Romans 15: 1-13 Hope Springs Eternal 14 07 24

In the 1730’s Alexander Pope wrote a poem called “An essay on Man”. In it there is the now famous phrase “hope springs eternal”
Interestingly, a quick google search will tell you all kinds of notions about what this phrase and poem means, most of them erroneous! Pope wrote of the pride of man and the providence of God.
The reason that we have some funky interpretations of the phrase is because over the last 200 years our language has changed immensely. “Hope” today has been reduced to a kind of wish, embodied with uncertainty and the unknown.
Biblical “hope” is defined as an eager expectation. It is full of certainty and assurance. It is very different from the use of the word hope that we may be used to hearing today.
The apostle Paul is bringing his letter to the Romans to a close. The encouragement is to walk in love, motivated by the gospel.
The strong should encourage the weak in faith, and all should strive for unity and harmony.
Paul’s encouragement is that the Christian has a great hope. It is an eternal hope!
In our passage today I aim to highlight three aspects of our hope!
Firstly, we find that our great hope is established through the scriptures themselves! (Rom 15:4) It is through the Old and New Testament that we have encouragement and learn our true identity, with an obligation to live selfless lives, in harmony and unity.
Secondly, Paul is earnest to remind us that it is a hope for all who believe! Not just for the Jew, but also for the Gentile. (Rom 15:9) Through passages of the Old Testament, Paul guides us to the fact that God’s master plan includes the Gentiles. The gospel is indeed the power of God for salvation to all who believe. (Rom 1:16)
Lastly, our hope is very different from the world’s idea of hope! In truth, the world has no hope! The Christian, however, has a hope that is rooted in a sovereign God, who is able to fill us with joy and peace (Rom 15:13). Our hope is indeed an eternal one, and through the Holy Spirit, we are able to have a rich dose of this hope. Abounding in hope, knowing who we are in Christ, enabling us to live transformed lives! Amen!