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Romans 8:24-25 - Salvation Requires Hope and Trust.Romans 8:24-25 (NIV) For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.Romans 8:24-25 (NLT) We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don't need to hope for it. 25 But if we look forward to something we don't yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.) INTRODUCTION It is natural for children to trust their parents, even though parents sometimes fail to keep their promises. Our heavenly Father, however, never makes promises he won't keep. Nevertheless his plan may take more time than we expect. What are we waiting for? New bodies, a new heaven and new earth, rest and rewards, our eternal family and home, the absence of sin and suffering, and being face to face with Jesus! Rather than acting like impatient children as we wait for God's will to unfold, we need to have confidence in God's perfect timing and wisdom. [Life Application SB] In Romans, Paul presents the idea that salvation is past, present, and future. It is past because we were saved the moment we believed in Jesus Christ as Savior (3:21-26; 5:1-11; 6:1-11, 22, 23); our new life (eternal life) begins at that moment. And it is present because we are being saved; this is the process of sanctification (see the note on 6:1-8:39). But at the same time, we have not fully received all the benefits and blessings of salvation that will be ours when Christ's new Kingdom is completely established. That's our future salvation. While we can be confident of our salvation, we still look ahead with hope and trust toward that complete change of body and personality that lies beyond this life, when we will be like Christ (1 John 3:2). [Life Application SB] COMMENTARY PEARL Saved by the Unseen If you've ever been lost and then "rescued" by your GPS, you have an idea of what it means to be saved by the unseen. After all, did you see the combination of GPS signals coming down from four of the 31 GPS satellites to your device? Of course not. Yet, those invisible signals from 10,900 nautical miles up in space pinpointed your location to within 16 feet. (GPS receivers using the L5 band can pinpoint locations to within 11.8 inches!) If there were any generation that could live with some kind of understanding of unseen realities, it's ours. For most of human history, no one knew anything about radio waves, which are a form of radiation, an unseen thing that humanity has taken for granted since the late 1800s. And that is what our text for today is all about: the unseen. Or, more specifically, the hope that we have in what is unseen. The apostle Paul was talking about several things here, including the work of the Spirit, who Himself is invisible. (See John 3:8.) He also spoke about the future, "the redemption of our body" (Romans 8:23). What could this be other than the resurrection from death at the Second Coming? Talk about hope in what has not been seen! After all, when was the last time you saw someone resurrected from the dead? But though you have not seen it, your hope, your faith, is not blind. Jesus has given you more than enough reason to hope, to trust, and to reach out in faith to Him. He has done what's needed. Your part is to claim it for yourself. Lord Jesus, help me to hope in what You have already done and promise to do for me. [The Most Amazing Bible Promises by Amazing Facts] COMMENTARY Confident Expectations We are saved by trusting God. Trusting means looking forward to getting something we don't yet have. A person who already has something doesn't need to hope and trust that he'll get it. But if we must keep trusting God for something that hasn't happened yet, the delay teaches us to wait patiently and confidently. Biblical hope isn't just a wish. It's a confident expectation. We are confident that what God has promised for us on earth and for eternity, he will fulfill. We are so confident that we can even thank him in advance for what he has promised to do. We might pray, "God, thank you that, with your strength, it's going to be different this time. Thank you that I have no condemnation, that I have your Spirit, and that I can trust in you. No matter how much time this takes, I am waiting with confident hope in you." God's promises are certain; we can thank him in advance for everything he has promised. [The Daniel Plan 365-Day Devotional] We Hope ... We Wait "Rome wasn't built in a day." If I heard that once, I heard it a hundred times while I was growing up. I was young and impatient, anxious to reach the goals I felt were important. But there was always this irksome reminder that good things take time and great things take even longer. Now, however, at long last, I am discovering that stuff about Rome is true. And Paul's words to the century-one Christians who lived there are also truer than ever: "But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it" (Rom. 8:25). Four words jump out at me as I chew on that thought - "we hope ... we wait." And sandwiched between - "what we do not see" - are the things that take so long. Several examples flash across my mind. Rearing children. Few processes require more patience. Time and again we parents repeat cautions or instructions until we are blue in the face. We wonder if our words will ever sink in. So "we hope ... we wait." Take it by faith - one day you'll find that it sank in ... and you'll be so glad you persevered. Accepting defeats. Ours is a winner-oriented world. But isn't it strange that the best lessons are invariably learned from defeat? Pain remains a strict but faithful teacher, and the crucible produces much more character than waving the winner's flag. We know that theoretically. But let some defeat hit us squarely in the chops, and we drop like a two-ton anchor. Job's question - "Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" - seems to take a lifetime to answer with "yes, we willingly accept both" (Job 2:10). And so - "we hope ... we wait." Appreciating aging. I am amused at the extent to which some folks will go to hide or deny the presence of age. Now, I'm all for keeping one's mind young and body strong and perceptions keen, but the last time I checked, the Scriptures honored age and spoke of gray hair with respect. Besides, it means we are all that much nearer to seeing our Lord face to face ... a truth for which "we hope ... we wait." The good news is that in the process we're gaining wisdom. And so, fellow Romans, we're in it together ... we keep hoping and we keep waiting. Whether you're rearing children or accepting defeat or simply facing the truth that you're getting older, take heart! Better still, relax! You, like ancient Rome, are still being built. Pain is a strict but faithful teacher, and the crucible produces more character than waving the winner's flag. [Chuck Swindoll www.insight.org.] ILLUSTRATIONS On a lovely spring day, my hubby and I stopped at a local park. Volunteer gardeners who maintain the park were hosting a plant sale. Unlike at a garden center, most of the green seedlings didn't have photos of what they would grow into. Most had only a Popsicle stick saying "blue" or "lavender" or "yellow!" I love blue irises, so we searched for those. We purchased them without seeing proof of what they would look like in bloom. When we got home, we planted the rhizomes in our garden, and I trust that next year beautiful iris blossoms will bring me joy. Jesus has promised us many things. He promises He is with us to the ends of earth. But we can't see His presence. He promises us a home in heaven, but we have no realtor listing with a photo of what that will look like. He promises our sins are forgiven, yet we continue to be harassed by our sinful nature. Like a young plant, we are not yet fully all we're intended to be. This time between - the time between when we hear promises and when we will see them - gives us a wonderful opportunity to grow in faith. We plant bulbs and rhizomes that look nothing like the blooms for which we long. Yet we trust that in time the promised beauty will appear. If we can have faith that a gnarled root will produce flowers in the spring, we can also hope in the true and trusted promises of Jesus. Sharon Hinck Faith Step: Plant something today and thank Jesus for all the promises He has planted in our lives. [Mornings With Jesus 2021 Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan] When we moved, several friends brought orchids as housewarming gifts. These stunning flowers adorned our kitchen windowsill for a couple of months until the blooms dropped off, leaving decaying twigs. Knowing nothing about orchids, I assumed they were dead. Then I read that if you are patient and wait long enough, the flowers will bloom again. This caused me to wonder, What else in my life am I waiting for? I hope my adult sons marry and give me grandbabies. I'm anticipating several loved ones will become believers. And, like all Christians, I'm awaiting Jesus's return. Am I waiting patiently and confidently? Not really. I tend to expect immediate results, even from these orchids. And as time goes on, my confidence fades. But this is not the attitude Jesus desires. We're encouraged to run this race of life with patient endurance (Hebrews 12:1). And one fruit of the Spirit is patience (Galatians 5:22-23). It seems patience is a Christ-like virtue, one I need to cultivate. So, I decided to practice patience and nurture the orchids with the expectation they would bloom again. I watered them, kept them in the sunshine, and watched for the tight green buds to appear on the twigs. As time passed, nothing changed. I doubted they would produce flowers. Finally, after nine months, buds appeared and they bloomed again. My patience and confident waiting were rewarded! How wonderful the assurance that other things I'm waiting on, if they align with God's will, are possible too. Jeannie Blackmer Faith Step: Write a letter to Jesus describing something you 're waiting on and entrust it to Him to hold while you wait. [Mornings With Jesus 2023 Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan] PRACTICAL APPLICATION Your longing for heaven is good, because it is an extension of your yearning for Me. The hope of heaven is meant to strengthen and encourage you, filling you with wondrous Joy. Many Christians have misunderstood this word hope, believing that it denotes wishful thinking. Nothing could be farther from the truth! As soon as I became your Savior, heaven became your ultimate destination. The phrase hope of heaven highlights the benefits you can enjoy even while remaining on earth this hope keeps you spiritually alive during dark times of adversity; it brightens your path and heightens your awareness of My Presence. My desire is that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. [Rom. 15:13; 8:23-25] Jesus Calling by Sarah Young Gracious Lord, Help me to hope for what I do not see - eagerly waiting for it with perseverance. Among the five senses, sight is the one I value the most. You created the world gloriously beautiful, and I delight in seeing the beauty of Your creation. However, I realize that hope, which is itself a kind of vision, is even more wonderful than sight. Hope enables me to see - through the eyes of my heart - things that are not yet. The most stunning example of this is the hope of heaven. Your Word tells me that my ultimate destination is to share in Your Glory! I can trust in this magnificent promise because it's based on Your finished work on the cross and Your miraculous resurrection. I need to practice hoping for things I do not see - both for this life and the next. Please guide me into hopes and dreams that are in line with Your will. I want to train the eyes of my heart to "see" these blessings while praying for Your will to be done fully and only. Teach me to wait eagerly with perseverance - with my focus primarily on You but also on the longed-for outcome. You are my Hope! In Your great Name, Jesus, Amen. (Romans 8:25; John 17:22; Hebrews 11:1) [Jesus Listens by Sarah Young] LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY Psalm 31:24 - Take Courage As You Hope And Wait In The Lord. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20221117-0815.html Romans 15:13 - Hope, Joy and Peace are in a Relationship with Jesus. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20240115-0738.html Hebrews 11:1 - FAITH. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220829-0818.html LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT https://abible.com/links/ |