Living Hope
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (1 Peter 1:3)
God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. (Hebrews 6:18)
And he [Christ] is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (Colossians 1:18-20)
According to these verses God thinks it was most important to have Christ take our sins to the cross so that we might have a living hope. Of course, the big component of that living hope is the promise of everlasting life that was foretold through the actions of “the firstborn from among the dead.”
And, Christ has done the part that is impossible for us. But do we have any responsibility because of the hope that we have? The apostle Peter thinks that we do as outlined in the verse that follows:
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15)
According to the Bible, it seems that every believer has the responsibility, at all times, to be prepared to provide a defense of his living hope whenever asked to do so.
