Faith, Hope, and Love: An Early Christian Confession

As I prepare for Sunday's message I have discovered how frequently the triad of faith, hope, and love appear in the New Testament. We are all familiar with Paul's language in 1 Corinthians 13:13 that love is the greatest of these three, but I was unaware how often this triad appear together both in the writers of Paul and in other writings of the New Testament.

This implies that this was a common way Christians spoke from very early on. Scholars debate whether Paul is the inventor or not. Regardless, I want to highlight some of the instances just for your own studies.

Faith, Hope, and Love

•  Romans 15:1-15 - Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; ⁵ and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. ⁶ For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. ¹⁰ For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. ¹¹ And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.
  ¹² Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned— ¹³ for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
  ¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.

• 1 Corinthians 13:13 - But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
• Hebrews 10:22-24 - ²² let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; ²⁴ and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
• 1 Peter 1:21-22 - who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. ²² Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart,

Faith, Love, and Hope

• Colossians 1:4-5 - ⁴ since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; ⁵ because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel
• 1 Thessalonians 1:3 - constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father,
•  1 Thessalonians 5:8 - But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.

Hope, Faith, and Love

• 1 Peter 1:3-8 - ³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, ⁷ so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ⁸ and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

Love, Hope, and Faith

• Ephesians 4:2-5 - ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, ³ being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
• Hebrews 6:10-12 - ¹⁰ For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. ¹¹ And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, ¹² so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Sermon Notes: The Loved of God

In Sunday's sermon introducing our new series on the cross, I argued that one of the reasons why the cross matters is because it Personifies the Love of God. At the cross we clearly see His Divine Love for only His radical, unconditional, agape love can explain why He would send His Son to die in the place of sinners like us.

For us, this means we define love by looking at the cross. Throughout the New Testament we find the apostles exhorting believers to walk in love following the example of God in Christ seen at the cross. Thus when we speak of God's love, the New Testament often points us to the cross. I highlighted a few of the verses which support this thesis and below I want to offer even more for you own studies.

Romans 5:8 – But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 8:37 – But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

Galatians 2:20 – I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Ephesians 1:4-5 – just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

Ephesians 2:4-5 – But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Ephesians 5:2 – and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

Ephesians 5:25 – Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,

2 Thessalonians 2:16 – Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace,

Titus 3:4-5 – But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

1 John 3:1a – See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are

1 John 3:16 – We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

1 John 4:9-11 – By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

1 John 4:19 – We love, because He first loved us.


For more:
March 3, 2013 | God Pursues Sinners
November 14, 2010 - God is Love
MacDonald on the Love of God   
March 28, 2010 - Matthew 5:43-48: Love God as He Loved You
Weekly Recommendation: "The God Who Loves"

Bibledex on Matthew

Here is the Bibledex videon on the Gospel of Matthew as we will be discussing this book tonight.  I don't care with how the video begins as they deny the authorship of Matthew and argue for a later writing of Matthew.  They suggest that it was written probably in the 80's AD whereas I believe that it came before 70 AD.  But we'll save that for another time.  For now, here is the video.  I liked the section on the Magi and how they point out that the 3 gifts are significance and tells us who Jesus is and what He will do.




For more:
Bibledex on Mark  
Bibledex on Luke 
Bibledex on John 
Bibledex on Romans
Bibledex on 2 Corinthians
Bibledex on Ephesians 
Bibledex on Philippians
Bibledex on Colossians 
Bibledex on 2 Thessalonians

TableTalk Magazine on Mark

Last week I directed you to the article on the Gospel of Luke in RC Sproul's TableTalk Magazine.  In the same edition of the magazine is a good article on the Gospel of Mark written by S. M. Baugh.  The author summarized his article thus:

In conclusion, Mark provides the listener with a dynamic account of the majestic authority of Jesus in word, but especially in powerful deeds that stunned His contemporaries with their supernatural character. These acts were a demonstration that the kingdom of God had indeed drawn near with His arrival. Yet the inauguration of this kingdom was not a political revolution but the King’s own substitutionary sacrifice for His people before His resurrection and ascension to “the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62). Mark has told this story in such a way that the attentive listener will be led to confess, along with the first disciples: “You are the Christ.”

Like the others, its a good read that sums up the material and the book quit well.


For more:
Tabletalk Magazine February 2009 - The Witness of Mark  
TableTalk Magazine on Luke 

Slavery, Philemon, and the Gospel: The Challenges the Book of Philemon Raises

Tonight we'll be studying the book of Philemon in our ride through the Bible backwards.  One of the major challenges that Philemon raises is that of slavery.  Nowhere in the book does Paul condemn the institution of slavery even though the two main characters in the book are a runaway slave and the master. 

The New Testament itself seems silent on the issue.  I have recently commented on some words from John MacArthur in his book, The Freedom and Power of Forgiveness, where he briefly deals with the issue.  To read that post, click here.

The Power of the Gospel in Bringing Social Change:  Perhaps We Need to Refocus Our Efforts 

Weekly Recommendation: New Testament Textual Criticism

After Wednesday Nights Bible study, I've been thinking about resources on textual criticism that would be helpful. It should be stated from the outset that textual criticism is a difficult subject and discipline. The goal is to figure out what the apostles actually wrote. If you are interested in learning more about textual criticism, I recommend the book, "New Testament Textual Criticism: A Concise Guide" by David Alan Black. I read this whenever I took my Greek Syntax class and I highly recommend it.

I have written a review for it. It is easy to read, brief, and doesn't try to make things harder than they need to be. However, if you have very little background into this study, then regardless of who teaches or writes on the subject, it will be very difficult.

And since we're talking about textual criticism, here is your homework assignment:

Are these texts original or were they added at a later date? We will talk about it next Wednesday. Enjoy!

• Mark 16:9-20
• John 7:53-8:11

Weekly Recommendation: "Jesus: The Greatest Life of All"

As we continue to walk through the final week of Christ, I would like to point everyone to another excellent book on the life and ministry of Christ. This one is more simple and straightforward than the previous. Charles Swindoll has written an excellent book looking at our Lord full of great illustrations, insight, and application.

The book, "Jesus: The Greatest Life of All" is another addition to his successful and wonderfully written "Greatest Lives" series. In this series, Swindoll covers the lives of Joseph, Elijah (my personal favorite), Moses, Job, and others. Each volume is full of needed explanation that isn't too deep or too difficult with plenty of application. They all serve as a great introduction to each major character of the Bible.

The books downfall, at least for me, is that Swindoll does not go into much detail into the life and ministry of Christ. The book is more of a survey than a detailed look into Christ. Therefore, those with much experience and some expertise into the life and ministry of Christ who want to know more about the Gospels, their harmony, their composition, their theology, etc. would not enjoy this book as much.

However, those who do not have much experience or knowledge about the Gospels or Jesus specifically will love and enjoy Swindoll's book as it serves not just as a book of theology or biography, but also as a book about how we can live as greater Christians straight from the mouth of our Savior.

Weekly Recommendation: Jesus the Messiah

We are beginning a new series. The title of the series is "The Last Week of Jesus: From Triumphant Entry to Triumphant Grave." For the next 15 weeks, we will be exploring the final week of Jesus' earthly ministry beginning with the Triumphant Entry and ending with the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

In preparation for this series, I have been reading a number of books on the life, ministry, and theology of Christ. Perhaps my favorite is by Dr. Robert Stein who is an expert on the Gospels and the Book of Acts. He has written a survey of the ministry and life of Christ in his book, "Jesus the Messiah: A Survey of the Life of Christ."

I have written a full review of the book. I would recommend it to anyone who has consider experience in the life and ministry of Christ. It would not be the easiest read for those who are just beginning in their study of Christ because of his in-depth look, and constant return, to difficult, though understandable, issues of source, form, and textual criticism.

One must realize that discussing these issues are imperative to understanding the Gospels and Jesus. But they can be at times difficult, but interesting nonetheless. So I recommend this book as a good introduction, by no means an exhaustive biography, to Jesus.

Christmas Sermon: Luke 2

To download my notes, click here.

Resources:

Books

Barnett, Paul. Is the New Testament Reliable?: A Look at the Historical Evidence. Downders Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1986.

Blomberg, Craig L. Jesus and the Gospels: An Introduction and Survey. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1997.

Bock, Darrell L. Jesus According To Scripture: Restoring the Portrait From the Gospels. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002.

Bruce, F.F. New Testament History. Garden City, NY: Anchor Books, 1972.

Lewis, Clive Staples. Mere Christianity. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers, 1980.

MacArthur, John. God in the Manger: The Miraculous Birth of Christ. Nashville, TN: W. Publishing Group, 2001.

Stein, Robert H. Jesus the Messiah: A Survey of the Life of Christ. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996.

Swindoll, Charles. Jesus, Our Lord. Bible Study Guide. Fullerton, CA: Insight For Living, 1987.

Tenny, Merrill C. New Testament Times. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company,1965.

Software

Clarke, Adam. Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible. software, E-Sword.

Gill, John. Luke. software, E-Sword.

Henry, Matthew. Commentary on the Whole Bible. software, E-Sword.

Jamieson, Robert, A. R. Fausset, & David Brown. A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments.

Henry, Matthew. Commentary on the Whole Bible. software, E-Sword.

Basic Christianity: James 4:1-10 - Humility Before Others

Here is the last installment on our series on Basic Christianity. The three parts have been Submission, Slavehood, and Selflessness (Humility).

To download the notes, click here.