By Apostle Quinson Thomas. Updated on December 3, 2025.
| Church Father | View on Encouragement and Hope in God |
|---|---|
| Ignatius of Antioch (c. 35--110) | Ignatius urged believers to stand firm "like an anvil under the blows," teaching that trials are used by God to strengthen His athletes. He encouraged the churches not to fear suffering but to see it as participation in Christ that deepens hope in God's final victory. |
| Polycarp of Smyrna (c. 69--155) | Polycarp exhorted Christians to hold fast to the hope given in Christ as the "earnest of righteousness." He reminded them that the God who raised Jesus from the dead will also raise His faithful ones if they remain steadfast and unshaken in trust. |
| Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130--202) | Irenaeus saw all of salvation history as proof that God patiently works for the good of His people. He encouraged believers to take courage from the Incarnation, where the Son entered our weakness so that our hope in God's restoring purpose would never be in vain. |
| Clement of Alexandria (c. 150--215) | Clement taught that true knowledge of God produces steady hope rather than fear. For him, the Christian who fixes the mind on God's goodness and promises is able to endure hardship calmly, encouraged by the certainty that God is leading the soul toward perfection in Christ. |
| Tertullian (c. 160--225) | Tertullian called Christians to courage by pointing to God's faithful witness in persecution. He reminded the Church that no prison or sword can sever believers from Christ, and that the blood of the martyrs is a seed of hope, proving God's grace is stronger than death. |
| Origen of Alexandria (c. 184--253) | Origen encouraged believers to interpret trials as God's fatherly discipline. He taught that suffering purifies the heart and drives the soul to cling more firmly to God, whose love is the sure ground of hope in this age and the next. |
| Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 296--373) | Athanasius pointed to Christ's resurrection as the foundation of Christian courage. Since Christ conquered death, believers can face trials with hope, knowing their lives are secure in God. |
| Basil the Great (c. 329--379) | Basil taught that trust in God steadies the heart in grief and illness. He urged believers to rest in God's mercy, knowing He can turn affliction into spiritual strength. |
| Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 329--390) | Gregory comforted the suffering by highlighting Christ's compassion. He taught that Jesus understands our weakness and invites us to find renewed courage in His nearness. |
| Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335--395) | Gregory described the Christian life as a journey upheld by grace. He encouraged believers not to despair but to keep pressing forward, trusting God to draw them into deeper life with Him. |
| John Chrysostom (c. 347--407) | Chrysostom urged believers to trust God during storms. He taught that adversity often reveals God's power and that faith makes the soul unshakable. |
| Augustine of Hippo (354--430) | Augustine taught that God never abandons those who hope in Him. True strength grows, he said, when the soul clings to God's promises instead of fears. |
| Ambrose of Milan (c. 339--397) | Ambrose pointed believers to Christ as the soul's anchor. He urged them to look to Jesus' victory over death for courage during trials. |
| Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 315--386) | Cyril reminded believers that the Holy Spirit strengthens them in temptation and that God will finish the good work He began. |
| Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376--444) | Cyril taught that Christ's union with humanity strengthens hope. Since He shares our condition, He also shares His victory and intercession with us. |
| Leo the Great (c. 400--461) | Leo encouraged believers by reminding them that the risen Christ reigns for their sake, giving courage for every trial. |
| Gregory the Great (c. 540--604) | Gregory taught that the Good Shepherd carries His weary sheep. He assured believers that God sees their tears and redeems their suffering. |
| Ephrem the Syrian (c. 306--373) | Ephrem's hymns encouraged Christians to praise God even in sorrow. Worship, he taught, lifts the soul and restores hope. |
| Maximus the Confessor (c. 580--662) | Maximus encouraged believers to endure suffering patiently, trusting God to shape them into Christ's likeness. |
| John of Damascus (c. 675--749) | John taught that God's unchanging goodness is the foundation of Christian hope. He urged believers to pray boldly, knowing God sustains and restores His people. |
Do you know what God has in store for your life?
Lots of people wonder why they're here, what there purpose in life is, why things are difficult for them, why they seem to be different from everyone else and a whole host of other questions in this same vein. But as a born-again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. You don't have to wonder. What God has in store for your life is laid out in the scriptures. And He can give it all to you through faith.
Let's look at God's design for your life from the Bible:
Ephesians 2: 1-7
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
God's Great Plan For Your Life
This is God's plan for your life and you can discover it as you read His Word!
Think about this: God wants to show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward you through Christ Jesus. That's why He placed you in Him! So the kindness that God shows Christ Jesus He shows you!!! And He was without sin! Glory to God.
There is so much meat here in this text, including the glories of the New Covenant, but I won't expound on it here. Just know that when you were born again The Lord Jesus gave you His Life to live! It was a divine exchange.
2Corinthians 5:14-15 14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: 15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
It is our prayer that in your daily devotion that God will empower you through our Lord Jesus Christ to live holy; living by faith as the Holy Spirit guides you into all truth. It is our daily hope that you will go from faith to faith and from glory to glory. May He give you daily light through these daily devotionals and may you find the encouragement that you need for your spiritual growth. May your daily reading and bible study be filled with peace and wisdom from the Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit in Jesus' Name.
Let's say this prayer together
Father I thank you that you have blessed me with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus, and that you have given me your Holy Spirit. I understand that I'm an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ Jesus. Help me live worthy of my calling. Help me to submit to You, oh God, and resist the devil just like Jesus did when He walked on earth. May you get the glory in my life, in Jesus' Name. Amen.
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Apostle Thomas has served 17 years in ministry.
Sharing the Gospel with over 191 Countries Throughout The World.