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Monday, May 6, 2013

The Relationship Between Endurance and Hope


Hope is vital for Christian existence, since both faith in Christ and love for other believers are grounded in hope: "We have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven" (Col 1:4-5 NRSV).  Believers will not be able to take risks in displaying love for others, nor will they continue to exercise faith in the present unless they have confidence in the future.  This indissoluble link between perseverance and hope is articulated in 1 Thessalonians 1:3, "the endurance of hope."  The word hope (elpidos) here is a subjective genitive, indicating that endurance stems from hope.  Hope is the root and endurance is the fruit.  Thomas Schreiner, Paul, The Apostle of God's Glory in Christ, p. 272; Italics mine.

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