The holy spirit and hope

THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HOPE
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Romans 15:13 "Now may the God of hope fill you
with all joy and peace as you believein Him, so that
you may overflowwith hope by the power of the Holy
Spirit."
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Hopefulness Prayed For
Romans 15:13
S.F. Aldridge
The sense ofa passageis clearerif the connectionwith the context be
ascertained. The RevisedVersion, by translating the same root-wordin the
same manner, enables the reader to take up the thread of thought from the
twelfth verse. Guests introduced to the same host are placed on terms of
fellowship with eachother. So Jew and Gentile had been receivedby Jesus
Christ, in whom the veracity of God towards the Jews had been confirmed,
and his mercy displayed towards the Gentiles. Thus both could unite in
praising God, as had been predicted by the Law, the Psalms, and the
prophets. "In him shall the Gentiles hope. And this leads the apostle to utter
the supplication of the text.

I. THE TITLE GIVEN TO GOD. The God of hope." The names of God in the
Scriptures emphasize his personality and close relationshipwith his creatures
more than any designations in philosophy or mythology. He has establisheda
plan of salvationwhich is the substantialwarrant for hope, and, besides this
objective provision, does himself inspire hope subjectively in his people. The
bestowmentof every grace is attributed to him. Naturally does the apostle, in
his anxiety for the hopefulness of Christians, invoke a blessing from the God
of hope. Our prayers are fashioned according to our conceptionof the Hearer
of prayer. Hope concerns two things - what we desire, and what we anticipate.
When either of these characteristicsis absent, hope fails. And we are not to
imagine that hope belongs only to us limited beings; for though to the
omniscient eye the future is visible, God, like ourselves, cherishes confident
expectations. He, too, welcomes the era when his fair dominions shall not he
defiled with sin. He is as much delighted with the prospectof triumphant
grace as any of us canbe. If we wonder why the period is not hastened, the
solution is to be found in the nature of man. Forcibly to overcome man's
powerof resistance wouldbe to destroy the plant in the moment of its
flowering, or to crush the drowning in the very actof rescue. The trophies of
redemption are to be monuments of moral suasion. The kingdom spreads not
by sword and garments rolled in blood, but by the kindling of the fuel of love
in the heart of man. What an idea of the patience of the Almighty is presented
in the myriad ages throughwhich this earth has been slowlyprepared for the
residence of man! We are like children, who cannot wait cheerfully for the
coming feast;we lose heart if the chariot delays.
II. THE PRAYER. "Fill you with all joy and peace in believing." We may
lawfully seek, notonly to obey the precepts, but to enjoy the comforts of the
gospel. True, the gospelideal is blessednessrather than happiness;yet its
intent is to bring present serenity and gladness, not to leave us all our life
trembling in doubt. It is a remedy for present ills, a foretaste of coming bliss.
Peace andjoy are virtues; there is no merit attachedto disquiet and
mournfulness. Faith is the ground of peace and joy, or the instrument through
which God communicates these blessings. "In believing" is put for the whole
of Christian conduct. Expect peace and joy whilst you hold fastto the message
which imparted glad tranquillity at the first, whilst you remember the

obligations and partake of the privileges of the gospel. Without faith, joy and
peace canno more enter the soul than hunger and thirst canbe relieved
without eating and drinking. Faith grows by exercise, mounts aloft on
experience like the vine on the trellis. It is not honourable to be for ever
questioning the credibility of Christ. Faith knocks atthe door and gains
admittance into the mansion of light and song; unbelief examines the door,
and questions the resourcesofthe palace. Whenour right to our inheritance is
challenged, we may examine againthe title-deeds;but it is not in the law
courts that we learn to prize our possessions. The prayer of the text teaches
not to rest contentwith meagre supplies. How exuberant the apostle's
language!"Fill you with all peace,"etc. There is joy of every kind arising
from service and communion - joy intellectual and emotional;joy in our own
advance and in the widening bounds of the kingdom of Christ. We are too apt
to sink to a certain level of monotony. Our course is circular, too seldom spiral
reaching upwards.
III. THE END IN VIEW. "Thatye may abound in hope." Here againsee the
spiritual vehemence of the apostle. He knew that every Gentile believer
cherishedhope; but he would have this hope to abound in every season, under
every circumstance. Some Christians, like birds in an eclipse of the sun, are
sure that the shades betokennight. Now, the Christian who is rich in peace
and joy cannot help reasoning from the present to the future; his ecstasytints
every cloud with roseate hues. He is youthful in spirit, lives in a
"... boyhood of wonder and hope,
Presentpromise and wealthof the future beyond the eye's scope."Hope is
imprinted on his countenance, radiates from every action. Advancing age
brings him nearer the westering sun; there is a rich ripeness of harvest glory.
Two old men, alike in everything else but in the possessionofthis buoyant
expectancy, are really wide as the poles asunder. The one laments that he has
seenthe best of his days; the other has something better than the best to
prepare for. Christian hope is seton an excellentobject, rests on a stable
foundation, works a purifying, elevating gladness. The hope desired for the
Romans was a collective hope, to be fosteredas a common solace andstrength.
Only by dwelling in harmony could it produce its proper fruits. There should

be no panic amongstthe followers ofChrist - hence the importance of the
prayer.
IV. THE CONDITION EXPRESSED. "Throughthe power of the Holy
Ghost." The human condition was "believing;" the Divine is the energy of the
Spirit. And since he dwells in believers, his aid may surely be reckonedon.
This hope, therefore, is neither painted in waternor written in dust. It is not
made so much dependent on our reasonings orstruggles as on that life from
God which is the answerto all man's pleas and excuses.He says, "Iam weak,
I cannot." God says, "Iwill pour my Spirit upon you." How vast the
difference betweenthe dull, timid disciples and the same when "filled with the
Spirit " - enthusiastic, vigorous, ready to preach and to take joyfully the
spoiling of their persons and property! Let our cry be, "Come, Holy Sprat,
come. Breathe about our wintry chills, scatterour darkness, raise our plane of
thought and feeling! - S.R.A.
A round of delights
C. H. Spurgeon.
1. The apostle desired for the Romans the most delightful state of mind. See
the value of prayer, for if Paul longs to see his friends attain the highest
possible condition, he prays for them.
2. Paul's making this state a subjectof prayer implies that it is possible for it
to be attained. There is no reasonwhy we should hang our heads and live in
perpetual doubt. We may not only be somewhatcomforted, but we may be full
of joy, etc.
3. The fact that the happy condition describedis sought by prayer is a plain
evidence that the blessing comes from a Divine source. Notice concerning this
state:—
I. WHENCE. IT COMES. From "the God of hope." The connectionis
instructive.

1. To know joy and peace through believing we must begin by knowing what
is to be believed from Holy Scripture (ver. 4). Where He is revealedas the
God of hope. Unless God had revealedHimself we could have guessedathope,
but the Scriptures are windows of hope to us, and revealthe God of hope to
inspire us with hope. Faith deals with the Scriptures and with the God of hope
as therein revealed, and out of these it draws its fulness of joy and peace. At
leastthree of the apostle's quotations callus to joy (vers. 10-12).
2. The apostle leads us through the Scriptures to God Himself, who is
personally to fill us with joy and peace;i.e., He is to become the greatobjectof
our joy. Our God is a blessedGod, so that to believe in Him is to find
happiness and rest. When you think of God, the just One, apart from Christ,
you might well tremble, but when you see Him in Jesus, His very justice
becomes precious to you. The holiness of God which aforetime awedyou
becomes supremely attractive when you see it revealedin the personof Jesus.
How charming is "the glory of God in the face of Christ." His power, which
was once so terrible, now becomes delightful.
3. God is, moreover, called the God of hope because He workethhope and joy
in us. Peace withoutGod is stupefaction, joy madness, and hope presumption.
This blessedname of "Godof hope" belongs to the New Testament, and is a
truly gospeltitle. The Romans had a godof hope, but the temple was struck
by lightning, and afterwards burned to the ground. Exceedinglytypical this of
whateverof hope cancome to nations which worship gods of their own
making. The hope which God excites is a hope worthy of Him. It is a Godlike
hope — a hope which helps us to purify ourselves. He who graspeth this hope
hath a soul-satisfying portion. It is a hope which only God would have
contrived for man, and a hope which God alone can inspire in men.
II. WHAT IT IS.
1. It is a state of mind —(1) Mostpleasant, for to be filled with joy is a rare
delight, reminding one of heaven.(2)Safe, for the man who has a joy which
God gives him may be quite easyin the enjoyment of it.(3) Abiding. We may
drink our full of it without surfeit.(4) Mostprofitable, for the more a man has
of this joy the better man he will be. The more happy we can be in our God

the more thoroughly will the will of Christ be fulfilled in us, for He desired
that our joy might be full.(5) Which has varieties in it. It is joy and peace;and
it may be either. Peace is joy resting, and joy is peace dancing. Joy cries
hosanna before the Well-beloved, but peace leans her head on His bosom. We
work with joy and rest with peace.(6)Whichis also a compound, for we are
bidden at one and the same time to receive both wine and milk — wine
exhilarating with joy, and milk satisfying with peace. "Ye shall go out with
joy, and be led forth with peace." Youshall lie down in the greenpastures of
delight, and be led by the still waters ofquietness.
2. The joy and peace here spokenof are through believing. You come to know
the Godof hope through the Scriptures, which revealHim; by this you are led
to believe in Him, and it is through that believing that you become filled with
joy and peace. It is not by working nor by feeling.
3. This joy and peace are of a superlative character, "Fillyou with all joy." He
means with the best and highestdegree of joy, with as much of it as you can
hold.
4. Notice the comprehensivenessofhis prayer.(1) "All joy"; that is joy in the
Father's love, the Son's redeeming blood, the Holy Ghost's indwelling; joy in
the covenantof grace, in the promises, in the doctrines, in the precepts, in
everything which cometh from God.(2)All peace — with God, of conscience,
with one another, even with the outside world, as far as peace may be.
5. Observe the degree of joy and peace which he wishes for them — "that ye
may be filled." God alone knows our capacityand where the vacuum lies
which most needs filling. As the sun fills the world with light, even so the God
of hope by His presence lights up every part of our nature with the golden
light of joyous peace.
III. WHAT IT LEADS TO. "Leadto? What more is wanted?" When a man
brings you into a chamber vaulted with diamonds, walled with gold, and
floored with silver, we should be astonishedif he said, "This is a passageto
something richer still." Yet the apostle directs us to this fulness of joy and
peace that we may by its means reachto something else — "that you may
abound in hope," etc. How often do greatthings in the Bible, like the

perpetual cycles of nature, begin where they end and end where they begin. If
we begin with the God of hope, we are wound up into holy joy and peace, that
we may come back to hope again, and to abounding in it by the powerof the
Holy Ghost.
1. The hope here mentioned, arises, notout of believing, but out of the joy
createdin us by our having believed. This hope drinks its life at the fountain
of personalexperience.
2. The text speaks ofan abounding hope. Much hope must arise to a Christian
out of his spiritual joy. Grace enjoyed is a pledge of glory. Acceptance with
God to-day creates a blessedhope of acceptanceforever.
3. "By the power of the Holy Ghost," is partially mentioned by way of caution,
because we must discriminate betweenthe fallacious hope of nature and the
certain hope of grace.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Gospelblessings
J. Lyth, D.D.
I. THE BLESSINGS DERIVED.
1. Joy.
2. Peace.
3. Hope.
II. THE SOURCE WHENCE THEY FLOW — the God of hope.
III. THE MEASURE IN WHICH THEY MAY BE ENJOYED.
IV. THE MEANS BY WHICH THEY ARE ATTAINED.
V. THE POWER BY WHICH THEY ARE EFFECTED.
(J. Lyth, D.D.)

The unbounded beneficence ofGod in the history of a Christian
D. Thomas, D.D.
This is seenin: —
I. THE CHARACTER HE ASSUMES TOWARDS THEM "Godof hope." In
this chapter the apostle speaks ofHim as the God of patience, and the God of
peace. Patienceimplies something to provoke, viz., sin. The history of the
Almighty towards us and our race is a history of patience. Peaceimplies
benevolence, rectitude, and freedom from all anger, remorse, fear, the
necessaryelements of inward commotionand outward war. God is peacefulin
Himself. The storms of all the hells in His greatuniverse ruffle not the infinite
tranquility of His nature. He is peacefulin His aim. The constitution of the
universe, the principles of moral law, the mediation of Christ, and the work of
the Spirit show, that He desires to diffuse peace throughout this stormy world.
He is peaceful in His working. How quietly does He move in accomplishing
His sublime decrees.But in the text He is styled, God of hope; an appellation
more significant than either of the other two, and more interesting to us as
sinners. It does not mean that God is the subject of hope. Godis infinitely
above hope; Satanis infinitely below it; this is the glory of the one, it is the
degradationof the other.
1. God is the object of hope. What is hope? Is it expectation? No. We expect
sorrow and death. Is it desire? No. A poor man may desire to live in a
mansion, a lostspirit to dwell in heaven. But put these two things together.
Hope is the expectationof the desirable — God — His favour, society,
friendship. Now that God should thus revealHimself is a wonderful exhibition
of love. The mind never points its hopes to a being that it has offended; it
always looks to those that it has pleased. But here is God, whom the world has
injured, revealing Himself as the objectof its hope.
2. God is the author of hope. Before man can possessrealChristian hope he
must have —(1) Ground to expect it. What reasonhave we to expect that the
God of inflexible justice and immaculate purity will be favourable to us?

Thanks be to Him, He has given us firm ground in the atonement of His
Son.(2)Appetite to desire it. The reasonthat there is so little real Christian
hope is because men do not want God. This appetite is produced by the Spirit
of God.
II. THE BLESSINGS HE IMPARTS TO THEM.
1. The nature of the enjoyment. "Joyand peace," i.e., complete happiness.
How delightful is the calm of nature after a thunderstorm! How still more
precious is the peace ofthe empire after a long war! But how infinitely more
so is the peace "thatpassethall understanding!" The greatcauses ofall
mental distress are —(1) Remorse. Godremoves this by the application of the
sacrifice ofChrist. As oil smooths the troubled waters, so the atonement of
Christ calms the agitatedbreast. "Being justified by faith," etc.(2)Anger. God
takes this away, and fills the heart with love.(3)Apprehension. God removes
this by assuring us of His constant presence and guardianship. "Thoushalt
keephim in perfect peace,"etc.
2. The plenitude of the enjoyment. "Fill you," etc. Not a mere taste, a
transient thrill, but a fulness of deep spiritual happiness. Have you ever seena
person filled with delight? The tender mother that clasps in her arms a
beloved child, etc. Now God wishes His people always to be filled with all joy
— intellectual, social, religious:to have as much joy as their vessels canhold
in this world. Christians have not lived up to this, and in consequence have led
the world to associate the idea of sadness with that religion whose "ways are
ways of pleasantness,"etc. It is our duty to have joy. "Rejoice evermere,"etc.
3. The condition of the enjoyment. What is this? Painful penances? Great
attainments? Difficult labours? No. "Believing." An act that can be
performed at any time in any place.
4. The design of the enjoyment. That we may "abound in hope," etc. This is
very remarkable. God wishes us to be filled with happiness, that we may
expectthe more. The more favours we receive from an individual the less we
have to expect; but the reverse is the case withGod. God's disposition to
bestow is infinite, "He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all," etc. Let
us come to God with enlargedexpectations. We cannever weary Him, for it is

His delight to give. We cannever exhaust His fulness, for it is infinite. What a
view does this give us of heaven! We shall be always anticipating; and the
more we receive the more we shall anticipate.
III. THE AGENCY WHICH HE EMPLOYS FOR THEM. "Through the
powerof the Holy Ghost." What an exhibition of mercy is this! Had God
employed the greatest, the oldest, or the noblest spirit for this purpose, it
would have been wonderful mercy; but He employs His Holy Spirit who is
equal with Himself. We are not sufficiently impressed with the value of this
Infinite gift. We profess to estimate the gift of His Son to bleed and die for us.
True, the world could never be savedwithout that; but it is equally true that
the world could never be savedwithout the operations ofthe Spirit.
(D. Thomas, D.D.)
Prayer to the God of hope
J. Jowett, M.A.
All men desire to be happy; but very few obtain the happiness which they
covet. All happiness, exceptthat of the Christian, is but counterfeit. It is like
the morning cloud and early dew. Yet even the true Christian often falls short
of the blessednesswhichhe might enjoy.
I. THE ENCOURAGING CHARACTER HERE GIVEN OF GOD. This
manner of speaking expressessomewhatmore than if Paul had called God the
Author or the Giver of Hope. It is meant to teachus that this is His
distinguishing characteristic,that hope springs from Him.
1. Even if we had no revelationof His gracious purposes, the probability
would be that there is hope from Him; for we, His guilty creatures, are not yet
finally lost — "He hath not dealt with us after our sins."
2. This probability is, however, increasedto certainty by the gospel. The great
design is to encourage ourhope. It reveals God's unspeakable gift to make
reconciliationfor iniquities. It exhibits God as a present Father and Friend,
and assures aneternity of blessednessin Christ.

II. THE BLESSINGS WHICH MAY BE SOUGHT FROM HIM
1. Joy. This may be thought by the penitent too greata blessing to be
expected;yet thy Lord allows thee to expect it. Nay, thou art even commanded
to rejoice in the Lord. This, however, like all other duties, is hard to fulfil. We
are often unfaithful; this unfaithfulness begets distrust; and this interrupts
our joy in the Lord. We have, therefore, cause to pray that God would bestow
on us, and preserve to us, this inestimable blessing.
2. Peace. This is a gift more common, perhaps, than the other; a gift, also, of a
more uniform and abiding nature. The continuance of joy depends in some
measure on bodily constitution; but the soulmay enjoy peace under the
greatesttrials. This was, in fact, the dying bequest of Jesus — "PeaceI leave
with you." It is a holy calmness and tranquility, springing from faith in the
promises of God. Let the apostle's example encourage you in this prayer, both
for yourselves and for those whom you love.
3. Hope. Joyand peace are present blessings;but hope has respectto things
future. We have already seenthat the characterof Godis calculatedto raise
our expectationof these future mercies. Now, then, we must pray for strength
to hope for them. We are too apt to rest satisfiedwith the presentenjoyments;
and, even when we look forward to the things which God hath prepared for
them that love Him, this is too often done with a cold heart and a languid eye.
This is our infirmity and our sin. We ought rather to forget the things which
are behind, etc.
4. The prayer of the apostle implies that we should set no bounds to our
requests for these blessings. It is no scanty measure of joy, and peace, and
hope, which he prays for. Hath He not said, "Openthy mouth wide, and I will
fill it"? If, then, our joy, our peace, or hope be defective, we are not straitened
in Him; but we are straitened in our ownbowels.
III. THE WAY IN WHICH WE MAY EXPECT THESE BLESSINGSTO BE
COMMUNICATED.
1. On our part, Faith is the instrument. It is faith in His Word, which alone
can make known to us the existence ofsuch gifts. When, however, the

discoveryis made, true faith leads a man one step further, constraining him to
say, "Here is all my salvationand all my desire."
2. On God's part, the powerof the Holy Ghostis promised, for the
communication of His gracious gifts. Faith is, indeed, the band which grasps
the gift; but all these workeththat one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to
every man severally, in such kind and in such proportion, as He will.
(J. Jowett, M.A.)
The God of hope
J. Benson.
I. WHAT IS IMPLIED IN THIS TITLE.
1. The expressionis peculiar: He is termed the God of peace (ver. 33), of grace
(1 Peter5:10), of love and peace (2 Corinthians 13:11), of patience (ver. 5),
and the meaning is not only that He is the Author of these graces in us, but
also that they exist in Him. But the case is different with respectto hope: this
cannot exist in God, as He has every goodin possession, andhas nothing for
which to hope. In this, and in this chiefly, the Creatordiffers from all His
creatures.
II. THE REASONS WHY GOD HAS THIS TITLE.
1. There is in Him the most stable foundation for the most glorious Lopes to
all His rational creatures. The most solid ground for hope is offered —(1) In
His nature and attributes, e.g., His self-existence, supremacy, eternity; His
infinite power, wisdom, love and mercy, and even His justice, Christ having
died.(2) In the relations in which He stands to us. What may not His offspring
expectfrom such a Creator, Preserver, andRedeemer;His subjects from such
a King; His servants from such a Master? Whatmay not we, His children,
hope for from such a Parent?(3)In what He has already done. He has given
His Sonfor the redemption of mankind, and His Spirit's influence. And He,
who withheld not His own Son, what gift can He deny?(4) In what He has
promised still further to do: to receive us to be with Jesus, to raise our bodies,

to give us the vision and enjoyment of Himself, and the societyof saints and
angels for ever!
2. He is the greatobjectof our hope. The main thing we hope for is, the vision,
love, and enjoyment of Him (Psalm 73:24).
3. He is also the Author of our hope. By freely justifying us, and by giving us
peace with Him; by adopting us into His family; regenerating us by His grace;
constituting us His heirs, and giving us an earnestof our future inheritance in
our hearts (1 Peter 1:3; 2 Corinthians 4:17).
III. APPLICATION AND IMPROVEMENT.
1. What an antidote against —(1) Distress, onaccountof all present troubles
(chap. Romans 8:16, 17;Hebrews 11:13-16).(2)Doubt, fear, despondency, and
despair.
2. What a deathblow to the carnal expecters of a Mohammedanparadise I
God Himself is the true object of hope. And what a help to spiritual-
mindedness? How necessarythe question, Are we "begottenagainto a lively
hope"?
(J. Benson.)
Hope
W. B. Pope, D.D.
This prayer is closelyconnectedwith the preceding (vers. 5, 6), and the more
obvious link betweenthem is "In Him shall the Gentiles hope"; but the note of
hope had been struck before (ver. 4). The apostle, however, losessightof the
connectionand gives us his solitary petition for this grace in a manner
perfectly independent. Let us study the prayer in regardto —
I. THE GOD TO WHOM IT IS ADDRESSED. Who derives many of His
names from the gospelwhich manifests His glory. As that gospelrests on an
accomplishedpropitiation, He is "the God of grace," "the Fatherof mercies";
as it displays its present effects in the soul, He is "the God of peace," andHis

name of names is love; as it reserves its blessednessforthe future, He is "the
God of hope," i.e., the Fountain of the entire Christian salvationas it is not yet
revealed. This includes —
1. A wide range:there is hardly an aspectof the redeeming work which "the
God of hope" does not preside over. His Son is "Jesus Christwhich is our
hope" (1 Timothy 1:1); the gospelis the foundation of a greathope
(Colossians1:23);the Christian vocationis summed up in hope (Ephesians
1:18); salvation is our comprehensive hope (1 Thessalonians 5:8).
2. An interminable perspective. The future is a glorious sequence of
revelations which the God of hope has yet to disclose (Romans 8:20, 24). There
is the hope of the glorious appearing of our Lord and Saviour (Titus 2:3), the
hope of the resurrection(1 Thessalonians4:13), the hope of final deliverance
from every evil (1 Thessalonians5:8), the hope of eternal life (Romans 7:20),
the hope of glory (Titus 1:2; Titus 3:7); and it would be easyto show that
every one of these forms of the one greatgospelblessing is referred to God as
its Author (Colossians1:27;Romans 5:2; 2 Corinthians 3:12).
II. THE FULNESS OF THE BLESSING WHICH IT ASKS. Though other
terms are found here, they all pay tribute to this grace. Faith is the root of
hope; the peace and joy which are the fruits of faith are the nourishment of
hope; and the abundance of hope is made the perfectionof the Christian life
as a state of probation.
1. Faith and hope are so inseparable that their only scriptural definition
makes them all but identical (Hebrews 11:1); and they are one in this that
their objects are invisible (Romans 8:25). But they differ in this, that faith has
to do with the present, but hope with the future; or faith brings the past and
hope the future into the reality of the present moment. Faith rests upon the
"It is finished" already spoken;hope rejoices in the assurance ofanother "It
is finished" which the creationwaits to hear. But faith must have the pre-
eminence as the parent of hope; for while we can conceive ofa faith without
hope, we cannot conceive ofa hope that does not believe in its object. Hence
the apostle here utters his prayer in a circuitous manner, and takes faith on
the way.

2. There is an evident connectionin Paul's mind betweenthe fruits of faith
and the abounding in hope. He borrows from the previous chapter (ver. 17).
Peace is the blessedsettlementof the controversybetweenGod and the sinner
as respects the past; while joy is the present goodcheerof the soul as
encompassedby mercies, but feeling the present rather than thinking of the
past or future. Now these two demand a third to fill up the measure of the
Christian estate;peace touching the guilty past, and joy in the fruitful present,
do not so much cry out for as naturally produce goodhope for the unknown
future.
3. But of all these there may be measures and degrees.Nothing is more
characteristic ofSt. Paul than his insistance on the increase evenunto
perfection of every grace. The notion of fulness enters into every department
of his practicaltheology. Here we have set before us the abundance of peace,
joy and hope as the result of the abounding power in us of the Holy Ghost. But
the term reluctantly submits to exposition. It is chiefly to be defined by
negatives, though they are positive enough for man's desire. To be filled with
peace is to be dispossessedofthe last residue of a servile dread before God,
and to have risen beyond the possibility of unholy resentments towards man;
to be filled with joy is to have vanquished the sorrow of the world, to find
elements of rejoicing even in tribulation, and to possessa serene contentment
that finds nothing wrong in nature, providence, or grace;to abound in hope is
expressedby another word that rather brings the answerof the prayer down
into the region of our own endeavour. The God of hope bestows its increase
rather as the fruit of our patience and fortitude. Hence the marked allusion to
the "powerof the Holy Ghost." Hope is strengthenedby the habits of
endurance and resistance. While all graces demand His in working, these
demand His power.
4. Abounding in hope is prayed for as the end and result of the fulness of joy
and peace. This indicates that these more tranquil graces are instruments for
the attainment of that more strenuous grace. Joyand peace minister to hope.
The assurance ofreconciliationcannotrestin itself, but must muse on that
which is to come;how can it but encourage the expectationof all the fruits of
a justified estate? The soul, no longer weigheddown under the burden of sin,
by a holy necessitysprings upward. Peace is not hope, but it sets hope free. So

also joy, by an equally Divine necessity, encouragesendurance and fortitude,
and the hopeful expectationof the greatrelease. Hope in this case ministers as
it is ministered unto (Romans 5:2). Conclusion:Hope is in some sense the
highest of the probationary graces. Itis the servant of many of them, but is
itself served by all. What would everything else be without this? The mere
imagination of the withdrawal of hope withers the rest, and wraps all in
darkness. Charity, of course, has the pre-eminence by every right; but as the
grace ofour stern probation — hope has its own peculiar pre-eminence. It
imparts its strength to all other graces, so thatthey without it cannot be made
perfect. It divides the triumphs of faith, and enters largely into the self-denials
and labours of love. As it respects the present life hope is in some sense the
abiding grace. Thencomes a supreme moment when hope, or faith working
by hope, is the only anchorof the soul; and when it has endured its final strain
it will be glorified for ever. With all its fruition it will have its everlasting
anticipation of glories not yet revealed.
(W. B. Pope, D.D.)
The secretofjoy and of hope
A. Maclaren, D. D.
Joy, peace, hope: a fair triad which all men seek, andfew find and retain.
They are, for the most of us, like bright-winged, sweet-voicedbirds that dart
and gleamabout us, and we hear their voices, but nets and cages are hard to
find. This prayer opens up the way to find joy, peace, andhope. Notice that
the text begins with "the God of peace fill you with" these things, and it ends
with "through the powerof the Holy Ghost." So, then, there are here three
stages.There is, first, the Divine gift, which underlies everything. Then there
is the human condition of making that gift our own; and then there is the
triumphant hope which crowns joy and peace, andis their result. I ask you,
then, to look at these three things with me this morning.
1. THE ONLY SOURCE OF TRUE JOY AND PEACE IS GOD HIMSELF.
The only way by which God can give any man joy and peace is by giving him

Himself. No gifts of His hand, apart from Him; no mere judicial act of pardon,
and removal from a state of condemnation, are of themselves enough to fill a
human heart with calm gladness. And if there is ever to be tranquillity in this
disturbed being of mine, if the conflict betweenduty and inclination, between
passionand principle, betweenpresentand future, betweenflesh and spirit, is
ever to be hushed, it must be because Goddwells in us. Notice the bold
emphasis of the apostle's prayer. "The God of hope fill you with all joy and
peace." So then, where God comes and is welcomedby humble obedience and-
trustful love, there is fulness of these precious gifts. So as that a man has as
much gladness and peace as he can hold. There is the difference between
Christian joy and all other. In all others there is always some part of the
nature lacking its satisfaction. Onlywhen we put the colouring matter in at
the fountain-head will it tinge every little ripple as it runs. Only when we have
God for the joy of our hearts and the peace of our else troubled spirits will the
joy be full. Otherwise, howeverabundant the flood, there will always be some
gaunt, barren peak lifting itself parched above the rejoicing waters. No man
was ever glad up to the height of his possibility who found his joy anywhere
else than in God. And, then, mark that other word, too, "all joy and peace."
From this one gift comes an infinite variety of forms and phases of gladness
and peace. And so it is wise, in the highest regions, to have all our investments
in one security; to have all our joy contingent upon one possession. One pearl
of greatprice is worth a million of little ones. One sun in the heavens
outshines a million stars;and all their lustres gatheredtogetheronly
illuminate the night, while its rising makes the day. So if we want joy and
peace, letus learn that we are too greatand too miserable for any but God to
give it us.
II. AND NOW THE HUMAN CONDITION OF THIS DIVINE GIFT OF
FULL AND MANIFOLD JOY AND PEACE. "Fill you with all joy and peace
in believing." Believing what? He does not think it necessaryto say, partly
because allhis readers knew who was the objectof faith, and partly because
there was more prominent in his mind at the moment the act of faith itself
than the objecton which it rests. They who thus trust in Jesus Christare they
to whom, on condition of, and at the moment of their trust or faith, God gives
this fulness of joy and peace. Altogetherapart from any considerationofthe

thing which a man's faith grasps, the very actof trust has in itself a natural
tendency to bring joy and peace. WhenI can shift the responsibility off my
shoulders on to another's, my heart is lightened; and there comes a great
calm. Christian faith does not wriggle out of the responsibilities that attachto
a human life, but it does bring in the thought of a mighty hand that guides and
protects;and that itself brings calm and gladness. You fathers have gotfar
more anxious faces than your little children have, because they trust, and you
are responsible for them. Trust God, and it cannotbe misplaced, and the
vesselcannever be sweptout of the centre of rest into the hurtling rage of the
revolving storm around. Nor need I do more than just remind you of how, in
the objectthat the faith grasps, there is ample provision for all manner of
calm and of gladness, seeing thatwe lay hold upon Christ, infinite in wisdom,
gentleness, brotherliness, strength. Oh, if only we keephold of Him there can
be but little in any future to alarm, and little in any present to disturb or to
sadden. But note how the communication from God of joy and peace, in their
fulness and variety, is strictly contemporaneous withthe actualexercise ofour
faith. Our belief is the condition of God's bestowal, and that is no arbitrary
condition. It is because my faith makes it possible for God to give me Himself
that He only gives Himself on condition of my faith. You open the door, and
the daylight will come in. You remove the hermeticalsealing, and the air will
rush into the vacuum. Only mark this, as tong as you and I keepup the
continuity of our believing, so long, and not one moment longer, does God
keepup the continuity of His giving. Becausethere are such spasmodic and
interrupted acts of faith on our part, we possesssuchtransient and imperfect
gifts of joy and peace. Let me drop one more word. Their are other kinds of
religion and religious exercise than that of trust. There is no promise of peace
and joy to them. "Fill you with all joy and peace" in poking into your own
hearts to see whetheryou are a Christian or not. That is not the promise. "Fill
you with all joy and peace" in painfully trying, to acquire certainqualities,
and to do certain duties. That is not the promise.
III. And so, lastly, THE ISSUE OF THIS GOD-GIVEN JOYAND PEACE IS
HOPE. The apostle did not tell us what was the object of the faith that he
enjoined. He does not tell us what is the objectof the hope either; and I
suppose that is because he is not thinking so much about the objectas about

the thing. And this is the teaching here, that if a man, trusting in God in Jesus
Christ, has all this flood of sunny gladness lying quiet in his heart, there will
be nothing in any future that canalarm. For the peace and joy that God gives
bear witness in themselves to their own immortality. Ah, there is a difference
betweenall earth's gladnessesand the joys that Christian people may possess.
In all earthly blessedness there blends ever the unwelcome consciousnessofits
transiency. Therefore the best demonstration of a heaven of blessedness is the
present possessionof "joy and peace in believing." These are like the floating
timber and seeds that Columbus saw the day before he sighted land. But,
brother, is there any reasonto suppose that you will find a heaven of
blessednessbeyond the grave, in close contactwith the things that you do not
like to be in contactwith now? We must begin here. We must here exercise
the faith. We must here experience the peace and the joy, and then we may
have the hope. Then, rich and blessedwith such gifts from such a Giver, we
may venture to say, "To-morrow shall be as this day, and much more
abundant," and that hope shall not be put to shame.
(A. Maclaren, D. D.)
Christian hope
E. McChesney, Ph.D.
I. COMES FROM GOD.
1. Worldly hope rests upon favouring circumstances — our own powers. It
hangs often upon a slenderthread. "Hope centred in that child." How often
parents with broken hearts have said that.
2. Few are atheists in theory, but many are such in their feelings. They are
hopeless becausethey are godless. Onthe other hand, the Christian is first of
all a believer in Godas revealedin Christ. God therefore is the giver and the
foundation of his hope.
II. COMES "THROUGHJOY AND PEACE IN BELIEVING."

1. It comes not to a heart that is without faith. It comes not from a creed
repeated, or held merely intellectually. It comes from a faith that yields the
affections, the will, the whole life to God. Are there "Christians" without
faith? Then they are also without hope. Are they without "joy and peace"?
Then they are also without hope.
2. Peaceand joy in believing make God known. This is the logic of the heart.
"Suchjoy and such peace cancome only from God." The joy of pardon and
cleansing is the faith that only God canpardon and cleanse.
3. "Peace andjoy in believing" are the firstfruits of Heaven. They are like the
two faithful spies who came back loadedwith the rich clusters of the promised
inheritance. Largerfaith, permanent faith, mean largerand more permanent
hope. Being "justified by faith," our tribulations work patience, our patience
experience, our experience hope.
4. And this hope is for others as well as for ourselves. The man whose hope is
confined to his individual interests is not a Christian. Under the stimulus of
"joy and peace in believing" we argue: "The God who has pardoned my sins
can pardon others."
III. IS BY THE POWER OF THE "HOLY GHOST."
1. Like all other elements of the Christian life, hope is inspired. It is not a
natural impulse. The lack of hope argues, then, a lack of spiritual life. Do we
find persons professing faith in Christ, and yet living drearily? It may mean
enfeebledhealth, or overtaxednerves. It may mean also that they have not
"receivedthe Holy Ghost." And when we remember this saintly apostle who
writes of hope, yet has an enfeebledbody, and nerves constantly taxed by toils
and perils, we can conclude what the lack of despondent Christians most
commonly is.
2. Our hope is not for the sanguine only, but for persons of every shade of
temperament.Conclusion:
1. Our hope is not a selfish emotion. God never inspires mortals with any sort
of selfishness, noteven with religious selfishness. The hope we cherish, if it

reflects the spirit of Christ, will be large-hearted. It will rest upon "the God of
Hope," as the God who rules over all the world.
2. It is an exclusively Christian possession. Suchis the unavoidable inference
from the text. Men who are not Christians are "without God and without
hope."
(E. McChesney, Ph.D.)
Joy and peace in believing
D. Moore, M.A.
Consider—
I. THE SOURCE OF THIS DESIRED GOOD. Godsometimes permits the
use of titles descriptive of what He is in Himself, and sometimes of names
denoting His relation to His creatures. In the former sense we apply such
designations as"the Godof mercy," "the God of love," "the God of truth."
Examples of the latter are "the God of peace," "the Godof patience," "the
God of all consolation." In the text He is "the God of hope," because —
1. He is the Fountain from which all hope must flow. Hope, like its sister
Faith, is one of those "goodand perfect gifts" which, pass through what
intermediate channels it may, must come down to us "from the Father of
lights." And this hope, which God begets in us, is "a lively hope" that is, God
invests spiritual objects with a new attractiveness, andcreates within us
longing desires after their attainment.
2. He is the objecton which all hope must terminate. God cannever raise an
expectationin His creatures for the mere purpose of disappointing them. It
might be optional whether He should give to us a ground of hope or not; but
having given us cause to hope, it is no longeran option whether such a hope
shall be fulfilled. "Godcannot deny Himself." And although God may and
will take His own time, we must not, as in the case ofhuman promises, allow

the heart to sickenat hope deferred. Delays with God are but invisible means
of hastening mercy. "He that believeth" must "not make haste." "In due
seasonwe shallreap, if we faint not."
II. THE PARTICULAR BLESSINGS.
1. Joyis one of those early fruits of the Spirit which flow from a sense of our
interest in the promises — a well-grounded persuasionof our having a part in
the greatpropitiation. It is a joy with which "a strangerintermeddleth not,"
and of which even adversity depriveth us not. Hence this joy is to be
distinguished from every other as having God for its object. It is not in riches,
which have wings — not in honours, which may fail — not in health, which
may languish, etc.;but it is Isaiah's joy when he said, "My soul shall be joyful
in my God." It is the Virgin's joy when she said, "My spirit has rejoicedin
God my Saviour." It is the apostle's joy when he saidto the Philippians,
"Rejoicein the Lord alway." And this may serve to explain the paradox,
"sorrowful, yet always rejoicing." Forthe Christian has meat to eatthat the
world knows not of.
2. Peace—
(1)The peace ofreconciliationwith a God offended.
(2)The peace ofconsciencefora law infringed.
(3)The peace ofan assuredconscience.The apostle wouldhave us filled with
peace — the true peace — the peace which was the Father's token, the Son's
legacy, the Spirit's sealand earnestunto the day of a complete redemption.
This is a "peace whichthe world cannot give."
3. "In believing." We might have expected"afterye have believed," as if joy
and peace were net to be lookedfor at the outsetof our Christian course, but
the recompense ofan advanced and establishedfaith. But no; you should
expectthe blessing as you believe, and because you believe. Faith is the hand
which takes the blessing at God's hand.
III. THE FRUIT.

1. In ver. 4 and here the respective functions of the Word and the Spirit in our
salvationare beautifully brought together. Perfectlydistinct as these agencies
are, yet their joint operationissues in the same result. The reasonis, that one
is the agentand the other the instrument in this greatwork. The Word of God
is "the swordof the Spirit"; it is that by which He works. The Word cannot
convert without the Spirit; and, as a rule, the Spirit does not convertwithout
the Word. And here the Word and the Spirit join togetherto make us
"abound in hope."
2. What is the hope in which we are to rejoice and abound? Why, we "rejoice
in hope of the glory of God"; we "rejoice in hope of the glory" that shall be
revealed. We "abound in hope" of entering a world without sin, suffering, and
death.
(D. Moore, M.A.)
The present happiness of believers
D. Savile, M.A.
I. FAITH NATURALLY TENDS TO FILL THE SOUL WITH THE MOST
PLEASANT AND DELIGHTFUL FULNESS, PLEASURE, AND HOPE.
II. THOUGH FAITH NATURALLY TENDS TO FILL THE SOUL WITH
THE MOST PLEASANT AND DELIGHTFUL FEELINGS, YET EVEN
TRUE CHRISTIANS DO NOT ALWAYS FULLY ENJOYTHEM.
III. WE MUST LABOUR TO REMOVE THE OBSTACLES WHICH
PREVENT OUR FULL ENJOYMENT OF THIS SPIRITUAL HAPPINESS.
(D. Savile, M.A.)
C. H. Spurgeon.

There are a large number of persons who profess to have believed in Christ,
but who assertthat they have no joy and peace in consequence. Now I shall
suppose that these are not raising this difficulty by way of cavil, and that they
are not labouring under any bodily sickness suchas might bring on
hypochondriacal feelings. We begin with two observations —
1. That joy and peace are exceedinglydesirable for your own sakesand for the
sake ofyour acquaintances, who setdown your despondency to your religion.
2. Do not overestimate them; for, though eminently desirable, they are not
infallible evidences of safety. Many have them who are not saved, for their joy
springs from a mistake, and their peace rests upon the sand of their own
imaginations. It is a goodsign that the spring is come, that the weatheris
warm; but there are mild days in winter. A man may be in the lifeboat, but be
exceedinglyill, and think himself to be still in peril. It is not his sense of safety
that makes him safe. Joyand peace are the element of a Christian, but he is
sometimes out of his element. The leaves on the tree prove that the tree is
alive, but the absence ofleaves will not prove that the tree is dead. True joy
and peace may be very satisfactoryevidences, but their absence, during
certain seasons,canoften be accountedfor on some other hypothesis than that
of the absence offaith.
3. Do not seek them as the first and main thing. Let your prayer be, "Lord,
give me comfort, but give me safetyfirst." Be anxious to be happy, but be
more anxious to be holy.
I. THE TEXT MAY BE USED TO CORRECT TWO COMMON AND
DANGEROUS ERRORS.
1. That there is a way of joy and peace through self. Some look for them
through goodworks. Now if we had never sinned, joy and peace would have
been the consequencesofperfect holiness;but since we have broken God's law
any rational joy and peace are impossible under the covenantof works. You
have broken the alabastervase;you may preserve the fragments, but you
cannot make it whole again. Many who are conscious ofthis say, "ThenI will
do my best." Yes; but a man who is drowning may saythat, but it is no solace
to him as the billows close overhim. Some try the plan of scrupulous

observance ofall religious ceremonies.These things may be goodin
themselves;but to rest in them will be your ruin.
2. That of turning the text upside down. There is such a thing as joy and peace
in believing, and some therefore infer that there is such a thing as believing in
joy and peace. You will getpeace just as the florist gets his flowerfrom the
bulb; but you will never getthe bulb from the flower. To trust Christ because
you just feel happy is —(1) Irrational. Suppose a man should sayduring a
panic, "I feel sure that my bank is safe, because I feelso easyabout my
money"; you would say to him, "Thatis no reason." Suppose he said, "I feel
sure that my money is safe, because Ibelieve the bank is safe." Thatis good
reasoning. But here you put the effectin the place of the cause. If a man
should say, "I have got a large estate in India, because I feel so happy in
thinking about it," that is no proof whatever. But if he says, "I feel very
happy, because I have got an estate in India," that may be right enough.(2)
Irreverent. You say to God, "Thoutellest me to trust Christ and I shall be
saved. Well, I cannottrust Christ, but I can trust my own feeling, and if I felt
very happy I could believe that He would save me.(3) Egotistical. Here is "a
person who has the Divine promise — He that believeth on Him is not
condemned"; and instead of confiding in this, he says, "No, I shall believe
nothing which I do not feel."
II. THE GREAT TRUTH OF THE TEXT IS, THAT BELIEVING IN
CHRIST IS THE TRUE GROUND FOR JOY AND PEACE. Believing in
Christ is trusting Christ, "But what sort of a Christ is this I am to confide in?
Is He worthy of my trust?" The reply is this, "We have trusted Christ" —
1. Becauseofthe wonderful union of His natures. He is God, and whatever
God undertakes He is able to accomplish. But He is man, and has the requisite
tenderness to deal with sinners.
2. Becauseofthe evident truthfulness of His character. Could we suspectthe
Saviour we should find it difficult to trust Him; but as we cannotimagine a
cause for suspecting Him, we feel shut up to believing Him. Millions of spirits
boar witness to the trustworthiness of Christ. He did not fail one of them.

3. BecauseHe was sent of God on purpose to save. Now if this be so, and
Christ comes into the world and says, "Trust, and I will save you," He has
God to back Him, and the honour of the Trinity is pledged to every soul that
comes to Christ.
4. Becausethe merit of His sufferings must be greatenough to save us.
5. BecauseHe rose againfrom the dead, and now He ever liveth to make
intercessionfor us. Wherefore, "He is able to save to the uttermost."
III. THE PRINCIPLE OF THE TEXT IS OF CONSTANT APPLICATION :
JOY AND PEACE ALWAYS COME THROUGH BELIEVING. We do not
always have joy and peace, but still, in the main, joy and peace are the result
of believing. E.g. —
1. As soonas a person is saved, one of the earliestevidences ofspiritual life is a
greatbattle within. Some have the notion that as soonas they are savedthey
shall never have to fight. Why, it is then that you begin the campaign. But you
shall have joy and peace while the fighting is going on.
2. Rememberthat even after you are secure in Christ, and acceptedbefore
God, you may sometimes getdespondent. Christian men may have a bad liver,
or some trial, and then they getdepressed. But what then? Why then you can
get joy and peace through believing.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Joy essential
H. W. Beecher.
Joy has been consideredby Christian people very largely as an exceptional
state;whereas sobriety — by which is meant severity of mind, or a non-
enjoying state of mind — is supposedto be the normal condition. I knew a
Roman Catholic priest that was as upright and conscientious a man as I ever
met, who said he did not dare to be happy; he was afraid that he should lose
his soulif he was;and he subjectedhimself to every possible mortification,

saying, "'It is not for me to be happy here; I must take it out when I getto
heaven. There I expectto be happy." That was in accordance withhis view of
Christianity. Now, it is of the utmost importance that it should be understood
that health of souland joyfulness are one and the same thing. You cannot be
healthy in soul and not be happy. The true idea of religionis one that makes
men happy by making them happiable; that brings them into that soul-
knowledge, andinto that concordof soul, out of which comes happiness.
Remember that the state of suffering, if you must suffer, is the abnormal state,
and that a true Christian is a man who is a happy Christian. You may say, "I
cannot be happy." Very well, then you cannotbe an ideal of true Christianity.
You are not able to reachthe highest condition of which the human soul is
capable. It does not follow because a man has one leg shorter than the other,
and is obliged to limp, that limping is a part of the best state of man. The man
whose legs are lithe, and who can run like a roe, is a true man physically, in so
far as that is concerned;and the man who is maimed, and cannot do this, is
physically so much less than a true man as he falls short of the possibility of it.
(H. W. Beecher.)
A cheerful hope
J. Matthews.
A hopeless life is a bitter life. Surely the heart is broken when hope is gone.
Thank God, this is a rare thing. You tread upon the wild flowerin the field,
and for a time it is crushed; but ere the next morning comes, when the dew is
on the grass, it stands erectagain. And when deep trouble comes the heart
may be crushed for a time, but it is generally only for a time. It is wonderful
how people will recoverand see there is still something left. Here is a
bankrupt: his plans are frustrated, his heart is bruised. Fora time he droops
his head despondently, but he is soonready to make another start. He adapts
himself to his circumstances,and finds hope rising within him. "I may yet be
in comfortable circumstances,"he says, and againhe can work with a will. It
is beautiful, though sometimes very sad, to see how the poor consumptive
patient will retain hope to the last. "It is only a little cold," she says;"I shall

soonbe strong again." "We are savedby hope," says Paul, and there is a
depth of meaning in his words. People oftensay, "While there is life there is
hope"; but would it not be truer still to say, "While there is hope there is
life"? This cheerful hope is the Christian's. All things are his, not in
possession, but in prospect. The heart can cherishno desire which is not
abundantly spread out before him. "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither
hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive, whatthings God hath
prepared for those who love Him."
(J. Matthews.)
Through the powerof the Holy Ghost
The powerof the Holy Ghost
C. H. Spurgeon.
Poweris the peculiar prerogative of God. "Twice have I heard this," etc. If He
delegates a portion of it to His creatures, yet still it is His power. This
prerogative is to be found in eachof the three persons of the Trinity. We shall
look at the powerof the Holy Ghostin —
I. THE OUTWARD AND VISIBLE DISPLAYS OF IT.
1. In creationworks (Job26:13; Psalm104:29;Genesis 1:2). But there was
one instance of creationin which the Spirit was more especiallyconcerned,
viz., the formation of the body of Christ. "The power of the Highest shall
overshadow Thee," etc.
2. In the resurrectionof Christ. Sometimes this is ascribedto Himself,
sometimes to God the Father. He was raisedby the Father, who said, "Loose
the Prisoner— let Him go. Justice is satisfied." He was raisedby His own
majesty and powerbecause He had a right to come out. But He was raisedby
the Spirit as to the energy which His mortal frame received(Romans 8:11; 1
Peter3:18).

3. In works of witnessing. WhenJesus went into Jordan the Spirit proclaimed
Him God's beloved Son. And when afterwards Jesus raisedthe dead, healed
the leper, etc., it was done by the powerof the Spirit, who dwelt in Him
without measure. And when Jesus was gone the master attestationof the
Spirit was when He came like a rushing mighty wind, and cloventongues. And
all through the apostle's ministry "mighty signs and wonders were clone by
the Holy Ghost, and many believed thereby."
4. The works of grace. Under the power of the Holy Ghost the uncivilised
become civilised, the savage polite, the drunkard sober, etc.
II. THE INWARD AND SPIRITUAL MANIFESTATION. The former may
be seen, this must be felt. The Holy Ghost has a power over —
1. Men's hearts. Now these are very hard to affect. If you want to get at them
for any worldly object you can do it. But there is not a minister breathing who
can win man's heart himself. He can win his ears, his eyes, his attention; but
he cannot reachthe heart. The Holy Spirit can. He can"Speak with that voice
which wakes the dead."
2. The will. This, especiallyin some men, is a very stubborn thing. I can bring
you all to the water, and a greatmany more; but I cannot make you drink;
and I don't think a hundred ministers could. But the Spirit of God can make
us willing in the day of His power.
3. The imagination. Those who have a fair share of imagination know what a
difficult thing it is to control. It will sometimes fly up to Godwith such a
powerthat eagles'wings cannotmatch it; but it is also potent the other way,
for my imagination has takenme down to the vilest kennels and sewersof
earth. Can you chain your imagination? No; but the power of the Holy Ghost
can.
III. ITS FUTURE AND DESIRED EFFECTS. He has —
1. To perfect us in holiness. The Christian needs two kinds of perfection-of
justification in the person of Jesus, ofsanctificationby the Holy Spirit. At
present corruption still rests even in the breasts of the regenerate,but the day
is coming when God shall finish the work which He has begun.

2. To bring on the latter-day glory.
3. To raise the dead. That same powerwhich raisedChrist from the dead shall
also quicken your mortal bodies.Practical inferences:
1. The Spirit is very powerful, Christian!
(1)Then you never need distrust the power of God to carry you to heaven.
(2)Why should you doubt anything?
2. Sinners, there is some hope for you. I cannotsave you, but I know my
Mastercan.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Our urgent need of the Holy Spirit
C. H. Spurgeon
(text, and ver. 19): —
1. The Spirit of God is necessaryto the Church for its own internal growth in
grace. Hence ver. 13, where the apostle attributes the power to be filled with
joy and peace in believing, and to abound in hope, to the Holy Ghost. But the
powerof the Church outside, to be aggressive, is this same energy (ver. 19). If
the Church is to be happy and holy within herself, and if she is to conquer the
world for Christ, she must have the power of the Holy Ghost.
2. The power of the Church for external work will be proportionate to the
powerwithin.(1) There are two cottagesin winter. From the roof of one the
snow has disappeared, while the other is still coveredwith it. The reasonis
that there is a fire burning inside the one, but the other is untenanted. So
where worldliness and formalism lie thick upon Churches there is not the
warmth of Christian life within; but where hearts are warm with Divine love
through the Spirit of God, evils vanish and beneficialconsequencesfollow.(2)
Here is a trouble arising betweendifferent nations. Everybody knows that one
of the hopes of peace lies in the bankrupt condition of the nation which is

likely to go to war. Thus is it in the greatbattle of truth. The strength or
weakness ofa nation's exchequeraffects its army in its every march, and in
like manner its measure of grace influences the Church of God in all its
actions.(3)The rising of the Nile depends upon those far-off lakes in the centre
of Africa. If there be a scanty supply in the higher reservoirs, there cannotbe
much overflow in the course of the river through Egypt. So if the upper lakes
of fellowship with God are not well-filled the Nile of practicalChristian
service will never rise to the flood. You cannotget out of the Church what is
not in it. We must ourselves drink of the living watertill we are full, and then
out of the midst of us shall flow rivers of living water. Out of an empty basket
you cannotdistribute loaves and fishes, howeverhungry the crowd may be.
The powerof the Holy Ghost is manifestedin —
I. THE QUICKENING OF SOULS TO SPIRITUAL LIFE.
1. All the spiritual life which exists in this world is the creationof the Holy
Spirit. Every growth of spiritual life, from the first tender shootuntil now, has
also been His work. You will never have more life, exceptas the Holy Ghost
bestows it upon you.
2. The Holy Spirit is absolutely needful to make everything that we do to be
alive. We are sowers, but if we take dead seedin our seed-basketthere will
never be a harvest. How much there is of Church work which is nothing
better than the movement of a galvanisedcorpse. How much of religion is
done as if it were performed by an automaton, or ground off by machinery.
3. As the Spirit is a quickener to make us and our work alive, so must He
speciallybe with us to make those alive with whom we have to deal for Jesus.
As well may you try to calm the tempest with poetry or stay the hurricane
with rhetoric as to bless a soul by mere learning and eloquence. We are utterly
dependent here, and I rejoice in this. If I could have a stock ofpowerall my
own apart from the Spirit, I cannotsuppose a greatertemptation to pride and
to living a distance from God.
II. THE ENLIGHTENMENTOF HIS PEOPLE.

1. This He has done by giving us His Word; but the Book, inspired though it
be, is never spiritually understood by any man apart from His personal
teaching. The letter you may know, but no man knows the things of God save
he to whom the Spirit of God has revealedthem.
2. If professors be not taught of the Spirit their ignorance will breed conceit,
pride, unbelief. Sorrow too comes of ignorance. Hadstthou known the
doctrines of grace thou hadst not been so long a time in bondage!Half of the
heresy in the Church of God is not wilful error, but error which springs of not
submitting the mind to the light of the Holy Ghost. If He will but enlighten the
Church thoroughly there will be an end of divisions. Practicalunity will exist
in proportion to the unity of men's minds in the truth of God.
3. We find in this gracious operationour strength for the instruction of
others; for how shall those teachwho have never been taught? "Sonof man,
eat this roll"; for until thou hast eatenit thyself thy lips can never tell it out to
others. It is the law of Christ's vineyard that none shall work therein till first
of all they know the flavour of the fruits which grow in the sacredenclosure.
An ignorant Christian is disqualified for greatusefulness;but he who is
taught of God will teach transgressorsGod's ways, and sinners shall be
convertedunto Christ.
III. THE CREATION IN BELIEVERS OF THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION.
1. We are regeneratedby the Holy Spirit, and so receive the nature of
children; and that nature He develops and matures. This is of very great
importance, for sometimes the spirit of slaves creeps overus.
2. This will have a great effectupon the outside world. A body of professors
performing religion as a task can have but small effectupon the sinners
around them. But bring me a Church made up of men who know they are
acceptedand beloved, and are perfectly content with the greatFather's will;
put them down in the midst of ungodly ones, and they will begin to envy them
their peace and joy.
IV. SANCTIFICATION.

1. Holiness is the entirety of our manhood fully consecratedto the Lord and
moulded to His will. This is the thing which the Church of God must have, but
it can never have it apart from the Sanctifier, for there is no holiness but what
is of His operation.
2. And if a Church be destitute of holiness what effect canit have upon the
world? Scoffers utterly despise professors whoselives contradict their
testimonies.
V. PRAYER.
1. The strength of a Church may pretty accuratelybe gaugedby her
prayerfulness. But all acceptable supplicationis wrought in the soul by the
Holy Ghost.
2. Furthermore, when we come to deal with sinners we know that they must
pray. "Beholdhe prayeth" is one of the earliestsigns of the new birth. But can
we make the sinner pray?
VI. FELLOWSHIP.
1. In the apostolic benedictionwe pray that we may receive the communion of
the Holy Ghost. He gives us fellowshipwith God Himself. Our fellowshipis
with the Fatherand with His Son Jesus Christ. So, too, our fellowshipwith
one another is always produced by the Spirit.
2. If you are to tell upon the world you must be united as one living body. A.
divided Church has long been the scornof Antichrist.
VII. IN HIS OFFICE OF PARACLETE.
1. The Holy Spirit is our friend and Comforter. Many a heart would break if
the Spirit of God had not comforted it. This is a very necessarywork, for if
believers become unhappy they become weak for service.
2. He is the Advocate of the Church — not with God, for there Christ is our
sole Advocate, but with man. The grandestplea that the Church has against
the world is the indwelling of the Holy Ghost. All the evidences of the truth of
Christianity which canbe gatheredfrom analogy, history, and external facts,

are nothing whatever comparedwith the operations of the Spirit of God. If we
have the Spirit of God amongstus, and conversions are constantlybeing
wrought, the Holy Spirit is thus fulfilling His advocacy, andrefuting all
accusers.
(C. H. Spurgeon)
Amplified: May the God of your hope so fill you with
all joy and peace in believing[through the experience
of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you
may aboundand be overflowing(bubbling over) with
hope. (Amplified Bible - Lockman)
PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
BIBLICAL HOPE
Source:God of Hope
Power:Holy Spirit
Prayer: For filling
Result: Overflowing hope
Now (de) marks a transition to a new subject, something distinguished in some
way from the preceding. Paul has just quoted from Isaiah11:10-note
regarding the Gentiles hope and now he moves from that Scripture to
intercessionrequesting realization of that hope in the lives of his readers.

Bishop Handley Moule comments that now refers to "“the Hope” just cited
from the Prophet (Ro 15:12-note), the expectationof all blessing, up to its
crownand flower in glory, on the basis of Messiah’s work."
William Newellexhorts believers to "Look at this greatthirteenth verse:how
it blossoms out before us! Here is a verse packedfull! The name here given to
God thrills our hearts: The God of Hope. Hope looks forwardwith exultation
for everand ever! Now, if God is the God of hope, looking forward with
expectancyand delight to the certain, glorious things of the future, then a
dejected, depressed, discouragedsaintof His is yielding to a spirit directly
contrary to His will, which is, for eachof us, that we abound in hope. (Romans
Verse-by-Verse)(Ed: If you are not "abounding in hope", consider
importuning the God of hope to give you a Spirit enabled supernatural hope.
Use the words of Paul to beseechthe God of Hope.)
Alexander Maclarengives an excellentexplanation of how this greatpassage
fits with the overall contextof Paul's call in Romans 15 to unity of the saints at
Rome...
With this comprehensive and lofty petition the Apostle closes his exhortation
to the factions in the RomanChurch to be at unity. The form of the prayer is
molded by the lastwords of a quotation which he has just made (quoting
Isaiah11:10-note in Ro 15:12), which says that in the coming Messiah‘shall
the Gentiles hope.’ But the prayer itself is not an instance of being led awayby
a word—in form, indeed, it is shapedby verbal resemblance;in substance it
points to the true remedy for religious controversy. Fill the contending parties
(Ed: Eg see Ro 15:1, 2, Ro 15:7 for context) with a fuller spiritual life, and the
ground of their differences will begin to dwindle, and look very contemptible.
When the tide rises, the little pools on the rocks are all merged into one....This
is Paul’s conceptionof the Christian life as it might and should be, in one
aspect. You notice that there is not a word in it about conduct. It goes far
deeper than action. It deals with the springs of actionin the individual life. It
is the depths of spiritual experience here set forth which will result in actions
that become a Christian. And in these days, when all around us we see a

shallow conceptionof Christianity, as if it were concernedprincipally with
conduct and men’s relations with one another, it is well to go down into the
depths, and to remember that whilst ‘Do, do, do!’ is very important, ‘Be, be,
be!’ is the primary commandment. Conduct is a making visible of personality,
and the Scripture teaching which says first faith and then works is profoundly
philosophical as well as Christian. So we turn awayhere from externals
altogether, and regard the effectof Christianity on the inward life. (From
Maclaren's sermonJoyand Peace in Believing)
THE GOD
OF HOPE
The God of Hope - The truths conveyed are that God is both the origin of
hope and the object of our hope ("Who inspires hope and imparts it to His
children" Harrison). God is the Source of hope and the Giver of hope. Stated
another way, the greatbenefits (hope, joy, peace)Paul prays for the saints at
Rome, cannot be possessedapart from God. In the same manner, believers
today can possessthem only as He gives them to us. And what is the believer's
part in this divine transaction? To believe [in believing] as explained below by
Alexander Maclaren.
James Denneyexplains that the God of Hope signifies "the God Who gives us
the hope which we have in Christ. (Expositor's Greek Testament)
John Piper in discussing the name God of hope reminds us that "Everything
starts with God. If there is hope for joy that is deep and eternal it will be hope
that is founded on God. Any other foundation will fail. God is, and God is a
God of hope. This we must believe. (Word of Promise, Spirit of God, Hope of
Man)
Matthew Henry on the importance of God's names like the God of Hope - It is
goodin prayer to fasten upon those names, titles, and attributes of God, which
are most suitable to the errand we come upon, and will best serve to

encourage ourfaith concerning it. Every word in the prayer should be a plea.
Thus should the cause be skillfully ordered, and the mouth filled with
arguments. God is the God of hope. He is the foundation on which our hope is
built, and he is the builder that doth himself raise it: he is both the object of
our hope, and the author of it. That hope is but fancy, and will deceive us,
which is not fastenedupon God (as the goodness hopedfor, and the truth
hoped in), and which is not of his working in us. We have both together, Ps.
119:49.
What is the "hope" to which Paul refers? In the Greek text note that the
definitive article precedes the noun hope so that literally the text reads "the
hope". Thus it is not just any hope, but is a specific hope. In Romans 5 Paul
describes this hope writing that as believers "we exult in hope of the glory of
God." (Romans 5:2-note). Among other things then, this hope of all believers
is the joyful certainty that we will indeed see the Glorious One Himself, Christ
Jesus, our "BlessedHope" (Titus 2:13-note). Note well that Our Godis the
God of hope, and the hope that He gives centers on the Lord Jesus Christ(1Ti
1:1). This hope also includes the confidence that when we see the Glorious
One, we will be like Him--glorified (1Jn 3:2-note). As an aside dear saint note
that Scripture speaks ofthree different ways we will experience the glory of
God: (1) We will see Godin all His glory (Rev 22:4-note, Rev 22:5-note). (2)
We will be transformed to reflect His glory (Col 3:4-note). (3) We will live in a
world filled with God's glory (Ro 8:21-note). These greattruths should cause
all God's people to shout "Glory! Hallelujah!"
Someone once quipped that "The only thing we know about the future is that
the providence of God will be up before dawn." As we face what lies ahead,
we can count on that maxim (truth). Hope is the God of all our tomorrows
provides optimism for our glorious future and gives strength for the trials of
today.
In his classic commentary, RobertHaldane writes that "God is calledthe God
of hope, because He is the Author of all the well–groundedhope of His people.
All hope of which He is not the author, in the heart of men, is false and
delusive. The world in generalmay have hope, but it is false hope. All true
hope with respectto the Divine favor is effectedin the human heart by God

Himself (Ed: Specificallybirthed by His indwelling Spirit's power as Ro 15:13
teaches!). Not only is God the author of all true hope, but He can create this
hope in the midst of despair! (Ed: This is clear evidence that His "hope" is
supernatural, not natural, for dire circumstances "naturally" breed in us a
sense ofhopelessness. PraiseGodthat He is the God of supernatural Hope!)
The most desponding are often raisedby Him to a goodhope through grace
(Ed: "Spirit of grace" Heb10:29-note);and the most guilty are in a moment
relieved (Ed: 1Jn 1:9-note), and made to hope in His mercy (Ed: Ps 119:156).
How remarkably was this the case with the thief on the cross (Lk 23:42, 43),
and with the three thousand on the day of Pentecost!(Acts 2:41) ...["fill you"]
implies that there are degrees ofjoy and peace in the minds of Christians.
Some may have a measure of these graceswho do not abound in them. It is a
greatblessing to be filled with them; and for this blessing the Apostle prays
with respectto the Christians at Rome. If there be different degrees ofjoy and
peace, how important is it to look earnestlyto God for the fullest
communication of these blessings!(Commentary on Romans)
May...fill (4137)(pleroo)means literally to fill "to the brim" (a net, Mt 13:48,
a building, Jn 12:3, Acts 2:2, a city, Acts 5:28, needs Phil 4:19-note).
Metaphorically, pleroo means to make complete in every particular, to
pervade, to take possessionof and ultimately to control. This is the same verb
used by Paul to command the saints at Ephesus to be continually "filled with
the Spirit." (Eph 5:18-note) The idea is that what fills a person, exercises
control over the person's affect, attitude and actions. In the present passage
may...fill is in the the optative mood which expresses a wishor prayer.
You - Paul uses the plural pronoun which speaks ofall the saints in Rome,
whether they are Jews orGentile believers.
Beloved, are you looking for a powerful prayer to pray for someone? Here is a
prime "candidate" - in fact, considermemorizing this short prayer (see the
value of Memorizing His Word) and using Paul's powerful prayer to intercede
for family, friends and other members of the body of Christ. Will God answer
this prayer? Notice whatthe apostle John says...

And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything
according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in
whateverwe ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked
from Him. (1Jn 5:14, 15-note)
Praying Scripture is a wonderful pattern for productive prayer. Why not stop
now and pray this prayer for someone in your sphere of influence? You can
be assuredthat what you ask for is in God's will and that you will have the
requests you have askedfrom Him!
Beloved, you can "put it in the bank" that even in the bleakesttimes,
Christians have the brightest hope.
Feeling a bit down today? As discussedabove, considerbeseeching the God of
hope with this hopeful (hope filled") prayer in Romans 15:13. Considerasking
a brother or sisterin Christ to pray it for you. I think they would be honored
at your humble request and considersuch intercessiona precious privilege! I
took my ownadvice this morning asking anothersaint to pray Ro 15:13 for
me as I prayed it for him - I must saymy day has been a wonderful experience
of abounding hope by the power of the Spirit.
J B Phillips paraphrases this prayer...
May the Godof Hope fill you with joy and peace in your faith, that by the
powerof the Holy Spirit, your whole life and outlook may be radiant and
alive.
Comment: I like Phillips' phraseology, don't you? Isn't this what all followers
of Christ ardently desire...ourwhole life and outlook radiant and alive? Is this
not your desire?
"Abounding in hope" ideally should be the description of every followerof
Christ. Of all people, the Christian should be the one who manifests the inner
strength (and Spirit) to look aheadwith a contagious enthusiasm. Godhas
given us hope, the absolute certainty of that God will do goodto us in the
future.

All joy and peace - "All" in Greek means all without exception. In other
words Paul is praying not for a percentage,portion or fraction, but for all the
joy and hope that God has promised to those who love Him! God is not a
stingy grinch (Dr Suess'character)but He is a gracious Giverand Paul
desires that the saints at Rome (and you and I dear child of the MostHigh
God) experience this supernatural joy and peace to the max!
Notice also that joy and peace are two components of the fruit of the Holy
Spirit (Gal 5:22-note).
Note the qualifier -- "in believing." This speaks ofour responsibility. Do you
really believe God is "able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask
or think, according to the powerthat works within us" (Ephesians 3:20-note)?
Through His prophet ("mouthpiece")Malachi(means "MessengerofGod")
God challenges us...
"TestMe now in this," says the LORD of hosts (JehovahSabaoth, LORD of
hosts or of armies), "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour
out for you a blessing until it overflows." (Malachi3:10-note)
What impact would it have on the spiritually dead (Eph 2:1-note) and
irrevocably decaying world (2Pe 1:4-note) if it were to witness the lives of
believers continually filled with the Spirit, walking by the enabling powerof
the Spirit and bearing the fragrant fruit of the Spirit? Would the "walking
dead" not be convicted by the Spirit of sin and of righteousness andof the
judgment to come as they saw the irrepressible powerof the "Gospel" being
lived out in their very presence? And would not some ask "you to give an
accountfor the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence" (1Peter
3:15-note)? The impact of radiant Spirit empoweredlives on a societyvainly
searching for the meaning of life would be dramatic! Indeed, as Paul wrote to
the saints in the moral cesspoolofCorinth...
we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being savedand
among those who are perishing to the one an aroma from death to death, to
the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?
(2Cor2:15, 16, See 2Cor3:5, 6-note for "Who is adequate?")

Charles Hodge - All joy means all possible joy. Paul here, as in Ro 15:5,
concludes by praying that God would grant them the excellencieswhichit was
their duty to possess(Ed: But as explained elsewhere in these notes [see
especiallyDr Maclaren's explanation], their part, their "responsibility", was
believing or trusting or having confidence.)Thus constantly and intimately
are the ideas of accountablenessand dependence connectedin the sacred
Scriptures. We are to work out our own salvation, because it is God that
works in us both to will and to do according to his goodpleasure. The God of
hope, ie, GodWho is the Author of that hope which it was predicted men
should exercise in the root and offspring of Jesse. (Romans 15 Commentary)
Alexander Maclarenhas a beautiful description of the joy given by the God of
hope " If I am living in an atmosphere of trust, then sorrow will never be
absolute, nor have exclusive monopoly and possessionofmy spirit. But there
will be the paradox, and the blessedness, ofChristian experience, ‘as
sorrowfulyet always rejoicing.’Forthe joy of the Christian life has its source
far awaybeyond the swamps from which the sour drops of sorrow may
trickle, and it is possible that, like the fabled fire that burned under water, the
joy of the Lord may be bright in my heart, even when it is drenched in floods
of calamity and distress." (Joyand Peacein Believing)
Earlier Paul had given us a "definition" of the kingdom of God writing that
"the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness andpeace
and joy in the Holy Spirit." (Ro 14:17-note)Comment by Denney: One may
serve Christ either eating or abstaining, but no one can serve Him whose
conduct exhibits indifference to righteousness, peace, andjoy in the Holy
Spirit.
Paul againlinks the Holy Spirit with joy in his letter to the saints at
Thessalonica -"You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having
receivedthe word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit." (1Thes
1:6-note) Notice how this passage emphasizesthe supernatural nature of joy,
for experiencing tribulations is hardly conducive to producing joy in the
natural man (1Cor2:14-note)!

Joy (5479)(chara from chaíro = to rejoice)(cf Ro 14:17-note, Ro 15:32-note)
is one of Paul's great themes, with charas being used by him 21x comparedto
next most frequent use of 9 by John. The Christian life is to be a life of
"JOY". It is founded on faith in Jesus, whose life on earth beganas "good
news of greatjoy for all people" (Lk 2:10).
Joy is the deep-down sense of well-being that abides in the heart of the person
who knows all is well betweenhimself and the Lord and is independent of
whether circumstances are favorable or unfavorable (Jn 16:20, 21, 22).
Joy is God’s gift to believers, a component of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-
note). Nehemiahdeclared, "The joy of the Lord is your strength" (Neh 8:10).
So Paul prays that they would be filled with all joy, that inner gladness and
deep seatedpleasure which is independent of one's external circumstances.It
is a depth of assurance andconfidence that ignites a cheerful heart. It is a
cheerful heart that leads to cheerful behavior.
Paul prays for Joyto fill the saints at Rome. So as wine fills a man and exerts
control over him (just listen to him slur his words and watch his wobbly
walk!), in the supernatural way the spiritual fruit of joy and peace fill the
believer and "controls" him or her.
John Piper - The pathway that the Spirit cuts through the jungle of our
anxieties into the clearing of joy is the pathway of faith. Luke says of Stephen
in Acts 6:5, that he was “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit,” and he
says of Barnabas in Acts 11:24 that he was “a goodman full of the Holy Spirit
and of faith,” The two go together. If a personis filled with faith, he will be
filled with the Spirit, the Spirit of joy and peace. The most important text in
Paul’s writings to show this is Romans 15:13, “Maythe Godof hope fill you
with all joy and peace in believing, that by the powerof the Holy Spirit you
may abound in hope.” Notice that it is in or by believing that we are filled with
joy and peace. And it is by the Spirit that we abound in hope. When we put
those two halves of the verse together, what we see is that through our faith
(our believing) the Spirit fills us with his hope and thus with his joy and peace.

And, of course since hope is such an essentialpart of being filled with joy by
the Spirit, what we have to believe is that God is, as Paul says, the God of
hope. We have to rivet our faith on all that he has done and said to give us
hope. (Be Filled with the Spirit)
Dictionary of Biblical Imagery - Joy is a by-product of life with God. Joy is
not found by seeking it as an end in itself. It must be given by God (Job 8:21;
Ps 4:7; 36:8). Therefore, it is receivedby faith with the gift of salvation(1 Sam
2:1; Ps 5:11; 13:5; 20:5; 21:1, 6; 33:21; 35:9; 40:16;Is 12:1; 25:9; Hab 3:18;
Lk 1:47; 2:10). In the OT, joy comes with God’s presence (1Chr 16:27;Job
22:21–26;Ps 9:2; 16:5–11). In the NT that presence is identified as the Holy
Spirit (Acts 13:52; Rom 15:13;Gal 5:22; Eph 5:18, 19;1Th 1:6).
Jerry Bridges - It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we experience the joy
of salvationand are enabled to rejoice even in the midst of trials. (cp 1Thes
1:6) The Holy Spirit uses His Word to create joy in our hearts. Romans 15
contains an interesting connectionbetweenGod and the Scriptures. Ro 15:4 of
that chapter speaks ofthe endurance and encouragementthat come from the
Scriptures; Ro 15:5 says God gives endurance and encouragement. ThatGod
gives endurance and encouragementthrough the Scriptures should not
surprise us. God is the Source. The Scriptures are the means. The same truth
applies to joy. Ro 15:13 speaks ofthe God of hope filling us with joy and peace
as we trust in Him. How would we expectGod to fill us with joy and hope?
The reasonable answeris by means of the comfort of the Scriptures (The
Fruitful Life- The Overflow of God's Love Through You)
In another book Bridges writes the following on Romans 15:13 - One of the
most important aspects ofthe secondbookendis the hope the Holy Spirit
provides to believers. Every believer needs this divine encouragementbecause
our oppositionis relentless, andthere are plenty of disappointments along the
way. Sometimes we think we’ve turned the corner on a particular sin, only to
discovera few days later that we’ve merely gone around the block and are
dealing with it again. But there is hope in our battle with sin, and it lies in
placing our dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit, our ever-present

Helper (John 14:16, 17). (The Bookends ofthe Christian Life-Highly
Recommended)
Warren Wiersbe defines joy as "that inward peace and sufficiencythat is not
affectedby outward circumstances. (A case in point is Paul’s experience
recordedin Php 4:1ff-[see notes].)This "holy optimism" keeps him going in
spite of difficulties."
Donald Campbell - Joy (chara) is a deep and abiding inner rejoicing which
was promised to those who abide in Christ (cf. Jn 15:11). It does not depend
on circumstances becauseit rests in God’s sovereigncontrolof all things (cf.
Ro 8:28-note).
Webster's definition reflects the world's view of joy "the emotion evokedby
well-being, success, orgoodfortune or by the prospectof possessingwhatone
desires". Obviouslythis is not an accurate descriptionof the JOY independent
of circumstances that is available to every believer.
Peace (1515)(eirene from verb eiro = binding or joining togetherwhat is
broken or divided) (10 uses of eirene in Romans - Ro 1:7; 2:10; 3:17; 5:1; 8:6;
14:17, 19;15:13, 33; 16:20)means literally that which has been bound
together. It is freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions.
Peace in this verse is that inward state of quiet which is independent of
circumstances and is that inner attitude which God's Spirit (Gal 5:22-Ga 5:22,
Gal 5:23-note)gives His people. Note that this peace is only possible after one
has been justified by faith and experiencedpeace with God (Ro 5:1-note). In
short peace with God must precede and is the basis for the peace ofGod (Php
4:7-note).
Websterdefines peace as a state of tranquility or quiet, freedom from
disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions, harmony in personal
relations, a pact or agreementto end hostilities betweenthose who have been
at war or in a state of enmity, state of repose in contrastwith or following
strife or turmoil. (Click for discussionof "gospelofpeace" the believer's
spiritual "sneakers").
IN (the) believing: en to pisteuein (PAN):

In believing - The Greek literally reads "in the believing" or as Kenneth
Wuest renders it "in the sphere of the act of habitually believing."
THE VITAL ROLE OF
FAITH IN FILLING
WITH JOY AND PEACE
Alexander Maclaren(don't read his explanation too fast) says that here Paul
links...
man’s faith and God’s filling...as the foundation of everything. ‘The God of
hope fill you...’—letus leave out the intervening words for a moment—‘in
believing.’
Now, you notice that Paul does not stay to tell us what or whom we are to
believe in, or on. He takes that for granted, and his thought is fastened, for the
moment, not on the object but on the act of faith. And he wishes to drive home
to us this, that the attitude of trust is the necessaryprerequisite condition of
God’s being able to fill a man’s soul, and that God’s being able to fill a man’s
soul is the necessaryconsequence ofa man’s trust. Ah, brethren, we cannot
altogethershut God out from our spirits. There are loving and gracious gifts
that, as our Lord tells us, He makes to ‘fall on the unthankful and the evil.’
His rain is not like the summer showers thatwe sometimes see, thatfall in one
spot and leave another dry; nor like the destructive thunderstorms, that come
down bringing ruin upon one cane-brake and leave the plants in the next
standing upright.
But the best, the highest, the truly divine gifts which He is yearning to give to
us all, cannot be given exceptthere be consent, trust, and desire for them.
You can shut your hearts
or you can open them.
And just as the wind will sigh round some hermetically closedchamber in
vain searchfor a cranny, and the man within may be asphyxiated though the
atmosphere is surging up its waves all round his closeddomicile, so by lack of

our faith, which is at once trust, consent, and desire, we shut out the gift with
which God would fain fill our spirits. You cantake a porous pottery vessel,
wrap it up in waxcloth, pitch it all over, and then drop it into mid-Atlantic,
and not a drop will find its way in. And that is what we cando with ourselves,
so that although in Him ‘we live and move and have our being,’ and are like
the earthenvesselin the ocean, no drop of the blessedmoisture will ever find
its way into the heart.
There must be man’s faith
before there canbe God’s filling.
Further, this relation of the two things suggests to us that a consequenceofa
Christian man’s faith is the direct actionof Godupon him. Notice how the
Apostle puts that truth in a double form here, in order that he may emphasize
it, using one form of expression, involving the divine, direct activity, at the
beginning of his prayer, and another at the end, and so enclosing, as it were,
within a greatcasketofthe divine action, all the blessings, the flashing jewels,
which he desires his Roman friends to possess.‘The God of hope fill
you...through the powerof the Holy Ghost.’I wish I could find words by
which I could bear in upon the ordinary type of the EvangelicalChristianity
of this generationanything like the depth and earnestness ofmy own
conviction that, for lack of a proportionate development of that greattruth, of
the direct actionof the giving Godon the believing heart, it is weakenedand
harmed in many ways. Surely He that made my spirit can touch my spirit;
surely He who fills all things according to their capacitycan Himself enter
into and fill the spirit which is opened for Him by simple faith. We do not
need wires for the telegraphy betweenheaven and the believing soul, but He
comes directly to, and speaks in, and moves upon, and molds and blesses, the
waiting heart. And until you know, by your own experience rightly
interpreted, that there is such a direct communion betweenthe giving God
and the recipient believing spirit, you have yet to learn the deepestdepth, and
the most blessedblessedness,ofChristian faith and experience. For lack of it a
hundred evils besetmodern Christianity. For lack of it men fix their faith so
exclusively as that the faith is itself harmed thereby, on the past actof Christ’s
death on the Cross. You will not suspectme of minimizing that, but I beseech

you remember one climax of the Apostle’s which, though not bearing the same
messageas my text, is in harmony with it, ‘Christ that died, yea, rather, that is
risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession
for us.’ (Ro 8:34) And remember that Christ Himself bestows the gift of His
Divine Spirit as the result of the humiliation and the agony of His Cross. Faith
brings the direct action of the giving God.
And one more word about this first part of my text: the result of that direct
actionis complete—‘the Godof hope fill you’ with no shrunken stream, no
painful trickle out of a narrow rift in the rock, but a greatexuberance which
will pass into a man’s nature in the measure of his capacity, which is the
measure of his trust and desire. There are two limits to God’s gifts to men: the
one is the limitless limit of God’s infinitude, the other is the working limit—
our capacity—andthat capacityis preciselymeasured, as the capacityof some
built-in vesselmight be measuredby a little gauge onthe outside, by our faith.
‘The God of hope’ fills you in ‘believing,’ and ‘according to thy faith shall it
be unto thee.’ (From Maclaren's sermonJoyand Peacein Believing)
Joy is linked with faith in Paul's letter to the Philippians - "And convinced of
this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress
and joy in the faith." (Php 1:25-note)
Believing (4100)(pisteuo from pistis; pistos;related study = obedience of faith)
means to considersomething to be true and therefore worthy of trust. To have
a firm conviction as to the goodness, efficacyor ability of something or
someone. Pisteuo means to entrust oneselfto an entity in complete confidence.
To believe in also conveys the implication of total commitment to the one
trusted. To be confident about or to be firmly persuaded as to something.
Pisteuo is in the presenttense which pictures this believing is one's practice or
lifestyle. See RayStedman's explanation (below) regarding the importance of
continually "believing" as it relates to joy and peace and power!
William Newell- It is in a believing heart that these blessedresults are
brought about. When askedby the Jews in the Sixth of John, "Whatmust we
do that we may work the works of God ?" our Lord replied, "This is the work
of God the one thing He asks ofyou, that ye believe on Him Whom He hath

sent." The believing of Romans 15.13 is, of course, that "living by faith in the
Son of God" of which Paul speaks in Gal2:20. It is stepping out on the facts
God reveals about us; and learning to live the life of trust. (Romans Verse-by-
Verse)
Charles Hodge comments that in believing means to "fill you with that joy
and concordamong yourselves, as well as peace of conscience andpeace
towards God, which are the results of genuine faith. (Commentary of the
Epistle to the Romans)
James Denneyexplains that "The joy and peace whichHe (the God of hope)
imparts rest on faith (in believing). Hence they are the joy and peace specially
flowing from justification and acceptancewith God, and the more we have of
these, the more we abound in the Christian hope itself. Such an abounding in
hope, in the powerof the Holy Ghost(cp the power of the Holy Spirit in Acts
1:8, Luke 4:14), is the end contemplatedin Paul’s prayer that the God of hope
would fill the Romans with all joy and peace in believing. (Romans 15 -
Expositor's Greek Testament)
Ray Stedman helps us understand how all joy and peace is related to the
phrase in believing...
I want to stress that briefly because I think that we have gone astray in this
respect. Oftentimes people come to me, and say, "What is the matter with my
Christian life? I have come to a plateauwhere I seemto be so bored, and
nothing interesting is happening, and I have lost all vision and joy and victory
in my life. It seems to be so dull and lifeless. Whatcan I do?" For years I
think I gave a wrong answerto that. I said to them, "Well, are you reading the
Bible?" And usually it turned out that they weren't. Or, "Are you having
times of prayer?" And I gave the pat answerwhich is so easily given by most
of us, "What you need is time for prayer and reading the Scriptures -- prayer
and the Bible."
But I have come to see that this isn't the answer. Whatthey need is to believe
what they read in Scripture, and believe what they pray--that is the answer.

These other things are merely mechanics which make possible the believing,
but believing is the realanswer. It isn't Bible reading, or prayer or Christian
fellowship that unlocks the powerof the Holy Spirit. It is believing what you
read or what you pray: When you believe that Jesus Christ indwells you,
when you believe that He is all that you need, when you believe that He
intends to act through you, then you canact! You discoverthat all that He is
becomes visible through you and accomplishes allthat needs to be done. The
result is power and joy and peace, as Paulprays here....
The God of hope cannot fill us with joy and peace if we don't believe -- which
means to acton what we know. But it is when we believe and act that the
powerof the Holy Spirit begins to work through us and causes us to abound in
hope -- for all around us are the evidences that Godis at work accomplishing
his purposes in our lives. (Read the full messagePowerto Please)(bolding
added)
In summary, Christian joy and peace are IMpossible apart from trusting in
Him in Whom they are eminently HIMpossible!
SO THAT YOU MAY ABOUND IN HOPE:eis to perisseuein( PAN ) humas
en te elpidi:
So that (term of purpose or result) is the preposition eis, which is the Greek
preposition of motion, and literally can describe motion into any place or
thing. Figuratively as used here by Paul eis marks the object towardwhich his
supplication points--abounding hope.
May abound (4052)(perisseuo fromperissos = abundant, exceeding some
number, measure, rank or need, over and above - from peri = in sense of
beyond) means to cause to superabound, to be superfluous, to overflow, to be
in affluence, to excelor to be in abundance with the implication of being
considerablymore than what would be expected (and in the present context
certainly far more than we deserve!) Notice also that perisseuo is in the
present tense which pictures the believers in Rome (and us) as continually
abounding in this greatquality of Spirit empoweredhope.

The holy spirit and hope

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