Faith. Hope. Love.: The Christ-Centered Way to Grow in Grace
Overview
Faith, hope, and love—we hear a lot about each on their own, but how are they related? Why is this triad mentioned so often in the New Testament?
Written in the form of fifty-eight questions and answers, this book reveals how these three theological virtues—also referred to as “three divine sisters”—together serve as the foundation for our whole Christian life. Deeply scriptural, steeped in key theological texts, and modeled after the classic catechisms of church history, this book will instruct our minds, stir our hearts, and motivate us to faith-filled obedience.
Key Features
- Useful Question and Answer format
- Grounded in Paul's teachings
- Provides thoughtful reflection
Contents
- Part 1: Faith
- What is the worst sin?
- What is saving faith?
- Where does faith come from?
- What does it mean that faith is supernatural?
- Are we justified by believing in the doctrine of justification by faith alone?
- What does our faith lay hold of?
- Can we lose our justification?
- vIs faith our righteousness?
- What is the principal exercise of faith?
- What is the principle of our obedience?
- In addition to being the object of our faith, is Jesus also the pattern of our faith?
- Can faith be increased and strengthened?
- Should those with saving faith fear God and tremble at his threats?
- Is there such a thing as false faith?
- What is Satan’s goal in his assaults on God’s children?
- How should we respond in the trials God sends us?
- Does true faith always persevere and end in victory?
- Part 2: Hope
- How is hope commonly understood?
- What is Christian hope?
- What gives rise to Christian hope?
- Is hope necessary for the Christian?
- To whom is Christian hope given?
- How does hope relate to death?
- What is the supreme object of Christian hope?
- How does Christian hope relate to our future vision of Christ?
- In what destination do we long to live forever?
- Of what use is hope in times of suffering?
- What hope do we have regarding the salvation of our children?
- May we have hope regarding the death of infants?
- What duty flows out of Christian hope?
- Part 3: Love
- What is the foundation of the Christian religion?
- What is love?
- What is the guide to loving God and our neighbor?
- How do we fail to show love for God?
- How do we show our love for God?
- What makes our obedience acceptable to God?
- How does faith work through love?
- What is the context for our love?
- What is the chief end of our love to others?
- How can we keep ourselves from idolatry, which manifests hatred toward God?
- What guards the church from false worship?
- How should God’s people regard themselves in the Christian life?
- Does God offer us a particular day in which we may rest and stir up our love for him and others?
- How do we love those who are in a higher or lower position than ourselves?
- What obedience should Christian parents expect from their children?
- Why are we to have love and respect for human life?
- How are we to show our love and respect for human life?
- What are our sexual duties in this life, and how does the fulfillment of such manifest love?
- What is the primary mark of a Christian marriage?
- Why is adultery such a heinous sin?
- How does love manifest itself in regard to our worldly goods and name?
- How is our generosity in love to be shown in the local church?
- Why is lying so serious?
- How do we show love with regard to our speech?
- What keeps us from an inordinate desire for the things of the world?
- Is love optional for Christians?
- Of faith, hope, and love, which is the greatest?
Top Highlights
“Living by faith means moving into a realm whereby we are uncertain of ourselves but more certain of God and his faithfulness. Faith relinquishes self-dependence for dependence on one whom we can never fully grasp or understand.” (Page 25)
“Or to put the matter more vividly, unbelief essentially tells God to shut up, because we do not want to hear what he says. Just as faith brings us to God (Heb. 11:6), so unbelief causes us to run from God.” (Page 23)
“The ‘secret’ of the true spiritual life is always simple: will you trust and obey God?” (Page 61)
“Paul writes to the Galatians, ‘For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love’ (Gal. 5:5–6; see also Rom. 5:1–5; Eph. 4:2–5; Col. 1:4–5). Besides Paul, the author of Hebrews and the apostle Peter also highlight the triad of faith, hope, and love (Heb. 6:10–12; 1 Pet. 1:3–8).” (Page 14)
“Why are people so self-sufficient? Because in their unbelief they think that they do not really need God. Very often, the worst poison made from our sinful hearts is that of self-sufficiency, for it keeps us from God.” (Page 24)
Praise for the Print Edition
“Pastor Mark Jones has written an admirable treatise on the heart of biblical ethics: the virtues of faith, hope, and love. His book is based firmly on Scripture, and he has arranged it as a catechism: questions, answers, and commentary. He also digs deep into classic theological expositions, especially among the Puritans. This arrangement, clearly and vividly written, enables readers not only to understand these teachings, but to internalize them, and thus to grow in grace. This book will be a great help to individual and family devotions and to adult Bible study groups. I hope that many will have the opportunity to read it to the glory of God in Christ.
—John Frame, professor of systematic theology and philosophy emeritus, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando
“Much writing on Christian spirituality is hollow, bereft of theological heft and awash in baptized therapeuticism. By contrast, Faith. Hope. Love. is weightily Puritanesque in the best sense—offering clear, Christ-centered, scriptural ballast for the Christian life. Rooted richly in the Reformed tradition, Jones walks us through the theological virtues and the shape they give to our life in Christ. More importantly, in each chapter he points us to the Christ in whom we place our faith—the one we imitate in love and for whom we wait in hope. I highly commend this work.
—Derek Rishmawy, columnist, Christianity Today; cohost, Mere Fidelity podcast
“The old paths are the way into the future. Mark Jones knows this is true for the life and witness of the church of Jesus Christ. He takes us back to the medieval theological virtues, organizes them in a reformational catechism, and uses post-Reformation, orthodox theological distinctions, all to instruct our minds, enflame our hearts, and move us to service. This is as clear as it gets when it comes to the doctrine of justification by faith alone and all that it means for living out a life of faith, hope, and love.
—Daniel R. Hyde, pastor, Oceanside United Reformed Church, Carlsbad/Oceanside, California; adjunct instructor of ministerial studies, Mid-America Reformed Seminary; author, Welcome to a Reformed Church
- Title: Faith. Hope. Love. The Christ-Centered Way to Grow in Grace
- Author: Mark Jones
- Publisher: Crossway
- Print Publication Date: 2017
- Logos Release Date: 2018
- Pages: 288
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Theological virtues › Miscellanea; Theology, doctrinal › Popular works
- ISBNs: 9781433555664, 9781433555695, 9781433555671, 9781433555688, 1433555662, 1433555697, 1433555670, 1433555689
- Resource ID: LLS:FTHHPLVWYGRWGRC
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T00:08:24Z