Romans 8:24

Romans 8:24. For we were saved. The tense points to the time of conversion.

In hope, or, ‘for hope'; either rendering is preferable to ‘by hope.' The fact of salvation placed us in a condition of which hope was a characteristic Luther: ‘We are indeed saved, yet in hope.' ‘Inasmuch as the object of salvation is both relatively present and also relatively future, hope is produced from faith and indissolubly linked with it; for faith apprehends the object, in so far as it is present; hope, in so far as it is still future' (Philippi).

Now hope that is seen, etc. By these self-evident statements about ‘hope , ' the Apostle leads his readers up to the thought of Romans 8:25, which is both an encouragement and an exhortation.

Why doth he still hope for! Some good authorities omit the word we translate ‘still' (literally' also,' ‘even'), thus giving the sense: why doth he hope (at all)? We prefer the other reading: why does he still hope, when there is no more ground for it?