"Faith is the assurance of things hoped for." Hebrews 11:1
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13
Maturing Christians develop a strong sense of assurance that the things we hope for in Christ will most certainly come true. Mature Christians are a continual source of hope to the people around them. I love the image that Romans 15:13 gives of Christians as limitless fountains of hope overflowing by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Greek term translated “overflow” gives a sense of never-ceasing abundance. It connects well with other rich images, like in John 7:37-39, when Jesus stood in front of a huge throng in Jerusalem and said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” John tells us that Jesus was speaking of the Holy Spirit whom his followers would later receive. This is so powerful, because not only does the Holy Spirit deeply satisfy individual Christians, but he also causes Christians to overflow life to those around them. Part of that overflow is the gift of hope to a hopeless world. The more Christians mature in their faith, the more confident they are of the promises of God, and they can give that confidence to others.
What is hope? It is a feeling in the heart that the future is bright based on the promises of God. How bright is that future? It is as bright as the radiant glory of God shining in the New Heavens, New Earth, and New Jerusalem. Hope has to do with future blessings which we have not yet received, for as Romans 8:24 says, “Who hopes for what he already has?” To be hopeless is one of the darkest conditions of human experience. Hopeless people have no energy, no drive, no power, and in the most extreme cases, no desire to live at all. But mature Christians are filled with an unshakeable confidence that God’s promises will most certainly come to pass, and that they will craft a world that will be indescribably delightful, free from all death, mourning, crying, and pain, filled with every blessing God’s wisdom and power can give us.
"The more Christians mature in their faith, the more confident they are of the promises of God, and they can give that confidence to others."
How do we attain that level of spiritual maturity? By saturating our minds in the Word of God, being especially attuned to his promises—things God has said he will do in the future. Those promises are permanently tied to the character of God; his reputation is at stake with each one. And as Abraham did not waver in unbelief regarding the promises of God but was fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised (Romans 4:20-21), so also mature Christians are rock-solid in their assurance that not one of God’s good promises will fail (Joshua 21:45).
This brief article is a call to all growing Christians to a mature faith which is characterized by an unshakeable confidence in the promises of God for a future that is radiantly bright. And that we will be an overflowing fountain of hope to everyone around us by the power of the Holy Spirit.
