HOPE!

Colossians 1:5

“Because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of truth, the gospel.”

Life App: In his intro comments, therefore, Paul commended the Colossians for their faith, love and hope- 3 main emphases of Christianity. He deliberately omitted the word knowledge because of the ‘special knowledge’ aspect of heresy. It is not what we know that brings Salvation, but whom we know. Knowing Christ is knowing God. We can hope for what God has for us in heaven because we know that our future destination and salvation are sure (1 Peter 1:3-4). We are free to live for Christ and love others. When you find yourself doubting or wavering in your faith/love, remember your destination-heaven.

ESV: In this passage faith and love are based on hope, which is presented not as the action of hoping but as something objective-in the sense of “the thing hoped for”-that Christians can anticipate with confidence (Colossians 3:4). Because it is laid up for you in heaven no earthly ruler or demonic power can rob believers of the reality of this hope. The word of the truth this contrasts with the false teaching Paul later describes ‘empty deciet’ (2:8).

This verse goes along with the two previous verses that are also encouraging. We know that our faith in Christ, our love for Him and others is not in vain because of the promise of the hope we have that is waiting for us in Heaven. Christ is at the right hand of the Father preparing heaven for us because we are anxiously awaiting what our true home holds for us. We know about the hope we have because it is laid out plan and simple in the Gospel. Reading in “Jesus Freaks: Martyrs” you hear all about those who are dying for their faith in Christ. They die for Him because they love Him and have hope that they will see Him when they enter heaven. The hope is a promise from Christ that we’ll dwell with Him for Eternity and all pain and junk will be no more. That’s the hope we have in Christ that is promised to us in the Gospel.