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. . . to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

Ephesians 1:12

Athanasius was born in Alexandria, Egypt in 298 A.D., converted to Christ as a young man and was made Bishop of Alexandria at the age of thirty, in 328 A.D. As John Piper notes in his brief biography of Athanasius, the people of Egypt viewed him as their Bishop for forty-five years until his death at the age of seventy-five. The Roman authorities exiled Athanasius five times for a total of seventeen of those forty-five years as Bishop, but throughout his absence the people still trusted him and honored him. What was it that brought such hatred and opposition to Athanasius? In 319 A.D. a priest named Arius said that if Jesus is God’s Son then He must have had a beginning. Some within the church immediately saw where such thinking would take people concerning the Trinity and the person of Jesus Christ. If Jesus were created, then He must be less than God; and if He is less than God, then the Trinity must be a corrupt concept. This view finds expression today in the heresies of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons who both deny the deity of Christ. Constantine, the Emperor of Rome (who set up the reign of his kingdom in Byzantium, then called Constantinople, modern day Istanbul, Turkey) was concerned about the political upheaval this controversy was causing in his kingdom and summoned the leading theologians in the church to clear up the matter. The result was the Nicene Creed of 325 A.D., still used today by millions of Christians around the world as an orthodox statement of the Trinity and deity of Christ. In part it says, “I believe . . . And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father . . .”6

Though the theologians almost unanimously agreed with the Nicene Creed, it was mere lip service to many of them. The controversy continued, and Athanasius entered the fray. He constantly wrote against and debated Arianism, and this riled religious and political authorities in the Roman Empire. He was maligned, falsely accused, attacked, and exiled, but he always stood firm. Finally, eight years after his death, at the Council of Constantinople in 381 A.D. the church ratified and expanded the Nicene Creed (and the church gained a consensus concerning the deity of Christ and the Trinity).

You may ask, “So what? What difference does this make in my life?” Well, how do you think Athanasius was able to stand firm, to delight in the Lord, to hold fast to the truth of Christ’s deity amidst such degradation, accusation, and exile? One thing mightily helpful to him was the truth of Ephesians 1:12. Most English translations of this verse do not do it justice. Consider my literal translation, keeping in mind the Greek word order, “to the end or purpose of His praise glory, we who were pre-hoping in the Messiah.” You must read verses ten through twelve as one thought. Christ Jesus is the household manager, the Chief Operating Officer, the Economist who will sum up again all things in Himself, the One who will make all things right on that great day. More specifically, the lot you have received from the Father, the details of your life, were foreordained by Him who is constantly working in your life to bring about His purpose, a purpose that ultimately is for His own praise and glory. In order for us to live this out, to trust what God is doing, it is vital that we pre-hope in Christ, that we hope with a future expectation of fulfillment. We see this idea constantly taught in Scripture, (see Romans 8:24–25, Romans 15:12, 1 Corinthians 15:19). Like a woman in labor, like a tri-athlete finishing the Iron Man competition, so we endure present pain and suffering looking for the payoff, the time of fulfillment and joy, the final redemption of our bodies.

The only way you can pre-hope in the Messiah, the Lord Jesus our Prophet, Priest, and King, is to know God better, to trust Him in His attributes. Consider three of them. First is His aseity (from the Latin a se, meaning from Himself). God is self-existent, independent of us, (see Psalm 115:3, Isaiah 45:6–7, Acts 17:24–25). God is not helped or hindered by anything we do or do not do. He does as He pleases because He is sovereign. If we stop here, however, then God seems capricious, arbitrary, austere, cold, like the god of the Muslims. Second, our God is also filled with goodness, meaning that all He is and does is worthy of praise, (see Psalm 100:5, Psalm 145:14–16). Everything God does is motivated by His goodness. Ultimately we must say that all He does is good. But we must go further, which brings us to the third attribute. God is also wise, meaning He always does the right thing at the right time, the first time, every time. He makes no mistakes. His timing and execution are impeccable, (see Isaiah 40:13–14, Job 12:13).

What is your lot in life? Suffering is normative. It is not the exception but the rule. Are you willing to pre-hope in Christ by growing in your practical, experiential understanding of His aseity, goodness, and wisdom?

But why does God allow or bring suffering? Why must this be our foreordained lot? Secondarily because He knows that suffering weans us from the world, drives us to Christ for salvation, keeps us as believers at the foot of the cross, and sanctifies us, makes us more holy, (see 1 Peter 5:10). But primarily because He is worthy of our praise and everything He does is calculated to bring praise to Him. This statement would be arrogant if it were not made by God Himself. You see, our Savior is, to use the words of Jonathan Edwards, “All together lovely.” Seek after a deeper, greater, more experiential knowledge of the Triune God and His attributes. As you do, you will find that your ability to pre-hope in Christ will grow and flourish.

6. Piper, Contending for Our All: Defending Truth and Treasuring Christ in the Lives of Athanasius, John Owen, and J. Gresham Machen, 45ff.