Author and speaker Hal Lindsey once said, “Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air…but only for one second without hope.”

 

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” (1 Peter 1:3, NASB95)

 

God has blessed His children with hope, a living hope. Living hope produces joy in difficult times. Living hope produces perseverance, confidence, greater faith, love and stability. Living hope produces an intimate relationship with God and personal purity. How has God delivered such a blessing of hope? God has caused the believer to be born again to a living and lively hope. Hope is never subjective to the believer or conditioned upon circumstances. Living hope is also not based on any temporal object. The believer’s hopefulness is not positive thinking or based on wishful dreams. Living hope is the outcome of being born again through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Once without hope and dead in sin; the believer is now born again and assured salvation through the completed work of Jesus.

 

Living hope is the present blessing from God in this life that has a clear view and assurance of eternal life. And as Peter would continue in this passage, “that living hope to an inheritance imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven (4).” For the one who is born again, hope has been born anew and now an inheritance is laid up that will never be lost or stolen. Hope is alive through Jesus Christ our Savior. Hope is everlasting through Jesus Christ our Savior.