Bible Dictionaries
Hope
Easton's Bible Dictionary
One of the three main elements of Christian character (1 Corinthians 13:13 ). It is joined to faith and love, and is opposed to seeing or possessing (Romans 8:24; 1 John 3:2 ). "Hope is an essential and fundamental element of Christian life, so essential indeed, that, like faith and love, it can itself designate the essence of Christianity (1 Peter 3:15; Hebrews 10:23 ). In it the whole glory of the Christian vocation is centred (Ephesians 1:18; 4:4 )." Unbelievers are without this hope (Ephesians 2:12; 1 Thessalonians 4:13 ). Christ is the actual object of the believer's hope, because it is in his second coming that the hope of glory will be fulfilled (1 Timothy 1:1; Colossians 1:27; Titus 2:13 ). It is spoken of as "lively", i.e., a living, hope, a hope not frail and perishable, but having a perennial life (1 Peter 1:3 ). In Romans 5:2 the "hope" spoken of is probably objective, i.e., "the hope set before us," namely, eternal life (comp 12:12). In 1 John 3:3 the expression "hope in him" ought rather to be, as in the Revised Version, "hope on him," i.e., a hope based on God. Copyright Statement
These dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton M.A., D.D., Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. Public Domain.
Bibliography Information
Easton, Matthew George. Entry for 'Hope'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/h/hope.html. 1897.