Q: What is our only hope in life and death?
A: That we are not our own, but belong body and soul, both in life and death, to God and to our saviour Jesus Christ.
“For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.” Romans 14:7-8
Times of trial and uncertainty often quickly serve to reveal where we have placed our hope. If we see our anxiety increasing as we ponder our job security; constant worry about our bank account during times of economic turmoil; fear regarding our health, or the health of loved ones, as the talk of pandemic is seemingly on everyone’s lips, we begin to see with stark clarity exactly what idols have laid claim to our hearts. Even more insidious, are the seemingly innocuous “good” things that we place more hope than we ought, the government, our friends, our spouses and our children are all good things that God has graciously given us, but when these things become our ultimate hope, they are no longer serve as a blessing to us as God intended.
All of these things, no matter how well intentioned, are destined to fail us. Not only are they incapable to sustain us in life, but they certainly are completely unable to offer us any hope in death. These things are temporary blessings and comforts, but are wholly incapable of providing an everlasting hope, indeed they were never designed to do so.
Scripture clearly reveals to us that there is only one true hope, one unfailing comfort in both life and death. David says in Psalm 62:1–2 "For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken." Likewise, Paul says in Ephesians 1:11–15 "In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory."
All of the things already mentioned certainly can be good gifts from God, the giver of all good gifts, but when we place our hope in these things in and of themselves, we fail to recognize God as our true supply and reward, and rob him of the glory he is due in his providence over us.
Both blessing and trial are the good gifts of God, intended to produce reliance on him and the steadfastness of our faith. When we put all our misplaced hope in what we perceive as blessing, we fail to recognize the good gift of his discipline and trial, without which we wander from his fold. Instead he has given us the guarantee of our inheritance, bought by Christ in the cross, through his Spirit. His Spirit works to reveal to us the truth of both blessing and trial, the hope that is revealed in both commendation and discipline.
Paul says in Romans 8:31–32,37-39 "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." In this we rest secure, knowing our hope in both life and death cannot fail. Our hope is unfailing, we rest secure in the knowledge God, who holds all things in his hand, purchased our redemption at so high a cost. By this we know he will be faithful to perfectly complete his work of sanctification in us, that one day we would be glorified with him.
Because of this perfect hope, knowing that we are not our own, we ought to strive alongside his Spirit to see his work completed in us, to his glory and our joy.
1 Corinthians 6:19(b)–20 "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."