Bible Study Hope

Definition of Hope in the Bible

In the Bible, hope is not wishful thinking or vague optimism. It is a confident expectation based on the character, promises, and faithfulness of God.
Hope is often defined as a confident expectation and trust in God’s promises and faithfulness.

🔹 Biblical Hope Defined:

Hope (Hebrew: tiqvah, Greek: elpis)
= A confident trust and expectation that God will fulfill His promises, grounded in His goodness, power, and faithfulness.

Key Features of Biblical Hope:

  1. Hope is Certain – It’s not “I hope it works out,” but “I trust that God will do what He said.”
  2. Hope is Future-Focused – It looks ahead to God’s promises being fulfilled (Romans 8:24–25). “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?”
    Romans 8:25: “But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”
  3. Hope is Rooted in God’s Character – Not in circumstances, but in God Himself (Hebrews 10:23). Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
  4. Hope Sustains in Trials – Hope gives strength to endure suffering with joy (Romans 5:3–5). Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
  5. Hope Is Anchored in Christ – Jesus is our living hope through the resurrection (1 Peter 1:3). 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

📜 Key Bible Verses About Hope:

  • Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you… plans to give you a future and a hope.”
  • Romans 15:13 – “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
  • Hebrews 6:19 – “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”
  • Psalm 39:7 – “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.”
  • Lamentations 3:21–23 – “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed…”

🌱 In Summary:

Hope in the Bible is a solid, unwavering assurance in the faithfulness of God, His promises, and His ultimate plan of redemption. It empowers believers to endure hardship, live with purpose, and look forward to eternity.

A Favorite Song Of Hope

My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less

Words by Edward Mote (1834)
Tune: Solid Rock by William B. Bradbury

1.
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

🎶 Chorus:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

2.
When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

🎶 Chorus

3.
His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

🎶 Chorus

4.
When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.

🎶 Chorus


Here is a focused Bible Study on Ephesians 2:11–14, centered around unity in Christ and the breaking down of barriers between Jews and Gentiles:

🕊️ Bible Study: Ephesians 2:11–14

Theme: Christ, Our Peace and Unity

📖 Passage (ESV)

11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—
12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.

✍️ Study Notes

🔹 Verse 11 – “Remember who you were”

Paul urges Gentile believers to remember their former spiritual condition.

  • “Uncircumcision” was a term of exclusion and religious insult.
  • Circumcision (a Jewish identity marker) was outward and physical, but Paul hints at something deeper: true transformation must be spiritual.

🧠 Reflection: Why is it important for us to remember where we came from spiritually?

🔹 Verse 12 – A Fivefold Separation

Paul lists what Gentiles lacked before Christ:

  1. Separated from Christ – no Messiah, no Savior.
  2. Alienated from Israel – outside of God’s covenant people.
  3. Strangers to the covenants – no access to God’s promises.
  4. No hope – no future expectation of redemption.
  5. Without God in the world – living without relationship or revelation.

💡 Key Truth: Without Christ, we are all spiritually exiled—regardless of ethnicity or background.

🔹 Verse 13 – “But now in Christ…”

This is the turning point of the passage.

  • The phrase “But now” signals a dramatic transformation.
  • Through the blood of Christ, those “far off” (Gentiles) are brought near to God and His people.

✝️ The Cross unites what sin and culture divide.

🔹 Verse 14 – Christ is our Peace

  • Christ doesn’t just bring peace; He IS peace.
  • He made Jews and Gentiles “one”—no longer divided by law, tradition, or hostility.
  • The “dividing wall” could refer to:
    • The literal wall in the temple that kept Gentiles out.
    • The spiritual divide of exclusion and hostility.

🕊️ Only Jesus can destroy the walls of division and build a unified people of God.

💬 Discussion Questions

  1. Why does Paul stress remembering our spiritual past?
  2. How does “being brought near” by Christ change how we view ourselves and others?
  3. What “walls” of hostility do we still see in the Church or world today?
  4. How can we live out this truth that Christ has made us one?

🙏 Prayer Focus

Lord, thank You for breaking down every wall that once kept us from You and from one another. Help us live as people united in Your peace, remembering that we were once far off, but now are brought near by the blood of Christ. Amen.