Faith, Hope & Love (PDF)

1

Faith, Hope & Love

Quite often you will hear someone say, “I have been hoping and praying that God will change a certain situation.” Although hope is important, it must be connected with faith to get the desired results. Hebrews 11:1 states, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Let’s take a closer look at this Scripture: “Now faith is...” Even though the word “now” may not be used in this Scripture as a present-tense word, let’s use it that way to provoke our thinking. For the purpose of illustration, let’s consider the words on both sides of the word “faith” as being present-tense words: “Now faith is.” 3

Faith, Hope & Love

True faith that gives substance of things hoped for must always be in the present tense. Even though you don’t have those things you desire, you must release faith for them “now” when you pray. In other words, faith can’t be in the future and give substance to hope (See Mark 11:24). If faith is not now, it’s not really Bible faith, because it’s not in the heart. It is only hope. Faith that is not present now cannot give substance to things hoped for in the future. Hope is always out there somewhere in the future. Hope sets the goal to which faith gives substance. Many people confuse hope and faith. They say, “I believe God is going to heal me and bless me financially sometime.” But the truth is: God has already done all He is going to do about your healing or finances.

4

Faith, Hope & Love

God’s Word has already been given concerning this matter. The New Testament is the last Will and Testament of Jesus. He has already said “yes” to all of His promises (II Corinthians 1:20). It’s not a matter of what He is going to do someday. It’s a matter of developing faith in what He has already done for us.

The Law of Faith Faith is a law of God. Paul refers to it in Romans, Chapter 3: Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. (Romans 3:27)

In the context, Paul was referring to receiving Jesus by faith and entering into His righteousness. He says you can’t boast about the fact that your sins are gone, and you are made righteous, because it is not 5

Faith, Hope & Love

something you did. It is something Jesus did, and you received it by faith. The law of The Old Testament was a law of works. But under the New Covenant, we are under the law of faith. So we could say that faith is the law of the New Covenant. Righteousness under the New Covenant is not by our works, but through faith. “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” (Romans 3:31) What law is Paul establishing? The spiritual law of faith which creates the righteousness of God in us. Then, in Romans, Chapter 8, Paul refers to it as the law of God: For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, 6

Faith, Hope & Love neither indeed (Romans 8:6-7)

can

be.

It is evident that the carnal mind cannot operate in the law of faith, because the carnal mind is ruled by the five physical senses rather than spiritual law. All laws are not the same. For instance, the law of gravity works all the time whether you believe it or not, because it is a mandatory law. But God’s spiritual law of faith is not mandatory. You must choose to operate in it. Yet, it works every time you apply it correctly. The problem is that most people either don’t know how or don't choose to operate in the law of faith. God tells us how to operate it (See Mark 11:23-24; Matthew 21:22; and John 15:7).

Faith Must Be in the Heart Faith is a spiritual force; therefore, faith works in the heart 7

Faith, Hope & Love

(Romans 10:10). It doesn’t work in the head. We give mental assent with our head. Some mistake mental assent for faith. But mental assent is not faith. Most people will say, “Yes, I believe the Bible.” But they really don’t believe it’s true in them. Mental assent says, “Yes, it’s the truth, because it’s the Bible.” Most people will give mental assent that the Bible is true whether or not they have faith in the promises. The real question is: How much of that truth is in you? Are you fully persuaded of the reality of God’s promise in your life? Can you see yourself living out the reality of what God says is yours? If you can’t see it on the inside, then it’s not yet in your spirit or heart. In Romans 10, Paul tells us how to transfer God’s Word into the heart where it becomes true Bible faith.

8

Faith, Hope & Love The word [of God] is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach. (Romans 10:8)

Faith Works in the Heart There are some who try to operate faith out of their heads instead of their hearts. A certain man said to a minister friend of mine, “Faith confessions don’t work.” My minister friend replied, “Oh, why do you say that?” He said, “I confessed three hundred times in one day that I had a new car, and I didn't get it.” It is obvious that all he had was the formula and didn’t understand the law of faith. He was trying to work a formula without understanding the principle. Just because a person believes 9

Faith, Hope & Love

the Bible is true does not mean the promises are going to be true in his or her life. They must develop faith regarding each promise. It is possible to have great faith for finances, but have no faith for healing. Faith for healing comes from healing Scriptures, such as: I Peter 2:24, Psalm 107:20, and Isaiah 53:4-5. ... faith is the substance of things hoped for... it is also the evidence of things not seen.

Hope is the goal setter, but hope will not bring the promise into manifestation. Yet, hope is needful. For without hope you wouldn’t have anything for your faith to give substance to. Many people give up, because they lose hope, then they have nothing for their faith to give substance to.

Developing Faith Takes 10

Faith, Hope & Love

Time Regardless of who you are when you start developing your faith, you must start where you are. As someone said, “You can't build a third story on a vacant lot.” Faith worketh by love. It’s important to learn what will short out your faith and what speeds up the faith connection. Paul gives us insight into this matter in Galatians 5:6: For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Faith Cometh There are no shortcuts to faith. However, there are a few avenues which cause faith to come easier. Walking in love toward others is one of those avenues. Love never fails. And faith that is worked by 11

Faith, Hope & Love

love never fails to produce desired results (See I Corinthians 13:8; Galatians 5:6). Ephesians 4:15 says: “But speaking the truth in love, (you) may grow up into him in all things...” If you speak God’s Word out of your mouth, faith seems to come more quickly for “... faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17) “The Word is nigh thee even in thy mouth, and in thy heart...” (Romans 10:8) Hearing yourself speak God’s Word deposits it in your heart. For you always have more faith in what you say than in what others say. The promise of God produces hope, but it is the spiritual force of faith in our heart that gives substance to that hope. Again, hope is a goal setter, but it must be connected with faith which works by love to possess the promises of God. In I Corinthians 13:13, Paul 12

Faith, Hope & Love

gives us the bottom line on this matter: “... now abideth faith, hope, charity (love)... but the greatest of these is charity (love).”

Maranatha! Charles Capps Ministries P. O. Box 69 England, Arkansas 72046

13