The hope of the Christian is threefold.  Heaven is the “where” of our hope.  All Christians desire to spend eternity in heaven where our Savior is right now (John 14:1-3).

Our glorified bodies are the “what” of our hope.  Paul spoke often about the destiny of our mortal bodies (1 Corinthians 6:12-14; 15:35-56; Philippians 3:21).  When Paul spoke of the glory that should be revealed in us (Romans 8:18), he was referring to the time when our bodies are glorified by being changed from mortal to immortal (1 Corinthians 15:51-53).

The “Who” of our hope is Jesus.  Not only is He the one who made our hope possible by dying for us on the cross, but He is the one for whom we are waiting.

Titus 2:13 (KJV)
¹³  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.    

As Christians, this is our hope.  We should keep it before us as an anchor of our souls (Hebrews 6:19).  Furthermore, we should stand ready to promote it to others and defend it against all questions.

1 Peter 3:15 (KJV)
¹⁵  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

Others may want to know, not only what our hope is, but the reason for having such hope.  Hope has to do with having confident expectation; so, what gives us the confidence that someday our hope will come to fruition?

Our confidence rests squarely on the broad shoulders of our God.  In the process of telling us that our hope is an anchor of the soul, the Hebrews writer reassures us about the nature of God.

Hebrews 6:18 (ESV)
¹⁸  So that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.

God promises the faithful eternal life, and since He cannot lie, we are sure about our hope.  If our hope was based merely on man’s word, we would have reason to doubt, but when it comes to God, we can stand upon His precious promises (2 Peter 1:3-4).

Our confidence is furthered by the fact that the Bible accurately conveys God’s Word to us.  We can trust the Bible.  There are at least five areas that prove that the Bible is God’s Word (The unity of the Bible, pre-scientific evidence, fulfilled prophecy, archeology, and the duration of the Bible).  If you are a Christian, you should familiarize yourself with these areas of evidence because it will help you give an answer for the hope that is in you.

People have the right to question our hope.  It is our responsibility to give them a good answer.  God and His Word serve as an indestructible foundation for our faith and hope.  Let’s be prepared to tell others about it.  

As you wind down for the night, think about these things