If the Christian only possessed hope in Christ for this life, he/she will be let down. One could simply look at the state of the church in the 1st Century and understand why this would prove problematic. So many of the followers of the Way were persecuted, imprisoned, outcasts, separated from friends and family, and made to feel like strangers in the Earth. Is it any wonder that Paul said if this life was our only hope then we would be the most pitied people on the entire planet. We do have hope for a new day. If this life isn't working out the way you had hoped, then you should be moved to faith. Believing that there is life in the resurrection.
I don't believe this should be an either/or scenario. It is my belief that we should possess hope for both this life and the next. There should be hope for this life. Hope for the Good News of the Gospel to have its perfect work in the world and in our lives. Hope that the love of God will not only change us, but that we would see genuine change within the world. Hope that we do not pray in vain. Hope in the finished work of Christ. Hope in the work of the Holy Spirit among us. Hope that we will see the glory of the Lord fill the Earth. While at the same time there is the undeniable Hope that one day we will be joined with our Creator. Where we will rest in His love for all eternity.
Paul wrote in another letter that we do not mourn as those without hope. I believe that his other writings prove that we do not live without hope either. Love believes all things and Hopes all things. The Christian faith should be filled with hope. Instead, we hear so much negativity. Many of our preachers/teachers have a fatalistic mindset. Rather than looking for the best in humanity, experiencing the best of the faith that we all share, and Hoping for something better; we hear so many espouse the belief that it's only going to get worse before it gets better. And it is this type of thinking that has so many people looking upward and outward rather than doing what they can do to make the world a better place. This blue and green ball that we all live on is a gift from our Creator. It is this Earth that we are meant to rule and reign. To fill with the glory of God. Our Heavenly Father has not resigned the Earth to failure. In fact, I believe that He has so much hope for this Creation. Which is why we see Him doing so much to redeem and restore humanity. His original design for the Earth is still being realized. We may not see it, but the Kingdom of God is among us. It is part of our design to see it to fulfillment.
Paul simply did not want his children (the members of the Body of Christ in Corinth) to put their faith completely in this life. If they did then they would be disappointed. Have we not seen this in the life of believers today? Which is one of the horrible byproducts of Health & Wealth preaching. We don't know how to handle sickness, poverty, or the struggles of daily life. We have come to believe that abundant life in Christ means that everything about life is perfect. That we will never have wants or needs. That life is just one mountain top experience after another. And when those things don't come to fruition then we lose hope in the power of the Gospel. Our faith is then focused solely upon making the situation better rather than experiencing faith as a way of sustaining us during the difficulties of life. If my faith in Jesus was meant to bring about a better life in every situation then I have been considerably let down. This life is not without struggle. It's not without loss. There are millions of things that I do not understand and I cannot explain. However, God is still faithful. Learning to experience Him in these circumstances are vital to the hHpe that we carry. We dare not miss out.
God is a God of Hope. Even in the darkest of times there is a light that shines incredibly bright. The song on your heart. The prayer on your tongue. The trust that wells up inside of you when it doesn't seem possible. We've all been there haven't we? Experiencing something of the Father that tells us not to give up on this life, but reassuring us that even if we never see the full outcome of our faith in this life there is Hope. Remember that Jesus even instructed His disciples that we would face some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable but to never give up Hope. Recalling the words, "I will NEVER leave you NOR forsake you." There may even be times where all we know is His presence or at least the promise of His presence. The point is that we never lose Hope.
If you are looking for permission to resign from this life in the Scriptures then you will be disappointed. It's just not there. What you will find over and over again is a call to faith. An encouragement to remain steadfast. A command to Hope in the most trying times. With the reassurance that there is a resurrection in our future. We may have had to say goodbye to some of those we love. We may have had to watch some of our dreams come crashing to the ground. We may not see everything that we believe we have been promised in this life, but there is always Hope. Always remember that when you read through the list of names in the faith chapter of Hebrews 11 that in the end there is mention of those who were commended for their faith even though they did not receive what was promised. All of them labeled as those of whom the world was not worthy.
The choices are clear:
1) You can have hope in Christ in this life only.
2) You can have hope in Christ in the afterlife only.
3) You can have hope in Christ for both.
I ask you, which seems to be the way of the Spirit? The abundant life of Christ is meant to be experienced in both. Proving time and time again that there is always hope.
Enjoy the journey.
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