Romans 8:24 – Safe and Secure
For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?
Truth to Learn
Your salvation is as secure as God’s promise.
Behind the Words
The word translated “saved” is sōdzō, which means, “to save, deliver, or make whole, or to preserve safe from danger, loss, or destruction.” This verb is expressed in the aorist tense which implies past, punctiliar action, that is, action that took place at a single point in time in the past, not continuous action.
“Hope” is translated from the word elpis, which means, “an earnest desire, and the expectation of obtaining the object of that desire.” It is not an uncertainty that we hope will come to pass, it is a clear expectation that it will happen.
Meaning Explained
As we mentioned in the previous verse, the Holy Spirit was given to us as a kind of “firstfruits” offering. That is, He is God’s promise that our salvation and our adoption will be consummated. Paul now adds some explanation to that idea. He says that we are saved in hope. There are two possible interpretations of this. These two interpretations revolve around the word translated “saved” which we talked about above in Behind the Words. If you interpret the word to mean “to preserve from danger,” then the beginning of this verse could be interpreted to mean that we are being preserved from danger by our hope of our future glory. That’s how some interpret this verse.
The other interpretation, which is more fully supported by the Greek text, is that we were saved (at a single point in time in the past) in light of an earnest desire and expectation that this salvation will be consummated at some time in the future.
The point is this; Paul has been talking about all of creation groaning in pain in anticipation of our adoption as sons by God and the final redemption of our body. He is now saying that our salvation, which legally has already taken place, is really an event in the future to which we look with longing, fully expecting it to happen.
Now let me say that Paul is NOT saying that we are unsure of our salvation and “hope” that it will happen. That use of the word “hope” is contrary to the meaning of the Greek word. When we were saved (at a single point in time in the past) we were given the Holy Spirit as a seal and a promise (Ephesians 1:13, 14) that God will consummate that salvation at some point in time in the future. In other words, we cannot get un-saved! It is not possible because we couldn’t give God His Holy Spirit back even if we wanted to. The giving of the Holy Spirit is an action initiated by God, not by you or me. Since He did the giving, only He could do the taking and that would mean God’s promise is worthless.
Application
Do you live in fear that you might lose your salvation if you’re not careful? Paul makes it pretty clear that it can’t happen. Your salvation is as secure as God’s promise and there’s nothing more secure than that!
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2010 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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