Lesson for December 30, 2018

The Doctrine of Spirituality vs. Carnality

The Doctrine of Hope

Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses]. For by this [kind of] faith the men of old gained [divine] approval.(Hebrews 11:1-2 Amplified Bible) The Greek word for hope is “elpis” meaning confident anticipation or confident expectation of the future. Therefore, biblical hope is a part of the problem-solving device we call a Personal Sense of Destiny. This is one of the greatest Problem-Solving Devices of the spiritual life.

When you have any kind of sorrow or heartache, you should look into the future at the fantastic blessings that await you. This brings you into a realm of thinking that brings you back into the present with confidence and strength. If you have a personal sense of destiny, then you have confident, unlimited, certain, positive expectation. Hope therefore is confident, positive, certain, unlimited expectation about the future, when you begin to use the Problem-Solving Devices.

Hope becomes confident and certain expectation as a result of the study and application of Bible doctrine under the filling of the Holy Spirit. The source of hope therefore is Bible doctrine. Hope becomes the key to the function of the plan of God. Without understanding hope, your doctrinal motivation and momentum is completely destroyed. Hope is the monopoly of the believer who is positive to Bible doctrine. I Thessalonians 4:13, “that you may not grieve with the rest who have no hope.” All definitions of hope in the Bible include the word expectation, because hope is always projected into the future. Expectation means looking forward under the principle of living in the light of eternity. Hope is certainty in both the immediate and distant future. Hope is absolute security about the future. Anyone who believes in Christ will never perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16; Titus 1:1-2)

Hope is the assurance that at the moment of salvation you have eternal life. This is permanent and absolute. The basis for hope is the fact you have eternal life. Hope is confidence of eternal life. We believe in Christ with confident expectation, and as a result of learning doctrine we develop unlimited, positive expectation. Confident expectation includes the assurance of eternal security and the reality of resurrection. Expectation means living with confidence now in the light of eternity and with confidence about the future. Therefore, hope is a personal sense of destiny.

The reality of the fantastic future of the Church Age believer is based on the understanding and application of Bible doctrine. There is no understanding of our future apart from Bible doctrine. Understanding and application of this fantastic future is optional, based on your personal attitude toward Bible doctrine. The option includes mastery of the mechanics of the spiritual life. You become aware that you have a personal sense of destiny which includes living life in light of eternity, dying grace, physical death, resurrection and eternal life.

Hope (a personal sense of destiny) is a defense mechanism against stress and adversity through recall and application of Bible doctrine regarding your future so that the recall of your future brings comfort, tranquility, perspective, and a solution to any problem.

In the Word of God there is no neutral concept of expectation. Your expectation is either good or bad. If it is bad, you are in serious trouble as a believer. Good expectation originates from Bible doctrine circulating in the stream of consciousness. Bad expectation is the result of emotional revolt of the soul, negative volition, blackout of the soul, and scar tissue of the soul taking over control of the soul. There is nothing more awful than to look at your life at the point of dying and have nothing but regrets.

You do not go forward looking backward. If you are going forward, you go forward on God’s agenda. If you are looking backward, you look backward on your own agenda—the arrogance skills of self-justification, lying to yourself in self-deception, and self-absorption. This becomes the basis for a miserable life. After salvation, hope of eternal life increases through the study and application of Bible doctrine resulting in greater confidence in the promises of God. Complete expectation is developed in learning grace orientation and doctrinal orientation, which brings us to the door of hope—a Personal Sense of Destiny (spiritual self-esteem). We must walk through this door of hope with God’s agenda for our life which includes love, faith, hope, joy, peace, etc.

God’s agenda is defined in part in Romans 5:1-2,5, “Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace (reconciliation) with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand in the hope of the glory of God [moving from grace and doctrinal orientation through the open door of a personal sense of destiny on God’s agenda and arriving at personal love for God the Father]… and hope does not disappoint us because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the agency of the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 15:13, “Now may the God of unlimited confidence (hope) fill you with all happiness and peace (prosperity, tranquility, harmony) in believing (faith- perception) that you may abound in confidence (hope) by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

This door of hope (a personal sense of destiny) is the dividing line between spiritual childhood and spiritual adulthood. It is the first stage of the adult spiritual life. Behind the door of hope God gives us exceedingly abundantly beyond all we could ask or imagine.

God is the Author of Hope

Colossians 1:27, “(Church Age believers) to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ indwelling you the full confidence (hope) of glory.” The fact that Jesus Christ indwells you is the basis of hope. Titus 1:2, “in the hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before times eternal.” Hope is confidence that when you believe in Christ you have eternal life. Once you learn the doctrine of eternal life, you have a new hope of receiving blessings at the point of spiritual maturity and beyond. This new hope is only a potential until you learn enough doctrine to make the new hope real to you.

Once you have learned enough doctrine, then the potential of blessings from God becomes a confident hope that He will bless you at the point of spiritual maturity. When you reach spiritual maturity and are blessed, then this hope becomes a reality, and you have a new hope. The new hope is the unlimited confidence of eternal rewards and blessings at the Judgment Seat of Christ. The spiritually mature believer dies with perfect confidence of receiving reward in eternity.

I Thessalonians 1:3, “constantly bearing in mind your work of doctrine, and labor of love, and courage under pressure from hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of God the Father.” Hope is cultivated through the intake of doctrine. Bible doctrine in the soul gives you confidence in the future and enjoyment of what God provides for you now. Job 4:6, “Is not your respect for God your confidence?” Hope motivates execution of the spiritual life. Psalm 71:5, “For you are my hope, O Lord God, my confidence from my youth.” Jeremiah 17:7, “Happiness to the man who puts his trust in the Lord and whose hope is in the Lord.” Faith-rest in the mature believer is a structured system of confidence called hope. Abraham’s hope was a perfect example of hope as certain confidence in a future expectation. (Romans 4:18)

While God is the author of hope, doctrine is the source of that hope. Romans 15:4, “For as many doctrines as have been written before, for our instruction they were written, in order that through perseverance and encouragement from the Scriptures we might have hope.” The reality of blessing for time and eternity is found in hope, which is confidence in the soul from Bible doctrine.

Hope is confident anticipation or expectation of reality before that reality occurs. Once the reality occurs, the hope is replaced by that reality. Hebrews 11:1, Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses]. Romans 8:24, “Now when a hope is seen, it is no longer a hope. So who hopes for what he sees?” The hope of blessings (confident expectation) is replaced by the reality of greater blessings (unlimited expectation) received at the point of spiritual maturity. The hope of blessings for eternity is replaced by the reality of receiving eternal rewards and blessings at the Judgment Seat of Christ. When hope is replaced by reality the believer advances in the plan of God.

Hope is the momentum factor in the plan of God because hope gives you confidence about the future. Hope is a confidence that keeps motivating you. Romans 15:13, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all happiness and prosperity by believing, that you may superabound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”