Abiding Faith, Hope and Love
The sermon emphasizes the abiding nature of faith, hope, and love, and the eternal progress that is possible in our relationship with God.
William Graham Scroggie preaches on the enduring qualities of faith, hope, and love, emphasizing that while spiritual gifts may pass away, these three virtues will remain. He explains that faith, hope, and love are interconnected and essential components of the Christian life, with each playing a unique role. Scroggie highlights the eternal nature of faith and hope, pointing out that they will continue indefinitely, leading to ongoing progress and growth in our relationship with God.
Text
"And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love"
(1 Cor. 13:13).
The Corinthians had thought that the Gifts were the abiding things, but Paul says these must pass away "Now," therefore, does not mean now in time, for then these three would not differ from the Gifts in any wise....Here we have the anomaly of three nouns governed by a singular verb, "and now abideth Faith, Hope, Love." The great truth preserved in this piece of apparent grammatical irregularity is that Faith, Hope, and Love are one in essence, that they are a trinity in unity and they are therefore coextensive with one another....
We shall never be able to dispense with Faith and Hope, both shall go on for ever....We must all carefully distinguish between Eternal and Final; Eternity does not mean Finality, but to reach finality would be to fall short of Eternity. And we must distinguish also between Perfection and Finality. In Heaven there will be perfection, but there will be differences of attainment even as one star differs from another star in glory....There will be progress from stage to stage. "In My Father's house are many mansions" means "many resting-places," a figure which refers to those stations on the great roads where travellers can get rest and refreshment before proceeding on their journey. The notions both of repose and progress are in the words....Every further acquisition of God will make fuller acquisition possible; every new height of glory scaled will reveal yet more glorious heights beyond: Eternal progress..
Sermon Outline
- The Abiding Nature of Faith, Hope, and Love
- The Unity of Faith, Hope, and Love
- The Nature of Eternal Progress
- There will be progress from stage to stage
- Every new height of glory reveals more glorious heights
- Eternal progress is possible
Key Quotes
“And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” — William Graham Scroggie
“We must all carefully distinguish between Eternal and Final; Eternity does not mean Finality, but to reach finality would be to fall short of Eternity.” — William Graham Scroggie
“Every further acquisition of God will make fuller acquisition possible; every new height of glory scaled will reveal yet more glorious heights beyond: Eternal progress.” — William Graham Scroggie
Application Points
- We must continue to cultivate faith and hope in our relationship with God, even in eternity.
- We must distinguish between eternity and finality, and strive for ongoing growth and progress.
- Faith, hope, and love are interconnected and inseparable aspects of our relationship with God.