Word of Encouragement (7/14/2021)

The prayer we are reflecting on is, “Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word” (2 Thess. 2:16-17). Yesterday, we talked about how God comforts us with eternal comfort. Today, let’s talk about God’s gift of good hope.

This expression, “good hope,” is somewhat new to us. We are more familiar with “a living hope” (1 Pet. 1:3), “our blessed hope” (Tit. 2:13), “a better hope” (Heb. 7:9), etc. The adjective, “good,” has such a wide range of meanings that it is hard to pin down what Paul meant by it. But it is also very likely that he wants us to apply its meaning in all of its richness to this particular use.

When Paul speaks of “good hope,” he must at least mean that it is not false. A hope that is based on lies and deceptions cannot be good because it will crash and burn when reality strikes and those who held on to it will be thrust into disappointment and despair. “Good hope” must have truth as its foundation.

Also, “good hope” must have as its object that which is good and true and beautiful. Hope cannot be called good if it wishes for something evil. This doesn’t mean that good hope wishes only for things that are pleasant and nice. Since evil is the opposite of good, good hope must wish not only for the advancement and prosperity of good but also for the suppression and destruction of evil. As we cannot pray for God’s kingdom to come without praying for the defeat of His enemies, we cannot wish for our salvation without wishing for the punishment of Satan and all evil.

Good hope is something that will not fail to materialize. We can wish for something good and noble but, if it cannot come true for some reason, how can that hope be considered good? I dare to put the fallen mankind’s hope to build an earthly utopia under this category.

But if Paul can confidently call the hope he prays for the Thessalonians “good,” it is because it comes from our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father: “...who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace....” Since this hope comes from God, who is good, it must be good. It is good because it comes from the God of truth, who hates lies and falsehoods. It is good because its object is good—the glory of God, the salvation of His people in Jesus Christ, and the judgment of all who are wicked, who despise God and the things of God, including the gospel of Jesus Christ. And it is good because the almighty God will bring it about without fail.

One important aspect of this good hope is this: that God will “establish [our hearts] in every good work and word.” You can see the close relationship between “good hope” and “every good work and word.” It is only logical that the good hope that God gives brings about good work and word.

But what does it mean for God to “establish” our hearts in every good work and word? The Greek word translated as “establish” can also mean “strengthen” (BDAG). In this instance, this option makes the meaning easier to grasp.  So, in this benediction, Paul is asking God to strengthen our hearts in every good work and word. Notice how Paul speaks of every work and word. God, who is good in perfection, cannot desire that we are good only in some work and word; He wants every work and word of ours to be good. This can be fully realized only on the day of Christ—that is why we hope for this with good hope. But this good hope informs how we ought to live in the present, doesn’t it? If God’s ultimate desire is that every work and word of ours be good, we must make that our mandate, though impossible to achieve it in this life. One thing we must not do is to arbitrarily lower God’s standard to some good work and word according to our convenience.

Let us not be discouraged by this benediction. It is meant to bless us. It does so by reminding us of the good hope we have from God, which is grounded in what God intends to do for our salvation, which He will not fail to accomplish. Instead of getting discouraged, we should be encouraged to accept this benediction and make it our prayer. May the Lord brighten your day with good hope and strengthen your heart in every good work and word!