Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 178:709 (Jan 2021)
Article: From The Editor
Author: Glenn R. Kreider

From The Editor

Glenn R. Kreider

Hopelessness leads to death. Hope leads to life. Having been exiled from Eden, descendants of Adam and Eve have often struggled to find hope in a fallen world. Reasons for hopelessness, despair, disillusionment, and cynicism abound. And yet, God’s promises provide a foundation for hope. In the letter to the exiles in Babylon, Jeremiah promises them that God’s plan for them is ultimately for their good: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jer 29:10–11). This is not a promise that there will be no difficult times for the people; rather, in the midst of those times they can find hope in the promises of God.

According to Jesus, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). God’s plans are good and they are sure. Because of those promises, and because of the work of Jesus, people of faith can have hope. Hope preserves and produces life. “Hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5, NASB).