“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).
This passage from 1 Peter 1:3 contains an expression that may be easily overlooked. That expression is “living hope.” When we examine the words that comprise this phrase in their original language, we discover the following…
- In a metaphorical context, the word “living” means “to be in full vigour.” It points to something that is fresh, strong, efficient, active, powerful, and/or efficacious. (1)
- In a Christian sense, the word “hope” is associated with the joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation. (2)
Much like the elements that comprise a Venn diagram, these ideas intersect with faith in certain respects. Just as faith involves the confident expectation that God is who He says He is, and will do what He says He’ll do, this “living hope” speaks of a confident assurance that is based upon Jesus’ historical resurrection from the dead.
One source catalogs the differences between the type of hope referenced here 1 Peter 1:3 and the word “hope” as we commonly use it today…
“We should note that the word hope is used in the Bible with the distinctive meaning ‘confident expectation.’ Today, of course, hope means merely to ‘want’ something to happen, without having any real assurance that it will happen, as in the sentence, ‘I hope tomorrow will be a sunny day.’ The resurrection is the central hope of Christianity; it is not merely something that we want to happen, but an assurance we have.” (3)
This living hope stands in contrast to a person who lives his or life without the acknowledgement or recognition of God. Those who choose to live as if God does not exist may hope that all will be well when they pass from this earthly life. But that kind of “hope” certainly does not inspire confidence. Instead,“… biblical hope has reference to something that is certain but not yet fully seen or experienced. ‘Living’ indicates the undying and permanent character of this hope.” (4)
So, living hope instills a living confidence through a living Savior in those who respond affirmatively to Jesus’ question from the Gospel of John…
“…I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26).
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(1) G2198 zao https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2198/kjv/tr/0-1/
(2) G1680 elpis https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1680/kjv/tr/0-1/
(3) Edward E. Hindson and Woodrow Michael Kroll, eds., KJV Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1994), 2601.
(4) R. C. Sproul, ed., The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015), 2242.