![]() So I was surprised a couple yearsĪgo to discover that the LDS Bible Dictionary has no entry for “hope.” It has an entry for faithĪnd charity but none for hope. I mention all this at the outset of my talk simply to establish that hope is a crucial concept both inĬhristianity generally and specifically in the Restored gospel. Fully a third of the scriptural references to hopeĪppear in modern revelation, and almost always they appear in theologically drenched contexts. We also learn from modern revelation that hope is a core doctrine ifĬonsidered separately as a single godly virtue. Triad faith, hope, and charity, far from being Paul’s invention, defines an inspired gospel We know, however, that this triplet appears inĭiscourses by Amulek, Mormon, and Moroni, not to mention many times in the Doctrine andĬovenants (See 1 Corinthians 13:13 Alma 7:24 Ether 12:28 Moroni 7:1, 37-48 8:14 10:20-21 Doctrine and Covenants 4:5 6:19 12:8 18:19). The world thinks that the Apostle Paul invented this famous formulation “faith, hope, andĬharity” in his First Epistle to the Corinthians. In addition to these seven virtues, medievalĬhristianity identified seven “capital” virtues that were opposite to the seven capital or deadly The theological virtues were thought to require superhuman infusions of grace and therefore to beĪvailable in their fullness only to Christians. The cardinal virtues were thought to beĪttainable by human effort they are therefore evident among noble non-Christians. (“Cardinal” comes from the Latin for hinge ( cardo). Virtues–prudence, justice, temperance, fortitude–which could be acquired by human effort The theological virtues were thought toīe fully available only through God’s grace, as contrasted to the four “cardinal” or “moral” “theological” Christian virtues: faith, hope, and charity. Traditionally, hope has been regarded as one of three so-called These interrelated principles today as we consider what scripture calls “blessed hope,”Įnjoy in and through the Lord Jesus Christ ( Titus 2:13). Grasp its intimate interrelation with linked gospel principles such as patience, faith, and charity,Īs well as apprehend its opposite, despair, and its antidote, the Atonement. Middle member in that great triad “faith, hope, and charity.” To understand hope, we need to Thessalonians 1:3 Alma 34:41 Doctrine and Covenants 6:19). Here asĮlsewhere in scripture, hope is closely paired with patience (Romans 5:4 8:25 15:4 1 Worketh patience, and patience, experience and experience, hope” (Romans 5:3-4). Tribulation not only calls for hope but can call forth hope. ![]() It is during such tribulation that hope feels most blessed and needed. ![]() Us all embrace hope more fully and firmly, especially during dark hours when we may be Spite of the acute shortage of hope in a world drowning in despair. The fact that both the Bible and modern revelation are replete with injunctions to hope, and in Unlike faith and charity, hope is seldom presented prescriptively, as a duty disciples need toĬultivate, rather than merely descriptively, as an attribute believers can enjoy. ![]() We hear relatively few sermons on hope as compared to, say, faith or charity. Yet it is also among the most neglected of Christian “Were it not for hope the heart would break” (Scottish You can’t live without hope.” Knowing his immigrant background, they sensed that he He said to them, “I’llīuy you dinner if you can tell me the greatest thing in the world.” They thought about it and said, Proprietor who was struck by Sister’s Tuttle’s seemingly Greek profile. The Tuttles had stopped to eat at a restaurant owned by a Greek I am reminded of a story President Packer told me about Sister and Elder Tuttle, a former Hope is among the most blessed of all gospel virtues. I want to speak with you today about hope. Springs eternal!” (Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man, l.95). It is especially agreeable toīe on campus when the weather is as warm and pleasant as you are. The special warmth radiated by the students, faculty, and staff here. Brothers and Sisters, Susan and I are delighted to be with you today.
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