The Great Hope of Scripture

June 11th, 2025
by Lance Waldie

Romans 15:4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Having just quoted from an OT Psalm (69:9) in v. 3 in order to prove the point that Jesus Christ is the believer’s supreme example on how to live for others and not oneself, Paul qualifies what he said by reflecting on this quote from the OT. He quoted it because it was sacred Scripture, and those sacred Scriptures were passed down through time and kept from error “for our instruction.” Actually, all NT references to Scripture point to the OT with the exception of 2 Peter 3:16 where Peter speaks of the Apostle Paul’s letters as being sacred. But when Paul spoke of all Scripture being “inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, he was speaking specifically of the OT. Also, Peter, when he said that “no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Pet. 1:20-21), he spoke of the OT. Clearly, therefore, the entire OT is for “our instruction” (cf. 1 Cor. 10:11).

Now God did not preserve Scripture for man’s instruction alone, for godly instruction is “so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” To have “perseverance” (Gr. hupomonē) is to have the power to withstand hardship or stress. Also, to have “encouragement” (Gr. paraklēsis) is to have a source of comfort. So, to have holy Scripture, a reflection of God and His character, is to have “hope”—to have God Himself, the “Hope of Israel, its Savior in time of distress” (Jer. 14:8). The psalmists continually speak of their hope in God. One writer both asks and answers his own question: “Why are you in despair, O my soul?... Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence” (Ps. 42:5). Another psalmist preaches to himself saying, “My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him” (Ps. 62:5). In Psalm 119, David calls on God to “remember the word to Your servant, in which You have made me hope” (v. 49). And in v. 116 he begs God saying, “Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live; and do not let me be ashamed of my hope.”

The believer’s hope is not to be confused with a wish; it is a firm belief based upon God’s promises who does not lie. Job said that “the hope of the godless will perish” (Job 8:13) simply because godless people have no hope in God’s promises. James 5:11 speaks of Job’s hope saying, “Behold, we count those blessed who endured… the endurance of Job and …the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.” Certainly, Job is a prime example of a godly man’s hope in the Lord’s justice and righteousness. He faced the most deplorable circumstances, yet he persevered through them and endured all that Satan was able to unleash on him. No wonder God called him “blameless and upright” (Job 1:8).

Clearly, instruction in God’s word (Scripture) grants endurance through trials and encouragement for doing what pleases God. In this context (14:1-15:13), it is an exhortation to please others above oneself. The hope of all Christians is found in God, and God is found in the Bible. The two are inseparable! So, since Jesus Christ is called “the Word” (John 1:1, 14), and since He “is our hope” (1 Tim. 1:1), there is no hope without Him. Thus, Paul’s explanatory statement in Romans 15:4 is meant to take the readers back to the power of the Scriptures and to find strength for dealing with the difficulties associated with weak and strong believers.

The OT is laden with examples of men who set aside their rights for the sake of a weaker brother. Abraham (Gen. 13:8-9), Jonathan (1 Sam. 19:4), David (1 Sam. 24:10), and Moses (Heb. 11:24) were such men. Refusing to demand their own way, they thrived as men driven to please God, not themselves. By reading the OT, we learn valuable lessons from their lives.