Hope Does Not Disappoint

Now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 5:5

Why does hope not disappoint?   If we consider what hope is, and how we come to have it, we may gain some insight.  Hope is the certain expectation that God will do all that He has promised.  It is related to faith, but is not faith itself.  In our text, the reason Paul gives that hope does not disappoint is ‘because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.’  We have become assured of the love of God by the Holy Spirit who has pointed us to the demonstration of it in the death of Christ for us ‘while we were still sinners.’  We do not have hope apart from Christ, however, because our hope rests upon the Person and work of Christ, it does not disappoint, because He does not disappoint.  We then have the love of God poured out in our hearts as that which we receive and experience.  The result of that experience produces love for Christ in return.  ‘We love Him because He first loved us.’  So ‘hope does not disappoint.’  All our hope is in Christ, by Christ, through Christ, and because of Christ. 

Our Glorious, Living God,
We rejoice that You have given us
hope in Christ which does not disappoint.
We praise You that day-by-day this hope increases
until that day when You fulfill it.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning