Introduction
Faith, hope, and love are the primary virtues of the Christian life. To follow Jesus is to trust in God, to know that he has a promising future for us (see Jer. 29:11), and to cherish him and those around us. In his first letter to the Corinthian church, Paul of Tarsus wrote:
For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love (1 Cor. 13:9-13).
Virtue 1: Faith
When the author of Hebrew said, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see" (11:1), he used the Greek noun hupostasis (G5287). The early church later used this word to describe the "hypostatic union" of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in the Trinity. In Hebrews, the author defined faith in God as a substantial underlying reality in which we may confide and believe. He followed up by warning, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Heb. 11:6). In other words, God requires us to have faith to receive salvation.
There is no "secret Christian" whose beliefs are only known to God because faith is a public confession that God exists and that he is just. This fact inspired the Lutheran philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) to realize:
If I can grasp God objectively, I do not believe, but I must believe precisely because I cannot do this. Suppose I wish to preserve myself in faith. In that case, I must constantly be intent to hold fast to the objective uncertainty to remain on the deep, over seventy thousand fathoms of water, still preserving my faith (adapt. Gaarder, p. 377).
Likewise, the Lutheran philosopher and theologian Paul Tillich (1886–1965) said, "Faith is the state of being ultimately concerned: the dynamics of faith are the dynamics of man's ultimate concern" (p. 1). Our ultimate concern is whatever we spend most of our time doing—the things we prioritize each day that we must complete. For Christians, God should be the "thing" we are most concerned about. We always tell others about what is most important to us, whether our family, loved ones, work, achievements, etc. Faith in Jesus is like that—it must be deliberate and existential. Paul of Tarsus emphasized the public confession of faith when he taught, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Rom. 10:9). Any other ultimate concern is, by definition, an idol (G1497; eidōlon, "image")—a counterfeit likeness of the one true God.
The biblical Greek word for "faith" is pistis (G4102, "trust" or "confidence"). This noun comes from the same etymological root as epistemology, the study of knowledge sources. To have faith in God is to trust, know, and confide in him.
Virtue 2: Hope
In biblical Greek, the word for "hope" is elpis (G1680). Paul taught, "Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us" (Rom. 5:3-5). Even when we suffer, and things are not going well, we endure these trials because we have hope. Jesus promised, "but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved" (Matt. 24:13).
Simon Peter wrote, "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer [apologia; G627, "verbal defense in court"] to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Pet. 3:15). In a world where unbelieving people view skepticism, cynicism, and despair as marks of intelligence, we Christians must defend our hope in Jesus. However, this is not just the apologetic defense of Christianity as the highest truth but also our confidence in a bright future. We hope for salvation from death and resurrection in the life to come through Jesus our Lord and Messiah (see 1 Cor. 15). Some people feel tempted to see the end times as darkness and the end of the world. However, it is the dawn of God's kingdom made complete in faith, hope, and steadfast love. Often, we say "I hope" synonymously with "I wish." For us, hope is eschatological, anticipating the end of things both now and not yet.
Virtue 3: Love
When a scholar asked Jesus which commandment is the greatest, he answered:
The most important one is this: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." The second is this: "Love your neighbor as yourself." There is no commandment greater than these (Mark 12:29-31).
Jesus was reciting the Shema (H8085; "hear" or "listen"), the creed that Jews still confess to this day: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts" (Deut. 6:4-6). When Paul said that love is the greatest of scriptural virtues, he called it the greatest commandment. Likewise, he wrote, "The commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not covet,' and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the Law" (Rom. 13:9-10).
The New Testament writers all used two different words for "love." The first, agapē (G26; verb form is agapaō; G25), refers to a steadfast relationship based on empathy and compassion. Many church leaders mistakenly interpret agapē to mean "unconditional love." However, God does set conditions for us to be right with him. Jesus himself said, "If you love me [agapate], keep my commands" (John 14:15). Even the well-known evangelism verse John 3:16 ("For God so loved [ēgapēsen] the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life") belongs to a more significant passage that includes conditions of belief and correct behavior (see John 3:18-21). Likewise, John son of Zebedee said, "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love" (1 John 4:7-8). He also clearly defined a "child of God" this way: "This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God's child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister" (1 John 3:10). Warning: If a church leader tells you that everyone is a child of God, they are a false teacher (see "Narcissism & False Teachers"). This claim is a significant detour that modern Christendom takes from genuine first-century faith.
Whenever the New Testament writers referred to God's love, they chose agapē to encompass his divine attributes. However, they used philia (5373; verb form is phileō; G5368) when alluding to friendship. For example, if we compare John 15:13 ("Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends") with John 11:3 ("Lord, the one you love is sick"), we see this. Though philia seems to have a positive connotation about love between friends, it is imperfect and falls short of God's long-suffering kindness. Luke of Antioch used phileō to describe how the Pharisees "loved" their long robes and respectful greetings (see Luke 20:46). John Mark chose phileō to represent the kiss Judas Iscariot used to betray Jesus (see Mark 14:44). Not so-friendly!
John's gospel features an epilogue where Jesus meets Peter after the resurrection. In their early morning chat, Jesus asked Peter three times, "Do you love me?" for each of his betrayals. Note the usage of agapaō versus phileō:
Jesus asked Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love [agapas] me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love [philō] you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you love [agapas] me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love [philō] you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love [phileis] me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love [phileis] me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love [philō] you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep" (John 21:15-17; McReynolds, pp. 418-19).
Twice, Jesus asked Peter if he loved (agapaō) him without reservation. However, Peter responded with "I love you dearly like a brother" by choosing the verb phileō. The third time, Jesus capitulated, allowing Peter to express his true feelings. However, Jesus also knew that Peter's love for him would mature into agapē, even to the point of certain death—martyrdom (see John 21:18-19). Jesus knew the meaning of this steadfast love when he died on the cross (see Phil. 2:5-8).
In The Four Loves (HarperOne, 2017), the Anglican writer C. S. Lewis (1898–1963) mentioned two other Greek words for "love." Following the biblical terms agapē and philia, the others are storgē and eros. The word storgē ("family love") only appears in the compound adjectives astorgos (G794) and philostorgos (G5387) in scripture. However, the New Testament writers never used eros—not even once. It referred to sexual love and romance, today serving as the etymological root of our word "erotic." The reason was not that they viewed eros as sinful per se. However, we should base our marriage covenants on God's permanent agapē rather than our temporary feelings of eros.
Conclusion
In the tapestry of Christian virtues, faith, hope, and love form the vibrant threads that weave together the fabric of our spiritual journey. Faith anchors us in the certainty of God's promises, serving as the bedrock of our trust in his providence even amidst life's uncertainties. Hope, buoyed by the assurance of God's faithful presence and the promise of a future filled with his grace and redemption, infuses our lives with purpose and expectation. Love, the greatest of these virtues, compels us to emulate Christ's selfless love in our relationships, fostering unity, compassion, and reconciliation in a world often marked by division and strife. Together, these virtues illuminate the path of discipleship, guiding us in our pursuit of intimacy with God and our commitment to embody his kingdom values. Faith strengthens our resolve, and hope ignites our imaginations in this journey. Love inspires our actions as we witness the gospel's transformative power in our lives and communities.
Prayer
Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of the universe; give us the increase of faith, hope, and love; and, that we may obtain what you have promised, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Bibliography
The Book of Common Prayer. Huntington Beach, CA: Anglican Liturgy Press, 2019. pp. 618–19. http://bcp2019.anglicanchurch.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/BCP2019.pdf.
Gaarder, Jostein. Sophie's World: A Novel about the History of Philosophy. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2007.
Lewis, C. S. The Four Loves. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2017.
McReynolds, Paul R., ed. Word Study Greek–English New Testament: with Complete Concordance. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1999.
Moreland, J. P. Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul, Revised and Updated. Ed. Dallas Willard. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2012.
Tillich, Paul. Dynamics of Faith. New York: Harper & Row, 1957.
Tverberg, Lois. Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewish Words of Jesus Can Change Your Life. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012.
Wright, N. T. Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2018.
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