Where Can You Find Real Hope?

“But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”

1 Peter 3:15

The April 22, 2004 Awake! magazine focuses primarily on the topic of “hope.” The magazine’s cover asks the reader, “Hope…Where Can You Find It?” Since hope is such an essential and fundamental element in the Christian’s life—on par with faith and love—the answer to this question is obviously important. And, since the Bible commands us to “give an account for the hope” that is in each of us (1 Peter 3:15), let’s examine the corresponding articles in the Awake! magazine to determine whether the answers it provides agree with the answers provided in the Bible.  

Defining Hope

The first three short articles in the Awake! magazine examine hope and pessimism, the roles hope and pessimism play in a person’s health and overall outlook on life, and how goal setting can help relieve some of the negative effects of the lack of hope (i.e., pessimism, etc.). The reader eventually comes to the fourth and final article, which is meant to answer the question, “Where Can You Find Real Hope?”

On page 9, the article states that “hope means to wait eagerly and to expect good.” It then states that hope is basically composed of two elements; “it involves the desire for something good as well as the basis for believing that good will come.” Vine’s Expository Dictionary describes hope as (a) the happy anticipation of good (e.g., Titus 1:2 and 1 Peter 1:21), (b) the ground upon which hope is based (e.g., Acts 16:19 and Colossians 1:27), and (c) the object upon which hope is fixed (e.g., 1 Timothy 1:1).

According to Vine’s, hope does indeed consist of the desire for something good; especially as it relates to God’s promises. Romans 5:5 says that the hope God offers “does not disappoint.” In this verse, the word “disappoint” literally means “to put to shame because of disappointment.” In other words, the person whose hope comes from God will not be disappointed or put to shame. With regard to the article, however, we must consider one of the most important aspects related to hope: the basis for having it. Vine’s calls it, “the ground upon which hope is based.”

Misplaced Hope

The Awake! article, on page 10, lists several reasons for having hope, which include the following:

• God promises a happy future
• God cannot lie
• God has unlimited power
• God wants you to live forever
• God looks at us with hope
• God promises to help you meet godly goals
• Hope in God is never misplaced
  
   

Though each of the reasons above has at least some element of truth, it is missing the overwhelming assurance for any Christian’s basis of hope: Jesus Christ and His resurrection from the dead! Christians only have assurance in their hope of eternal life when coupled with the fact that Jesus died for the believer’s sin and rose from the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:17 says, “and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” Jesus’ death not only paid for our sins, but his resurrection assured all of His followers that they could believe His words regarding eternal life and the resurrection.

On page 11, the article asks the reader, “How, then can we find hope in the face of death?…Jehovah God is stronger than death. He has proved it on numerous occasions. How? By resurrecting the dead.” Unfortunately, the Awake! article never—not once—mentions the resurrection of Jesus Christ as it relates to the hope it offers believers.  Instead, the article refers only to “individuals” (e.g., Lazarus) raised by Jehovah through Jesus, or to Jesus one day being empowered by Jehovah to resurrect people from the dead.

The article continues by offering another reason for having the hope of eternal life. On pages 11-12, we read, “Yes, all those sleeping in the grave have the prospect of being resurrected to a life on a paradise earth” (underline added). This comment is followed by another statement on page 12 that says, “soon they [the dead] will be brought back to life, entering a happy, welcoming world much the way a newborn is greeted by a loving, waiting family!” But these statements only partially express the truth of the Bible and the teaching of the Watchtower Society. Regarding those who are asleep in the grave, Matthew 7:21-23; 25:31-46 and Revelation 20:11-15 clearly show that not everyone raised from the grave will enter a “happy, welcoming world.” Only those who are known and loved by Jesus (His sheep) will enter His kingdom and rest. Those who are not personally known by Jesus (the goats) will “go away to eternal punishment.” (Greek scholars universally agree that “eternal punishment” in Matt. 25:46 is the correct rendering; not “everlasting cutting off”).

One More Requirement

After being presented with the Watchtower Society’s reasons for having hope, the end of the article finally presents the reader with one critical reminder of why it is so hard for Jehovah’s Witnesses to have “real” assurance of their hope of living eternally in God’s kingdom. It is one of the biggest reasons so many Jehovah’s Witnesses spend much of their life worrying and wondering about their future, never knowing for sure whether God is pleased with them or whether they will be saved or destroyed when Christ destroys this “wicked system of things.” The second-to-last paragraph on page 12 informs the reader of the following, “The hope that Jehovah offers also involves you personally…First, one must ‘come to an accurate knowledge of truth’ (1 Timothy 2:4). The publishers of this journal urge you to take in that life-giving knowledge regarding the truth of God’s Word. The hope that God will thereby give you is far superior to any hope you can find in this world.”

Please understand the significance of these statements. The reader has spent 12 pages trying to understand how to get real hope, only to discover at the very end of the last related article that gaining the assurance of hope is conditional, and based primarily on whether an individual has the publisher’s understanding (e.g., the Watchtower Society’s understanding) of this “life-giving knowledge” of the Bible! Only after the reader has relied on the publishers of the article—the Watchtower Society—to provide the proper understanding can he or she even begin to have hope. Like the first and second century Gnostics who believed salvation was achieved not by faith in Christ, but by a special “knowledge,” the Watchtower Society has simply repackaged and sold a new flavor of the heresy (Gnosticism) that was so vehemently opposed by the apostles and early church fathers. 

Our Real Hope

Praise the Lord, however, because the Bible assures us that the reason for our hope in this life and beyond is not based on our ability to come “to an accurate knowledge of truth.” Yes, accurately dividing the word of God is important, but even Jesus said the scriptures did not have the power to give life. He alone is the One who possesses that power (John 5:39). Jesus also promised that the Holy Spirit—not an organization—would be the one who would “guide you into all truth” (John 16:13).

Again, the primary reason for the believer’s hope is Jesus’ death and resurrection. Based on these events, God has provided the believer with many assurances for having hope. One of His biggest assurances is the Holy Spirit, who comes into, dwells with, and seals all persons who repent and follow Jesus Christ. Consider the following verses as they relate to a person’s relationship with God and to the hope provided through the Holy Spirit: 

• Ephesians 1:13-14 states, “Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.” When we come to God solely on the basis of what he has done on the cross, and not on the basis of what we have done or can do, He is our guarantee or seal of the redemption that one day awaits all persons who follow Him. (See also 2 Cor. 1:22; John 14:17.)
• Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” The believer knows he has hope because God, through His Spirit, confirms His relationship with the believer. (This posses a problem for Jehovah’s Witnesses, who have been taught that they have no spirit apart from the body and that the Holy Spirit is just a force.)
• Rom 8:26-27 states, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.” The Christian can be assured that the Holy Spirit is always helping us, especially when we are weak. He is real, and He is there to comfort the believer through all of life’s struggles. Knowing He is always present provides a great reason for having hope.   

Unfortunately, because of the Watchtower Society’s teachings, the Holy Spirit provides little, if any, real hope for Jehovah’s Witnesses. Since they are taught that the Holy Spirit is only an active force and that they cannot be assured of their redemption, the notion of having real hope is little more than a thought that conjures up terrible fears and anxieties of what the future holds.

The Watchtower Society’s teachings that its followers must “continue to take in knowledge” and work “hard for the reward of eternal life” make the prospect of having real hope even worse. Jehovah’s Witnesses never know if they have taken in enough knowledge or if they have worked hard enough to earn salvation.

Christians Can Know

The blessed news, however, is that our salvation and our hope are not based on our “taking in knowledge,” or in our good works, or in the teachings of an organization. Consider these other verses that assure believers of the hope they have in their salvation:

• John 3:17, 18 says, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned.” (italics added)
• John 5:24 says, “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.” (italics added)
• John 10:28 says, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.” (italics added)
• 1 John 5:11-13 says, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life, he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (italics added)

The scriptures above are emphatic and clear. The Christian’s hope is founded on the finished work of Jesus Christ and on the indwelling power and relationship secured by the Holy Spirit. All who have the Son, have eternal life. They can be assured because they have been indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who confirms their salvation. According to the scriptures above, true believers don’t have to worry or fear. They posses a hope that will not disappoint (Romans 5:5). 

Unfortunately, the Awake! article makes no mention of these most critical ingredients for hope. As a result of the Watchtower Society’s teachings, most—if not all—Jehovah’s Witnesses live in fear and dread of whether they will be destroyed in Armageddon or if they will be resurrected from the grave. They hope they will avoid condemnation, but they have no real assurance. Instead of repenting and following Jesus, they continue to follow an organization’s advice, sincerely striving and working for something they can never obtain in their own strength, and yearning for a hope that only comes from surrendering their life to Him.