And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. —Romans 5:5.
Hope has become such a “wimpy” term in modern vocabulary. It hardly qualifies as an adequate translation of the meaning in most New Testament passages. Christian hope is the assurance that what we believe will happen. We could call it spiritual confidence. We have that confidence because of what Jesus did historically in conquering death. Our hope is based on more than a mere wish, a fleeting emotion, or something we dream up in ourselves. Our hope is rooted in this promise: just as the power of God raised Jesus from the dead, the almighty and eternal God has chosen to live in us, with power, through his Holy Spirit. When we become disciples of Jesus, our Lord pours out the Spirit upon us (Titus 3:3-7) as God’s gift to us (Acts 2:38; Acts 5:32) to cleanse us (1 Corinthians 6:11) and make us God’s dear children (John 3:3-7). The Spirit also makes us a part of Christ’s Body, his church (1 Corinthians 12:12-13), living inside us as the Spirit pours his love and power into us and works through us. We are not just given the Spirit at our conversion. God keeps refreshing us by continually pouring his love and power into us through the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus promised (John 7:37-39).
