God gives His children great and glorious promises, but He does not always fulfil them immediately. He postpones at times the fulfillment and occasionally allows many difficulties to come between in order to test their faith. Nevertheless, to be able to proceed courageously, hope is needed, and this we shall now discuss. Hope is expressed in Hebrew by the words: תקוה (tikvah), תוהלת (tocheleth), שבר (sebber), all of which mean “expectation,” and are translated by the word “hope.” There is also כסלה, כסל (kislah, kesel) because the foolish world hopes without foundation, and ridicules the expectation of the godly. Furthermore, there is במהזן (bittachõn), which is expressive of trust without fear. In Greek the word is ἐλπίς (elpis) which signifies: to build upon faith, to be free of anxiety, to anticipate with certainty. Occasionally it signifies the matter hoped for; here it signifies the motion of the heart.
Hope is a propensity infused by God into the hearts of believers by means of the Word, whereby they patiently, actively, and with assurance anticipate future promised benefits.
Hope is a propensity. Propensities are generally distinguished as being either acquired or infused. Acquired propensities complement either the intellect, the will, or actions, thus enabling one to engage in artistic activity. These skills are acquired by way of much exercise. The infused propensities are faith, hope, love, etc. Man, due to his blindness, evil disposition, and impotence, cannot acquire these by his own activity; rather, they are infused into the soul by God. Having been infused, they, by the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, are improved by way of many exercises. God does not infuse them repeatedly with every act, implying that man would time and again be destitute. Rather, when God makes the soul spiritually alive, He gives her a virtuous disposition and the competence to be spiritually active. By reason of this competence the regenerated man, by the coinciding operation of the Holy Spirit who must continually influence him, brings forth various virtues. Such is also true for hope, for it is not a transitory act, but rather a propensity—a disposition of spiritual competence from which deeds proceed.
The Nature of Hope
The nature of hope consists in a sure expectation. Hope is not the equivalent of possession; whatever one possesses, one cannot hope for. “Hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for” (Rom 8:25). Hope expects and anticipates that which has not been observed as yet, is not yet present, but which is yet to come. “But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it” (Rom 8:25). The apostle therefore conjoins expecting and hoping—the latter explaining the former. “According to my earnest expectation and my hope …” (Phil 1:20).
Hope is a sure expectation. It is not a wish such as, “I wish I had this and that”—as Baalam said, “Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!” (Num 23:10). Such is the hope of the unconverted. They are neither partakers of the promise nor of the matter, and yet they say, “I hope to be saved.” Thus, their hope is but a wish which shall come to naught. “When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth” (Prov 11:7). It also does not consist in doubting and vacillating between hope and fear, issuing forth from whether it is probable that the desired matter be attained. This vacillation does not constitute hope; instead, there is certainty in hope. I repeat, there is certainty in hope, but not in the ones who exercise hope, for everything is imperfect in believers. As far as hope in man is concerned, there can be no complete certainty, since man can be or become untruthful, changeable, and impotent. This cannot be applicable, however, to hope in God, since He is true, immutable, and omnipotent. If He promises something absolutely, has no condition contingent upon man, there can be no doubt in hope. However, when it comes to faith, those who exercise hope are weak in all respects. Therefore, there is also weakness in hope, as is to be observed in the disciples who travelled to Emmaus. “But we trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done” (Luke 24:21). This does not, however, remove the certainty in hope, and a believer is obligated to strive for the full assurance of hope. “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast” (Heb 6:19); “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Heb 10:22); “Hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet 1:13). Hope is thus a sure expectation.