Romans 8:24

King James Version (KJV)

For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

Adam Clarke
Bible Commentary

For we are saved by hope - We are supported and are comfortable in the expectation we have of receiving from the hand of our God all the good we need in the troubles and adversities of this life, and of having our bodies raised from corruption and death at the general resurrection.

Hope that is seen is not hope - As hope signifies the expectation of future good, so it necessarily supposes that the object of it is not seen, i.e. not enjoyed; for to see, in Scripture language, sometimes signifies to enjoy, as in Job 7:7; : Mine eye shall no more See (margin, Enjoy) good. Job 9:25; : My days flee away, and See no good; i.e. enjoy no prosperity. Psalm 50:23; : I will Show the salvation of God: I will give that man to enjoy my salvation who walks uprightly. Matthew 5:8; : Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall See God; that is, they shall enjoy his favor and blessing. See also John 3:36; Hebrews 12:14, and 1 John 3:2. The hope that is seen, that is, enjoyed, is no longer hope, it is fruition: and a man cannot hope for that which he has in his possession.

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Albert Barnes
Notes on the Whole Bible

For we are saved by hope - It cannot be said that hope is the instrument or condition of salvation. Most commentators have understood this as meaning that we have as yet attained salvation only in hope; that we have arrived only to a condition in which we hope for future glory; and that we are in an attitude of waiting for the future state of adoption. But perhaps the word “saved” may mean here simply, we are kept, preserved, sustained in our trials, by hope. Our trials are so great that nothing but the prospect of future deliverance would uphold us; and the prospect is sufficient to enable us to bear them with patience. This is the proper meaning of the word “save”; and it is often thus used in the New Testament; see Matthew 8:25; Matthew 16:25; Mark 3:4; Mark 8:35. The Syriac renders this, “For by hope we live.” The Arabic, “We are preserved by hope.” Hope thus sustains the soul in the midst of trims, and enables it to bear them without a complaint.

But hope that is seen - Hope is a complex emotion, made up of an earnest desire, and an expectation of obtaining an object. It has reference, therefore, to what is at present unseen. But when the object is seen, and is in our possession, it cannot be said to be an object of hope. The Word hope here means the object of hope, the thing hoped for.

What a man seeth - The word “seeth” is used here in the sense of possessing, or enjoying. What a man already possesses, he cannot be said to hope for.

Why - How. What a man actually possesses, how can he look forward to it with anticipation?

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Matthew Henry
Concise Bible Commentary

The sufferings of the saints strike no deeper than the things of time, last no longer than the present time, are light afflictions, and but for a moment. How vastly different are the sentence of the word and the sentiment of the world, concerning the sufferings of this present time! Indeed the whole creation seems to wait with earnest expectation for the period when the children of God shall be manifested in the glory prepared for them. There is an impurity, deformity, and infirmity, which has come upon the creature by the fall of man. There is an enmity of one creature to another. And they are used, or abused rather, by men as instruments of sin. Yet this deplorable state of the creation is in hope. God will deliver it from thus being held in bondage to man's depravity. The miseries of the human race, through their own and each other's wickedness, declare that the world is not always to continue as it is. Our having received the first-fruits of the Spirit, quickens our desires, encourages our hopes, and raises our expectations. Sin has been, and is, the guilty cause of all the suffering that exists in the creation of God. It has brought on the woes of earth; it has kindled the flames of hell. As to man, not a tear has been shed, not a groan has been uttered, not a pang has been felt, in body or mind, that has not come from sin. This is not all; sin is to be looked at as it affects the glory of God. Of this how fearfully regardless are the bulk of mankind! Believers have been brought into a state of safety; but their comfort consists rather in hope than in enjoyment. From this hope they cannot be turned by the vain expectation of finding satisfaction in the things of time and sense. We need patience, our way is rough and long; but He that shall come, will come, though he seems to tarry.

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SDA Bible Commentary (limited)
Volume 1-7

24. We are saved. Rather, “we were saved.” It is significant to notice that sometimes Paul says literally, “you have been saved” (Eph. 2:5, 8), sometimes literally, “you are being saved” (1 Cor. 15:2), and sometimes “thou shalt be saved” (Rom. 10:9; cf. v. 13). For the Christian believer, salvation is an experience or condition that has already begun. But it must also be presently maintained in the daily experience. And it does not reach complete fulfillment until the coming of Christ.

When by faith a man becomes a child of God, he may be said to be saved. Compare “And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved [literally, “were being saved”]” (Acts 2:47). However, when the Christian is newborn, salvation has only begun. He must look forward to a life of continual growth and transformation and to the future complete deliverance. For the Christian who may be tempted to suppose that his salvation has become a certainty and that he may therefore relax his watchfulness and self-examination, it is well to remember the testimony of the saintly apostle Paul himself, “I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (1 Cor. 9:27).

By hope. The Greek may also be rendered “in hope.” Usually Paul represents faith rather than hope as the channel of salvation (see ch. 3:28; etc.). Consequently, many commentators and versions favor the translation “in hope,” which may well have been Paul’s intention. However, either translation makes good sense in this particular context. Hope, though distinguished from faith (1 Cor. 13:13), is yet inseparable from it. It is hope that sets salvation vividly before the believer and so leads him to strive, by faith, to obtain it.

Hope that is seen. In this case Paul is not referring to hope as a feeling, but to the object of hope, that is, the thing hoped for (cf. Acts 28:20; Col. 1:5; 1 Tim. 1:1). When the thing hoped for is already present before the eyes, it ceases to be an object of hope. It is of the essence of hope that it does not look at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen (cf. Heb. 11:1).

Hope for. A man does not go on hoping for something that he now sees and possesses.

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Ellen G. White
In Heavenly Places, 105.1

For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? Romans 8:24. HP 105.1

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Ellen G. White
The Ministry of Healing, 165

“We are saved by hope.” Romans 8:24. The fallen must be led to feel that it is not too late for them to be men. Christ honored man with His confidence and thus placed him on his honor. Even those who had fallen the lowest He treated with respect. It was a continual pain to Christ to be brought into contact with enmity, depravity, and impurity; but never did He utter one expression to show that His sensibilities were shocked or His refined tastes offended. Whatever the evil habits, the strong prejudices, or the overbearing passions of human beings, He met them all with pitying tenderness. As we partake of His Spirit, we shall regard all men as brethren, with similar temptations and trials, often falling and struggling to rise again, battling with discouragements and difficulties, craving sympathy and help. Then we shall meet them in such a way as not to discourage or repel them, but to awaken hope in their hearts. As they are thus encouraged, they can say with confidence, “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.” He will “plead my cause, and execute judgment for me: He will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold His righteousness.” Micah 7:8, 9. MH 165.1

God “looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
He fashioneth their hearts alike.” MH 166.1

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Romans 8:24