Our Greatest Hope

“For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.” (Ga 5:5 AV)

This is my deepest hope!  Positionally speaking, we have this righteousness.  When Christ died on that cross, an operation called imputation occurred.  The Father took our sin and placed it upon His Son.  He also took the righteousness of His own Son and imputed it to our account.  In essence, when Christ suffered the wrath of the Father upon Calvary’s cross, He became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.  We swapped places.  What the cross did not do was to immediately remove all possibility we would sin in the future.  We still have that old sin nature which battles for control of the will.  We still fall.  We still fail.  We still sin.  Yet, there is a new part of us which has a deep desire to live in righteousness.  It may start out as a faint glow, but the more we walk with God and bask in his righteousness, the stronger that flame increases.  If we walk with God consistently, the desire for practical, moment by moment righteousness becomes overwhelming.  We just want to be right.  We just want to live right.

The hope of righteousness spoken of above is our glorification.  It is when the saint is called home and the old man of sin is completely destroyed in death.  This hope of righteousness is the hope in the eventuality that we can do nothing but righteousness.  This is the hope of which the Spirit grows within our hearts.  It is one of the proofs of salvation.  It is an indication the conscience is now alive.  It is evidence that the heart has changed.  It is proof the work of the Holy Spirit is not just present, but growing as well.  We note here that Paul says it is through the Spirit that we wait.  This hope of righteousness is through the Spirit.  It is not in our hearts in a natural way.  This is a work of a supernatural Spirit.  This Spirit within us is a third person of the trinity.  God within us.  The Spirit grows this desire.  He multiplies it that we might desire the same as He does.  For this I am very grateful.

The older I get, the more this desire grows.  This tired sinner used to desire heaven for the beauty which we shall behold.  This sinner used to desire glory for the end of all labor.  Now, this tired old sinner simply wants to go to glory that he might meet the Savior who died for him and be granted the final state of sinless perfection.  The ability to live and exist without any possibility of sin.  Even that has changed slightly.  No longer do I wish for sinless perfection so that failure is not a reality.  This would be a selfish and prideful motive.  This old sinner desires perfect righteousness for the beauty of it and the glory which it will bring my Redeemer and Creator!  To be what He desires for me and reflect His glory without and possibility of one speck of dishonor!  WOW!