Cong Fang

Summary

Hope = a firm conviction (an attitude of full assurance) regarding the fulfillment of God’s promises (The resurrection of God’s people and the coming of God’s kingdom).
盼望 = 對上帝的應許（上帝子民的復活和上帝國度的來臨）的堅定信念（完全確信的態度）

Holy Spirit = A down payment on the kingdom = A sign and the sustainer of hope
聖靈 = 天國的預付 = 盼望的預兆和幫助者

Paul: Until the kingdom comes in its fullness, believers can only have an assured hope; they must “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
保羅：在國度完全來臨之前，信徒們只能有一個確定的盼望； 他們必須 “行事為人憑信心，不憑眼見” (哥林多後書 5:7)。

“我們這有聖靈初結果子的，也是自己心裡嘆息，等候得著兒子的名分，乃是我們的身體得贖。我們得救是在乎盼望。只是所見的盼望不是盼望。誰還盼望他所見的呢？但我們若盼望那所不見的，就必忍耐等候。” (羅馬書 8:23-25)

by Reformation Study Bible Notes

Biblical hope is a firm conviction that the future promises of God will be fulfilled. Hope is not mere wish projection, but an assurance of what will come to pass. “We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain” (Hebrews 6:19).

Hope takes its place alongside faith and love as one of the Christian virtues that the apostle Paul sets forth in 1 Corinthians 13:13. Hope is faith directed toward the future.

Hope is used in two ways in the Bible. The less common usage points out the object of our hope. Christ is our hope of eternal life. The more common usage is as an attitude of assurance regarding the fulfillment of God’s promises. The Christian is called to hope, that is, to have full assurance of the resurrection of God’s people and the coming of God’s kingdom. Hope is inextricably bound up with eschatology.

Paul reminds Christians that until the kingdom comes in its fullness, believers can only have an assured hope; they must “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). This hope is neither unfounded nor groundless. Though the life of the Christian is marked more by suffering than triumph (1 Corinthians 4:8-13; 2 Corinthians 4:7-18), the foundation for hope is in the Godhead.

First, the believer looks upon the death and resurrection of Christ. His death was the darkest hour for His disciples. The promised Messiah was dead, His kingdom apparently lost. With the Resurrection, that despair turned to hope. Alongside suffering, whether great or small, the Christian’s hope must endure. God is always sufficient and faithful.

Second, the believer has the Holy Spirit as a down payment on the kingdom. His presence assures us that the kingdom will be fully consummated. The Spirit is not only a sign toward hope, but the sustainer of hope. He fulfills the role of Comforter, girding up the believer in strength and hope. It is the Spirit that encourages the believer to pray to the Father, “Your kingdom come.”