Hope 2/3

Hope is the next step on the latter we must discuss. in my mind the word home comes with uncertainties. I hope I can win, I home I can get a good grade; I hope I can afford this and so on and so forth. We use the word to express a desire with an uncertain outcome in the future. However, the scriptures use the word differently in gospel context.

We will remain in Moroni 7 for this discussion.

 40 And again, my beloved brethren, I would speak unto you concerning hope. How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope?

The interconnected nature of faith and hope is our first clue. Remember how faith is defined?

 41 And what is it that ye shall hope for...? 

We are to hope for something. Something in the future that we desire but are not certain. 

Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal

Working this phrase backwards gives the best results. We are to hope for eternal life, which makes sense. We want it, but it is no automatic process. Mormon qualifies hope through the Atonement and the Resurrection. We cannot hope for eternal life any other way. Only through the physical and spiritual cleansing provided by the Savior. 

The prepositions are key, on the first line we hope FOR, then on the second we hope THROUGH. Two types of hopes, hoping for something and then hoping in a process will allow one to make the second hope a reality. Our hope for something causes us to hope in something. We hope to get eternal life with our hope in the Savior. 

 And this because of your faith in him according to the promise.

All because of faith "according to the promise" that we have received through revelation in the form of covenants. 

 42 Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; 

Hope is a prerequisite of faith.

for without faith there cannot be any hope.

And faith is a prerequisite of hope. 

When we rephrase the word hope in conjunction with the atonement. Do we think "I hope that the atonement works," or "I hope that the Savior will save me," or "I hope that I can be saved," or "I hope what I have done is enough?" I don’t think that there is any degree of uncertainty with the atonement. It is real it does work. We don’t fear that side of the bridge falling. It is perfect it is infallible. What is fallible is ourselves. Do we believe in ourselves? Do we say, "I hope I can make it" or "I will make It.”? I believe that hope in the atonement is our confidence in using and relying on its infinite power. We don’t hope we can be saved, we expect ourselves to qualify for grace. The atonement is a good thing for us to grab with our faith. And that gives us hope. 

Takeaways

Hope is faith in the Atonement

Do not hope that the Savor can save us, know that he can and have hope in yourself

Faith and Hope are inseparable

   

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