Established Hope: 1 Timothy 4:7-10

In his first letter to Timothy, Paul writes to Timothy telling him to “discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers” (1 Timothy 4:7-10 NASB). This passage tells us two important things regarding the hope we have in God. The first is that our hope ought to be established hope. When using the Greek verb “to hope,” Paul uses it in its perfect tense. The perfect tense refers to a past action whose state, condition, or effect is still felt today. In this passage, the perfect tense refers to an established hope. It is a hope that, once established, continues to motivate, encourage, and strengthen us even into our present. This kind of hope is based upon a decision to trust God, regardless of what may come our way.  Do you have this kind of hope? Have you made the decision to once-and-for-all place your hope and trust in God? Or do you continue to waffle between hope in God and hope in a job, a relationship, money, and so forth? God is calling us to make a decision, a decision to trust and hope in him.

The second thing about hope that this passage reveals to us is that hope, true established hope, ought to motivate us to action. Paul says that, because of the hope we have in God, and the promise that godliness has great reward both in the present and the age to come, we ought to work hard to discipline ourselves for godliness. The Greek word translated here as “struggle” means to labor to the point of exhaustion, and the Greek word translated here as “strive” means to compete in a battle or a contest. Our hope ought to cause us to labor and fight, to the point of exhaustion, for the promises of God, especially for those promises attached to godliness. Hope is more than a passive emotion. Hope is a decision, a decision that not only sets the course of our lives but also strengthens, motivates, and empowers us to continue in that path no matter what may come our way. This is true hope. This is saving hope.

David Robison