How can we be rejoicing in hope (Romans 12:12)?

Answer

In Romans 12, the apostle Paul encourages believers to live together in love, serving one another as members of the body of Christ: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer” (Romans 12:10-12; NASB).

Paul’s charge to be “rejoicing in hope” refers to glad-hearted, celebratory confidence in an expectation being fulfilled. Such was the experience of Abraham: “Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations” «Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. », (Romans 4:18, NLT). Abraham looked forward with joyful expectancy to the fulfillment of God’s promise. King David also rejoiced in hope, steadfastly anticipating the Lord’s salvation: “I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay” (Psalm 16:8-10).

After Jesus sent out seventy-two of His disciples to minister to the lost, they returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” But Jesus told them not to “rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:17-20). As Christians, our joy and happiness come from knowing that our names are recorded in heaven.Hope must not be anchored in our accomplishments and victories here on earth but in the future expectation of heaven. Only then will we have the power to persevere through difficult circumstances, persecution, and afflictions in this present life.

Paul informs us that we can rejoice in hope even as we endure suffering, looking forward with confidence and joy to the Lord’s return and the glory to follow (Romans 5:1-5). The nature of our hope is joyful and sure because it rests on the character of Christ, the One in whom we place our hope. In Christ, we can trust that we will receive everything He has promised, even though we must wait for it. For now, we stand by faith in His grace, delighting in the knowledge that one day His glory will be revealed in us.

In Romans 8:16–17, Paul explains that the Spirit of God now dwelling in us reassures us we are God’s children and thus destined to receive an inheritance that includes participating in God’s glory. We may be suffering now, but we can rejoice in hope because “what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are” (Romans 8:18-19;NLT). By His Spirit, “we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope” «For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. », (Galatians 5:5).

Paul likens the experience of rejoicing in hope to “groaning as in the pains of childbirth” «For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. », (Romans 8:22, NLT). An expectant mother endures the agonies of labor, but not without.Put the joyful anticipation that, after her labor, she will cradle her precious baby in her arms. We “groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be freed from sin and suffering. We also eagerly await the day when God will grant us our full rights as His adopted children, including the new bodies He has pledged to us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already possess something, we do not need to hope for it. But if we anticipate something we do not yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently)” (Romans 8:23-25;NLT).

We can rejoice in hope as we peruse Scriptures, which “provide us with hope and encouragement as we patiently await God’s promises to be fulfilled” «For whatever things were written in the past were written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. », (Romans 15:4, NLT). We can eagerly anticipate “with hope for that glorious day when the splendor of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed” «looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; », (Titus 2:13, NLT).

The Bible instructs us to rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4;1 Thessalonians 5:16;2 Corinthians 13:11), even as we await the fulfillment of His glorious salvation promise: “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” 1 Peter 1:8-9; NLT. Like Peter, we can rejoice every day in the living hope of eternal life: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy, he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” «Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, », (1 Peter 1:3).