Hope is one of the most defining traits of Christianity. In fact, I have found that the biggest and most important difference between believers and non-believers is hope. This realization came to me as I debated with a man who denies the existence of God and seemed determined to destroy my beliefs and strip me of my convictions. In our “discussion”, I realized something- he had no hope. Every point he made was filled with hopelessness. To him, life was meaningless, and the only thing we could do was try to get as much pleasure as we could before we died. There was no life after death, only emptiness.

What a terrible mindset! If I believed that, I most certainly would go partially crazy. What is the point of life without hope?

“Oh, but I have hope,” says the deist in the back of the room. “I hope for my future, that I can get a good job and start making lots of money.”

No. That is not, by any means, true hope. The only definition of hope that matters is found within Christ; indeed, the only hope that matters is found within Him. Hope is, to shorten an extremely long definition, grounded on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and truth of the Gospel, complete contentment within Christ and His plan, having released our sorrows and stress to Him, which allows us to look forward to the future “with eager expectation.”

Continue reading “What Does It Mean To Have True Hope?” →