certainty? It’s because our hope as Christians is living. The battery will never die. The promise will never fail. Such hope cannot be dashed. It is alive with the resurrection power of Jesus Christ. Our hope lives because Christ lives. Our hope cannot fail because Christ cannot die. He lives and reigns in victory. The writer of Hebrews describes our hope in objective terms in reference to the finished work of Christ. “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus” (Heb. 6:19–20).
The hope that is ours in Christ gives us encouragement, comfort, and courage. When Paul talks about this hope that belongs to us as believers (1 Thess. 4:13-5:8), he lifts our eyes to what God in His great mercy has done for us. “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him” (1 Thess. 5:9–10).
The reality of our living hope is the peg that Peter drives into the ground, an anchor to our soul in the turbulence of a tumultuous world, to give us unshakeable confidence in the handiwork of our God. Just think! Our new birth brings us to participate now in the new life of the age to come, a life abundant, eternal, and uninterrupted. We live in hope because our Hope lives.
PRINCIPLE: Our hope is alive with the life of the risen Christ. What encouragement and courage do we find in that for our journey in this world?
This article is excerpted from GOT HOPE?: A Devotional Journey through 1 Peter (Stanley D. Gale, Waxed Tablet Publications, 2024, pages 28-29). It is the second volume in a devotional trilogy on faith, hope, and love.
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
