Faith, Love and Hope
Faith, love, and hope are the three essential components of a complete Christian life.
W.H. Griffith Thomas emphasizes the importance of faith, love, and hope in the Christian life, highlighting how faith looks backward and upward, love looks outward, and hope looks forward. While faith accepts and love works, hope presses toward the future, especially in anticipation of the coming of the Lord. Faith is rooted in a person who promises, while hope is focused on the fulfillment of those promises, making them essential components of a complete Christian life.
Text
"Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven..."
(Col. 1:4-5).
Faith rests on the past, love works in the present, and hope presses toward the future; or, faith looks backward and upward, love looks outward, and hope looks forward. These three constitute the true, complete Christian life and not one of them should be omitted or slighted. We are only too apt to emphasize faith and love and forget hope but, inasmuch as hope is invariably connected with the coming of the Lord, "that blessed hope" (Titus 2:13), it is a vital part of our Christian life. Faith accepts, hope expects; faith appropriates, hope anticipates; faith receives, hope realizes; faith is always and only concerned with the past and present, hope is always and only concerned with the future. We know that faith comes by hearing; we shall find that hope comes by experience. Faith is concerned with a person who promises, hope with the thing promised; and faith is the root of which hope is a fruit.
Sermon Outline
- I. Faith, Love, and Hope
- A. Faith rests on the past, love works in the present, and hope presses toward the future
- B. Faith looks backward and upward, love looks outward, and hope looks forward
- II. The Importance of Hope
- A. Hope is a vital part of our Christian life
- B. Hope is connected with the coming of the Lord
- III. The Relationship Between Faith and Hope
- A. Faith accepts, hope expects
- B. Faith appropriates, hope anticipates
- C. Faith receives, hope realizes
Key Quotes
“Faith rests on the past, love works in the present, and hope presses toward the future; or, faith looks backward and upward, love looks outward, and hope looks forward.” — W.H. Griffith Thomas
“Faith is concerned with a person who promises, hope with the thing promised; and faith is the root of which hope is a fruit.” — W.H. Griffith Thomas
Application Points
- We should not neglect the importance of hope in our Christian life.
- Faith and hope are closely connected, and we should strive to develop both in our lives.
- We should focus on the person of Jesus Christ, who promises us eternal life, and trust in His promises.