Hermann Cremer's Biblico-theological Lexicon, Pt 4

Elpis - hope, i.e., expectation of something future, and, indeed, expectation of good

Cremer says that in Classical Greek, "hope" has the idea of some future and wished-for good, together with a probability that it will be obtained. But because it is only a probability and not a certainty, there is also sometimes a sense of anxiety and even fear.

By contrast, in biblical (LXX + NT) usage, hope is

a dearly cherished and apparently well-grounded ... expectation and prospect of some desired good ... The tone and language in the LXX clearly shows that hope in this sense possesses a psychological definiteness,--the certainty and clearness of its goal, as well as the definiteness of object,--which all hope apart from Scripture was destitute of .... N.T. hope, in a word, includes the prospect of a state wherein all needs shall be supplied, all wants satisfied, all the hindrances of life and results of sin removed, raising upon the basis of trusted Scripture promise and the facts of redemption a future full of bliss, in contrast  with the unsatisfying present. 

The ultimate ground for such certain hope in the NT is the resurrection of Christ (1 Pet 1:3).

Cremer has this to say about Galatians 5:5 ("For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness"):

ἡμεῖς γὰρ πνεύματι ἐκ πίστεως ἐλπίδα δικαιοσύνης ἀπεκδεχόμεθα, where δικ. must be taken as the subjective genitive, and not as the genitive of the object; for this latter would not be in keeping with the Pauline doctrine, according to which righteousness, as the privilege and state of the believer, is already present, cf. 2 Tim iv.8; Gal. ii.17; Rom. v.1 sqq. Thus rendered, ver. 5 stands in striking contrast with ver. 4, we wait in faith--wherein we are justified--for the hope which righteousness has.

This is a good response to N. T. Wright who claims that present justification is by faith but future justification at the day of judgment will take place on the basis of the totality of the life lived (in Paul and the Mosaic Law [ed. J. D. G. Dunn; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001], p. 144).

Comments

[Chris Caughey]

That is helpful, Lee. I can see that I'm going to be incorporating Cremer into Greek III this Fall.

Would Cremer say that elpis, in NT Greek usage is roughly equivalent to assurance?

[Lee Irons]

From a theological point of view, certainly "elpis" is related to assurance (perhaps a component of it), but from a lexicographical point of view you would be on shaky ground to say that "elpis" itself means "assurance." One reason for caution is that "elpis" is clearly oriented to expectation of future good, whereas "assurance" is not explicitly future-oriented (i.e., it can refer to the assurance that one is presently loved and accepted by God). We have to be careful not to confuse "discourse concepts" with "lexical concepts" (illegitimate totality transfer).