87. 盼望Hope
作者: 史鮑爾 (R.C. Sproul) 譯者: 姚錦榮
摘自《神學入門》《Essential Truths of the Christian Faith》233頁, 更新傳道會出版
在這個世上有很多事是我們「盼望」的，我們盼望加薪，盼望所支持的球隊得勝，這些盼望表達出我們對未來的願望。我們盼望一些不確定的事，不知道我們的願望會不會實現，但我們堅持希望它能實現。
但是當聖經談到盼望時，它的觀點就不同了。聖經所說的盼望是一個堅定的信念，相信神的應許未來一定會實現。聖經的盼望不是一廂情願的想法，而是對將會實現之事的一種肯定。「我們有這指望如同靈魂的錨，又堅固又牢靠，且通入幔内。」（來6 :19)
盼望與信和愛同為保羅在哥林多前書十三章13節所列的基督徒三種德行 之一，而盼望是指向未來事物的信心。
聖經中對盼望一詞有兩種不同的用法。第一種較少使用，它是指我們所盼望的對象：基督是我們永生的盼望。而較常見的一種用法，則是指對神之應許所持的確信態度神呼召基督徒要心存盼望 ，就是對神子民復活和神國將降臨二事有完全的把握；盼望與末世論是息息相關的。
保羅提醒基督徒，在國度完滿實現之前，信徒只能心存確實的盼望：「我們行事為人是憑著信心，不是憑著眼見。」（林後5: 7)而這種盼望並非沒有根據，雖然基督徒的人生是苦難多於勝利（林前 4 ：8- 13；林後 4: 7 -1 8 )，但我們盼望的根基在於神。
首先，信徒仰望基督的死與復活。基督的死對門徒來說是他們一生最黑暗的時刻，神所應許降世的彌賽亞死了，神的國度似乎不再存在；但是基督的復活卻使絕望變成盼望。基督徒在各種大小苦難中，必須持守盼望，因為神永遠是豐富和信實的。
第二，信徒有聖靈作為國度的訂金。聖靈的同在向我們確保神國有一天將會完全實現。聖靈不但是使人得著盼望的標記，也是 盼望的維持者。聖靈擔任安慰者的角色，帶給信徒力量和盼望，因為是聖靈自己激勵信徒向父神禱告說：「願你的國降臨。」
總結
1.聖經中的盼望不是一種願望，而是一種確據。
2 . 盼望是一個美德，而不是一個弱點。
3 . 信心是信賴神所完成的事，而盼望則是信賴神對未來的應許。
4.基督的復活使我們在苦難中得著盼望。
5 . 安慰者聖靈使我們有盼望，祂的同在向我們保證了神國度必要降臨。
思考經文：
伯 13 ： 5；羅5:1-5；羅8 ：18-25；多2 ：11-14；約壹3 ：1-3
87. HOPE
There are many things in this
world we “hope” for. We hope that we will receive a raise in our salary. We
hope that our favorite team will win the World Series. This kind of hope
expresses our personal desires for the future. We have hope concerning things
that are uncertain. We don’t know if our desires will come to pass, but we hold
out hope that they will.
When the Bible speaks of
hope, however, it has something different in view. Biblical hope is a firm
conviction that the future promises of God
will be fulfilled. Hope is
not mere wish projection, but an assurance of what will come to pass. “This
hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which
enters the Presence behind the veil” (Hebrews 6:19).
Hope takes its place alongside
faith and love as one of the Christian virtues that the apostle Paul sets forth
in 1 Corinthians 13:13. Hope is faith directed toward the future.
Hope is used in two ways in
the Bible. The less common usage points out the object of our hope. Christ is our
hope of eternal life. The more common usage is as an attitude of assurance
regarding the fulfillment of God’s promises. The Christian is called to hope,
that is, to have full assurance of the resurrection of God’s people and the
coming of God’s kingdom. Hope is inextricably bound up with eschatology.
Paul reminds Christians that
until the kingdom comes in its fullness, believers can only have an assured
hope; they must “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). This hope is
neither unfounded nor groundless. Though the life of the Christian is marked
more by suffering than triumph (1 Corinthians 4:8-13; 2 Corinthians 4:7-18),
the foundation for hope is in the Godhead.
First, the believer looks
upon the death and resurrection of Christ. His death was the darkest hour for
His disciples. The promised Messiah was dead, His kingdom apparently lost. With
the Resurrection, that despair turned to hope. Alongside suffering, whether
great or small, the Christian’s hope must endure. God is always sufficient and
faithful.
Second, the believer has the
Holy Spirit as a down payment on the kingdom. His presence assures us that the
kingdom will be fully consummated. The Spirit is not only a sign toward hope,
but the sustainer of hope. He fulfills the role of Comforter, girding up the
believer in strength and hope. It is the Spirit that encourages the believer to
pray to the Father, “Your kingdom come.”
Summary
1. Biblical hope is a matter
of assurance rather than wishing.
2. Hope is a virtue, not a
weakness.
3. Faith is trust in what God
has already done. Hope is trust in what God promises for the future.
4. The resurrection of Christ
gives us hope in the midst of suffering.
5. The Holy Spirit, the
Comforter, gives us hope. His presence is a guarantee of the coming kingdom of
God.
Biblical passages for
reflection:
Job 13:15 Romans 5:1-5 Romans
8:18-25 Titus 2:11-14 1 John 3:1-3
