Unpacking Two Amazing Gifts

A Blog About the Difference Between Faith and Hope by Katie Hawkins

Faith and hope are so intertwined that it’s hard to imagine one without the other. I couldn’t have genuine hope without faith, and I don’t think my faith would amount to much if I didn’t have hope. Yet, they are distinct enough to chat about the differences if we keep the mental picture of the two enmeshed.

The dictionary defines faith as: “complete trust or confidence in someone or something or a strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.” The Bible contains a clear definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

The dictionary defines hope as: “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. A feeling of trust.”  A bible dictionary words it this way: “To trust in, wait for, look for, or desire something or someone; or to expect something beneficial in the future.”  There is a glaring difference in these definitions. Secular hope has an element of doubt.  I ‘hope’ something will happen, but always understanding that it might not. And biblical hope has a confident expectation that it will happen…all doubt is removed…. even though it hasn’t happened yet.

So, I would sum up their differences like this: Faith is more a matter of the mind and will, hope is more a matter of the emotions that are fed by our minds. Faith is setting our will to believe something our mind says is true, even when confusing ideas come our way.  Hope is the feeling that washes over us when our faith dictates the good that is guaranteed to happen to us in the future, even when bad things are happening right now.  

That might be casting a confusing shadow on these words because obviously our minds, wills, and emotions are all intertwined.  

How can we trust and wait and desire something or someone who we haven’t reasoned in our minds is trustworthy and reliable?  

It’s possible because of my faith in Christ. I’m standing with complete trust and confidence in Him and what He has done for me. I can know, without a doubt, that I am saved from my sins.  I can know that I am redeemed and won’t face the penalty of my sins. Hope on the other hand, is the anticipation and assurance of things coming down the pike. I don’t have ‘it’ all now but expect to. Hope is trusting in the sanctification promised me that as I walk along in the future, I’ll be saved from sin that wants to keep swamping me and holding me back from becoming like Christ.

 Here’s a neat little chart I saw once that clarifies this:

Salvation past… I was saved from the penalty of sin…called ‘redemption’.

Salvation present… I am being saved from the power of sin…called ‘sanctification’.

Salvation future… I will be saved from the presence of sin…called ‘glorification’.

Scripture says that it is by grace through faith that we are saved.  It also says that our hope for a godly, transformed life lies in Christ and at the end of that life our hope for eternity is promised.  So, our redemption is done…by faith.  Sanctification and glorification are based on faith but since we don’t have either one completely right now, they are a matter of hope.  

Romans 8:24-25 says, “For in this hope we were saved.  But hope that is seen is no hope at all.  Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have we wait for it patiently.”

Here’s a simple story to help illustrate:

 As a young Catholic girl, I had to memorize things out of a small blue book called the Baltimore Catechism. The one question-and-answer that stuck in my memory was this: “What is the chief end of man? The chief end of man is to glorify God and learn to enjoy him forever.” I had no idea what it meant until years later when I decided to follow Jesus.

 One of the very first Bible studies I took taught me that to glorify God means to give the correct estimate or opinion of who God is and what He's like to other people. I learned that the more you get to know Him the more you will enjoy him. Then, the more you're able to receive his love and joy, the more you are shaped into the kind of person that can pour out love and joy on others. Simple, huh?  Get to know Him, learn to enjoy Him, and you will glorify Him thus fulfilling the reason you’re on Earth in the first place.

The problem with all this is that I was absolutely overwhelmed by it.

 How was I, this weak willed, not overly bright, or gifted, kind of confused, selfish woman, supposed to be like God?! 

It wasn't possible in my opinion!  Now, I had faith that I was saved. I had faith in what Christ did for me. I had faith that I would go to heaven when I died. But I didn't have any hope that I would be able to glorify Him to others. Until I read and absorbed the verse that simply says this: “Christ in you the hope of glory.” It all clicked.  It’s not me that has to show the world Christ…it’s Christ in me that simply wants to shine out of me if I’ll submit my will to His.  It’s not me trying to conjure up goodness and godliness and impress the world. It’s the Holy Spirit in me.  Therein lay my hope!  My hope to glorify Him more and more on Earth and my hope that someday I’ll be glorified myself in His very presence.

I hope (there’s that word again!) that all this makes some sense to your mind. I pray that when you decide with your will to embrace the hope you can have through faith (our other word!) your emotions give off this overwhelming feeling of peace and joy and you are equipped and motivated to love God more and love others better.  After all, faith and hope are important gifts, but the greatest is love.

 “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love.”   1 Corinthians 13:13