Hebrews 6:19: This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and entering into that which is within the veil;
In the midst of trying times, people often look for hope of something better in the future. For faithful Christians, hope is a central part of life at all times, serving as the anchor of the soul.
When hope for the faithful Christian is spoken about in Scripture, its object is heaven (cf. 1 Pet. 1:3-4).
Hope involves fervently desiring heaven. We should look forward to the Day of Judgment, when the righteous of all ages will be gathered together in heaven.
After assuring that the Day of Judgment will come (2 Pet. 3:10), the Holy Spirit through Peter goes on to exhort the Christians He is addressing to be prepared for that Day (verse 11), and then speaks about how we ought to be “looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God” (verse 12). The only reason to tremble at the thought of judgment is if one is not prepared. Faithful Christians ought to look forward to it. The opportunity to be in God’s direct presence for eternity in a place free from sin far outweighs anything the world can offer. Looking forward to the Day of Judgment, on which day the righteous’ hope will become reality, is a key element of hope.
The hymn On Jordan’s Stormy Banks expresses this sentiment well. Just as the physical nation of Israel looked with eager expectation toward their promised land, those who are part of “the Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16) (all faithful Christians) should look forward to our promised land.
The biblical concept of hope goes further than an eager desire, though. It also includes a confident expectation that such hope will be realized. This is seen in part of the definition of faith given in Heb. 11:1: Now faith is assurance of things hoped for…
When there is a 50% chance of rain and a person says “I hope it doesn’t rain today,” he or she has a desire, but cannot have a confident expectation. On the other hand, there is a 100% guarantee that the righteous will spend eternity with God. One who is a faithful part of Christ’s body can have a confident expectation that if he or she remains that way, heaven will one day be a reality.
The assurance one has of things hoped for is a part of faith. Faith is built by receiving the Word of God with “an honest and good heart” (Luke 8:15; cf. Rom. 10:17). The truth God gives us thus forms the basis for our hope. We know the righteous really will spend eternity in heaven because of God’s Word, which persuades us of His faithfulness and the resurrection of His Son. Jesus’ resurrection is connected to the hope of our resurrection (1 Pet. 1:3). Notice 1 Corinthians 15:20: But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of them that are asleep.
Jesus was not the first to be raised from the dead (Matt. 9:18-25; John 11:43-44; etc), but He was the first to be raised from the dead never to die again. The crux of
1 Corinthians 15 is that Christ’s resurrection guarantees a “general resurrection.” This truth should make the unrighteous tremble (and come to God on His terms), but this truth provides comfort to the righteous (cf. John 5:28-29).
The assurance of the resurrection provides a sure and steadfast anchor for the faithful (1 Cor. 15:58). Life on earth will never be a “utopia,” but life on earth can be lived with hope of eternal comfort in God’s direct presence.
Such hope is not for those who are not God’s faithful servants though. Any “hope” of heaven for the unrighteous is a false hope. The eternal abode of the unrighteous is a place of never-ending torment (Mark 9:48).
This doesn’t have to be the destination of anyone reading this though. May those who’ve not “put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27) in the way the New Testament instructs do so, and may we each abide in His teaching every day, being anchored by the hope of eternal life offered us by Jesus’ death and resurrection.
– Michael Hickox