Exploring faith and reason with biblical hope alongside Blaise Pascal

Gospel Spice | Christian faith, God's love & the Bible

I invite you to continues our exploration of the French words for hope, "espoir" and "esperance," and to dive deeper into their biblical and cultural significance.

Scripture draws parallels between the biblical story of Babel in Genesis 11 and the unifying power of hope in Christ. God orchestrated Scripture to be translatable in all languages, which reverses the curse of Babel and offers the potential in Christ to unite us under the banner of hope.

As I was researching the connections between "espoir" and "esperance," I was blown away to discover two verses in Scripture that hold both verses together. They have much to tell us, as we too hold both "espoir" and "esperance" in our own hearts. The first, in the Old Testament, unveils the significance of Job's despair and his quest for true hope; the second, in the New Testament, highlights Paul's profound insights into the essence of hope. These complementary perspectives on hope, stemming from Job, the oldest book in the Bible, and 1st Timothy, one of Paul's last letters, ground us deeply in our King and Savior, Jesus Christ.

But Esperance is fading from the French landscape. So, I asked both Christian and non-Christian French friends and family members about the influence of Esperance in their lives today. The answers are striking, and I want to invite you to discover them with me – so that you too can form your own informed experience of Esperance in Christ. It has much to do with a deeply felt experience of despair apart from Esperance.

Next, I invite you to (re)discover a famous French thinker and author, Blaise Pascal, to embrace the delicate interplay between reason, faith, and mystery. Through Pascal's eloquent words and profound insights, let’s see what we can learn about the transformative potential of faith and reason working in harmony. The emphasis on humility, the coexistence of science and faith, and the acknowledgement of the limitations of human understanding in the life and work of Blaise Pascal inspire contemplation and introspection, encouraging us to explore the depths of our beliefs with open hearts and minds.

We invite you to check out the first episode of each of our series, and decide which one you will want to start with.

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

Identity in the battle | Ephesians

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/74762/link/

Centering on Christ | The Tabernacle experience

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/94182/link/

Shades of Red | Against human oppression

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/115017/link/

God's glory, our delight

https://www.podcastics.com/episode/126051/link/

Do you enjoy Gospel Spice? Then let's deepen our relationship! There are 4 very simple ways to do that, and it would truly mean the world to us.

1- If you’ve enjoyed this episode, you will love receiving our newsletter. It contains value-packed free gifts and rich content each month. It’s at gospelspice.com/signup. There is always something new and exciting happening around here, and I don’t want you to miss out! Sign up at Gospelspice.com/signup

2- Did you know Gospel Spice has a YouTube Channel? There’s exclusive content there too. So, join Gospel Spice on YouTube! It's at https://www.youtube.com/gospelspice

3- Also please give us a star rating and a comment on your podcast listening app. Your reviews actually really do make a difference to help others discover and experience Gospel Spice. You would be surprised how helpful these are! So please leave a star rating and a review of a sentence or two. Thank you!

4- As always, we are praying for you! You can confidentially email us your prayer requests and praise items at the email address [e-mail]. It is our privilege to pray for you!

So, would you please invest 3 to 5 minutes of your time, maybe even right now, to do one (or more!) of the following suggestions:

1- signup on our website for our newsletter to receive gifts you’re going to love - at Gospelspice.com/signup

2- find us on YouTube, and see what content we’ve put together to help you grow closer to Jesus - at https://www.youtube.com/gospelspice

3- rate Gospel Spice on your listening app – it’s one of the easiest ways to share the gospel!

4- and finally, tell us how we can pray for you!

Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

We have a beautiful free gift for you! Receive our 30-day summer prayer guide to guide you through a summer season of bounty, rest, sunshine, fellowship, and growth. All you need to do, is be subscribed to our newsletter to receive it automatically, or go to https://www.gospelspice.com/free to download it immediately.

Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!