Love, Hope, Faith

I. Three Clarifying Questions for Three Essential Terms

The New Testament trio of faith, hope, love (along with others) as essential to Christian life

(1 Thess 1:3, 1 Thess 5:8, Col 1:4-5, 1 Cor 13).

We use these terms according to different (somewhat overlapping) 'dictionaries'

drawing on different guiding frameworks or paradigms ("Inconceivable!").

Questions to encourage fruitful dialogue across different worldviews (Gregory Koukl, Tactics) are

"What do you mean by that?"
"How did you come to that conclusion?"
"Have you considered this instead?"

In the faith's originating apostolic framework, these goods are

life-giving gifts from the Father (cf. James 1:17-18) who seeks his creatures' fruitfulness,
definitively bestowed in the Son's death (end of the old) and resurrection (beginning of the new),
enjoyed through the Holy Spirit as we catch God's vision, align with God's heart, and obey God's mission.
(This framework may not be that influential among ordinary Christians.)

These 'theological virtues' (Thomas Aquinas) are essentially relational (other-directed),

having particular objects (e.g., Col 1:4-5),
whereas contemporary western meanings are much more abstract, intransitive, and self-directed
("she's such a loving / hopeful / trusting person").

II. Love: A Revolution, not an Attraction

God's exemplary love of the patriarchs (Deut 7:6-8), and of all through them (Gal 3:7-9)

drives the greatest commandments

(Deut 6:5, Lev 19:1-18 [Gal 5:14], Matt 5:43-48, John 13:34-35).

Love misdirected and lost is

disordered, self-centered, fragile, shallow, destructive, futile 'love':
sin (John 3:19) and evil desire (1 John 2:16-17, James 1:15, 2 Pet 1:4, 2:10).
How often is this attraction, loyalty, or mere courtesy what our cultures call 'love'?

Love redirected and restored is

the revolutionary love of Jesus Christ (1 John 4).
Jesus' grace is obedient, sacrificial, faithful, hopeful, victorious, infectious love (John 13:1).

Love comes from the Father in the Son through the Holy Spirit, to one another through knowledge and faith (1 John 4:7-5:3).
Love heads, ties together, and unites the virtuous fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23, Col 3:9-14).

True love ('willing another's good') can be defined and distinguished

from so-called 'love' (1 Cor 13, not a Greek dictionary!).

Aligning with God's heart revolutionizes our hearts, actions, and relationships (disciple-maker Steve Smith).

III. Hope: A Sure Thing, not a Wish nor a Gamble

Hope has different objects (progress, fortune, powers, grit, etc.).

The ordinary use of the term is far weaker than the Bible's steadfast confidence.

When we suffer, our responses (stoic determination to endure, optimism, reliance on others or ourselves) confirm the true objects of our hope.

The apostles and prophets live in "the hope of Israel":
Acts 26:6-7, 28:20, Ps 16 in Acts 2:26-27; Ezek 37:11-14 cf. 1 Cor 15:19, Luke 24:21, Matt 12:21, Rom 5:1-11, Lam 3, Gal 5:4-16, 1 Cor 13, 1 Pet 1:3-9, Heb 6:11-20, 7:19, Col 1:24-29, etc.
Disciples are Paul's prize (1 Cor 9:19-27) and his hope (1 Thess 2:19, Rom 15:1-13, cf. Matt 24:14).

(What do our usual strivings have to do with the firm hope of Israel?)

IV. Faith: Warranted Trust, not a Blind Leap

Where love and hope suffer from confusion with different cultural meanings,

faith also suffers confusingly different Christian meanings.

Definitions of 'faith' (Webster's):

1. confidence or trust in a person or thing [ordinary usage; other-directed: "I don't have much faith in those tires."].
2. belief not based on proof [philosophical; self-directed: "just believe"; "blind faith"].
3. belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion [religious; other-directed? "I lost my faith in college"].
6. ... loyalty or fidelity to a person, promise, engagement, etc. [social; other-directed: "acting in good (or bad) faith"].

In 1 Cor 13, what is Paul's meaning and implication?

Paul lives out and passes out Israel's gifted and warranted confidence in YHWH, responsive service, and loyalty to the real heart of YHWH's traditions, cf. Phil 3:3-4) (see Matthew Bates, Gospel Allegiance);
taken in steps rather than leaps, sighted rather than blind, shared rather than private, wise rather than heroic;
powered and refreshed through the gospel (Luke 17:1-10, Heb 11:1-12:3).

Paragons of faith include Abraham (Rom 4 and James 2:12ff), the Psalmist, Job, Hebrews' cloud of witnesses, and Paul (2 Cor 4:13-14).

Faith's opposite, doubt, is personified by Thomas's skepticism and especially Judas Iscariot's disloyalty.

By providing for faith with love and more (2 Pet 1:3-8), we escape corrupt desire through exercising faith in God's promises.

V. Conclusion

What do you mean by these terms? Where is your dictionary drawing from?

How did you come to that conclusion?

Have you considered using the apostolic dictionary?

What does Paul mean by faith, hope, and love?

I see disciplined faith (grounded in knowledge but strong in uncertainty);
hope through suffering (spawning but outlasting prophecies);
and radically sacrificial love (fueling but far surpassing 'tongues').

Discover these things yourself in God's testimonies, act on what you learn, and model and share it.