Virtues: Faith, Hope & Love
- James Collazo
- Feb 14, 2022
- 8 min read
Updated: Nov 25
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 (Jer. 29:11), and to cherish him and those around us. In his first letter to the Corinthian church, the apostle Paul writes:
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 Hebrews wrote, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see" (Heb. 11:1), he used the Greek noun hupostasis (G5287). Later, early church leaders used this word in a different way to describe the hypostatic unity of Jesus' divine and human natures. In Hebrews, the author uses hupostasis to show that faith rests on a solid and trustworthy reality. He strengthens this point when he writes, "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 short, God calls us to live by faith so that we may receive the salvation he offers.
There is no secret Christian whose beliefs exist only in God's sight, because faith is a public confession that God exists and that he is just. This existential truth inspired Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) to observe:
Faith is just this, the contradiction between the infinite passion of inwardness and objective uncertainty. If I can grasp God objectively, then I do not have faith, but just because I cannot do this, I must have faith. If I wish to stay in my faith, I must take constant care to keep hold of the objective uncertainty, to be "on the 70,000 fathoms deep" but still have faith (2009, p. 172).
Paul Tillich (1886–1965) explained, "Faith is the state of being ultimately concerned: the dynamics of faith are the dynamics of man's ultimate concern" (1957, p. 1). Our ultimate concern is what we spend most of our time on—the priorities we pursue each day. For Christians, God should hold this central place in our lives. We naturally share what matters most to us—family, work, achievements, or other pursuits.
Faith in Jesus works the same way: it must be deliberate and personal. The apostle Paul stresses this public aspect of faith when he teaches, "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). Anything else that takes this place becomes an idol (G1497, eidōlon, "image")—a false representation of God. The biblical Greek word for "faith" is pistis (G4102, "trust" or "confidence"). It originates from the same root as "epistemology," the study of knowledge sources. To have faith in God means to trust him and confide in his character.
Virtue 2: Hope
In biblical Greek, the word for "hope" is elpis (G1680). Paul teaches, "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 face hardship, we endure trials because we have hope. Jesus promises us, "But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved" (Matt. 24:13).
The apostle Peter writes, "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 unbelievers often treat skepticism, cynicism, and despair as signs of intelligence, we Christians must actively defend our hope in Jesus. This hope is more than an apologetic defense of Christianity as the highest truth—it is our confident expectation of a bright future. We hope for salvation from death and resurrection through Jesus, our Lord and Messiah (1 Cor. 15). Some may see the end times as darkness or the end of the world, but we know they mark the dawn of God's kingdom, fulfilled in faith, hope, and steadfast love. Unlike ordinary wishes, Christian hope is eschatological, looking forward to the ultimate completion of God's plan, both now and in the future.
Virtue 3: Love
When a legal 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 recited 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 says that love is the greatest of the scriptural virtues, he refers to it as the greatest commandment. Likewise, he writes:
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 use two different words for "love." The first, agapē (G26; the verb form is agapaō, G25), refers to a steadfast relationship founded 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 says, "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 (John 3:18–21).
Likewise, the apostle John writes, "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 defines 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).
Whenever the New Testament writers speak of God's love, they use agapē to reflect his divine, self-giving nature. In contrast, they use philia (5373; verb form is phileō, G5368) to refer to friendship. For example, comparing 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") shows this distinction. While philia conveys a positive sense of love between friends, it is limited and cannot match God's patient and enduring kindness. Luke uses phileō to describe how the Pharisees "loved" their long robes and respectful greetings (Luke 20:46), and John Mark uses it for the kiss Judas Iscariot gave to betray Jesus (Mark 14:44).
John's gospel concludes with an epilogue in which Jesus meets Peter after the resurrection. During their early morning conversation, Jesus asked Peter three times, "Do you love me?"—once for each of Peter's betrayals. Notice how Jesus uses agapaō and phileō in these questions, highlighting the difference between divine, self-giving love and friendship love.
Jesus asked Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love [agapaō] me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love [phileō] you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." Again, Jesus said, "Simon, son of John, do you love [agapaō] me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love [phileō] you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love [phileō] me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love [phileō] me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love [phileō] you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep" (John 21:15-17; McReynolds 1999, pp. 418–19).
Twice, Jesus asked Peter if he loved him, using the word agapaō, which refers to selfless, compassionate love. Peter responded with phileō, expressing a brotherly, friendship-type love. The third time, Jesus allowed Peter to answer in his own way, yet he knew Peter's love would grow into agapē, even to the point of martyrdom (John 21:18–19). Jesus fully understood the depth of this steadfast love when he died on the cross (Phil. 2:5–8).
In The Four Loves (Geoffrey Bles, 1960), apologist C. S. Lewis (1898–1963) identified two additional Greek words for "love." Alongside the biblical terms agapē and philia, he noted storgē and eros. The word storgē ("family love") appears in Scripture only in the compound adjectives astorgos (G794) and philostorgos (G5387). The New Testament writers never use eros, which refers to sexual love and romance and is the root of our English word "erotic." This absence does not mean that the writers view eros as sinful. Still, it emphasizes that marriage covenants should rest on God's enduring agapē rather than fleeting carnal feelings of eros.
Conclusion
Faith, hope, and love guide the Christian life, shaping how we journey with God. Faith provides a firm foundation, enabling us to trust God's promises even in times of uncertainty. Hope fills our hearts with confidence in God's presence and plan, giving purpose and strength. Love, the greatest of all, calls us to follow Christ by showing kindness, unity, and forgiveness in a divided world. These three virtues guide us as we grow closer to God and live out his teachings. Faith steadies us, hope lifts our spirits, and love moves us to action, revealing the power of the gospel in our lives and communities.
Prayer
Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of heaven and earth. You are faithful and true, calling us to follow in your ways. Awaken faith in us; shape our hearts and wills. Fill us with hope and love. Reshape our desires to live joyfully in your truth. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Bibliography
Kierkegaard, Søren. Concluding Unscientific Postscript to the Philosophical Crumbs. Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy. Edited and translated by Alastair Hannay. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009. Kindle.
Lewis, C. S. The Four Loves. London: Geoffrey Bles, 1960.
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. 2nd ed. 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.
Wood, W. Jay. Epistemology: Becoming Intellectually Virtuous. Contours of Christian Philosophy. Edited by C. Stephen Evans. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1998.
Wright, N. T. Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2018.
