Original Post Here.
I agree that hope is very misunderstood. The power of hope is often sidelined, yet it is a prominent part of the plan of salvation and fundamental to gaining the Kingdom of God. Hope like faith deals with the intangibility of Truth. This is evidenced by statements such as that found in Romans 8:24.
"For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?"
Compare this to the statement about faith: "And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." Alma 32:21
It is as if Hope is a building block for Faith, and Faith a building block for Knowledge, and Knowledge a precursor to salvation.
As for the triad of Faith, Hope and Charity it is clearly spelled out in Moroni:
"Wherefore, there must be faith; and if there must be faith there must also be hope; and if there must be hope there must also be charity…" Moroni 10:20-23
Here we clearly see the relationship between the three aspects. These are all three aspirational elements of our human condition. Concepts that remove us from self indulgent knowledge mongering, and instead turn our attention to God and salvation.
Notice also the reference to unbelief. Often belief is discussed in the negative, and when it is discussed in the positive it is usually belief in man, or one of the aspirational elements of God that is just shy of perfect knowledge.
Notice the references to unbelief:
"After my seed and the seed of my brethren shall have dwindled in unbelief, and shall have been smitten by the Gentiles; yea, after the Lord God shall have camped against them round about, and shall have laid siege against them with a mount, and raised forts against them; and after they shall have been brought down low in the dust, even that they are not, yet the words of the righteous shall be written, and the prayers of the faithful shall be heard, and all those who have dwindled in unbelief shall not be forgotten." Helaman 15:15
And also here:
2 Nephi 26:15
Mormon 9:35
These are all in reference to dwindling in unbelief.
Now look at some references to belief:
"Nevertheless, they durst not lie, if it were known, for fear of the law, for liars were punished; therefore they pretended to preach according to their belief; and now the law could have no power on any man for his belief." Alma 1:17
And also here:
Alma 25:5
Mosiah 25:18
These are all in relation to belief in man or a man who has Faith in God. The reference to Alma 25:5 is a Lamanite false belief.
So it seems that belief can be in Truth, or in fallacy, but Hope, Faith, and Charity are all highly aspirational and dealing with key aspects of the divine.
I love hope. Quick thoughts:
ReplyDelete1. faith is first, then hope. Moroni 7:42 also, hope first, then faith. Moroni 7:40. also, charity first, then hope. Moroni 10:21. really, they all seem balled up together. hope isn't faith's little brother.
2. hope is an expectation of having a place in the father's mansions. Ether 12:32. hope is the expectation of being raised to eternal life. Moroni 7:41, Alma 13:29, Alma 25:16. hope is the expectation of glory. Jacob 4:4. hope is the expectation of a better world. Ether 12:4. hope is the expectation of resting from your afflictions. Alma 34:41.
Yeah I agree. Those are some great references. I can see them as a triad. Hope being energy, faith being cognition, and charity being action. Without one leg the triangle collapses.
ReplyDelete