Bernard Gui Posted August 1, 2013 Posted August 1, 2013 (edited) Ether 12:4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God....32 And I also remember that thou hast said that thou hast prepared a house for man, yea, even among the mansions of thy Father, in which man might have a more excellent hope; wherefore man must hope, or he cannot receive an inheritance in the place which thou hast prepared.Alma 32:21 And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true. Moroni 10:20 Wherefore, there must be faith; and if there must be faith there must also be hope; and if there must be hope there must also be charity. 21 And except ye have charity ye can in nowise be saved in the kingdom of God; neither can ye be saved in the kingdom of God if ye have not faith; neither can ye if ye have no hope.Maybe I don't hang around the right places, but we don't talk much about hope. What is your understanding of this gospel principal? Edited August 1, 2013 by Bernard Gui
Ahab Posted August 1, 2013 Posted August 1, 2013 Maybe I don't hang around the right places, but we don't talk much about hope. What is your understanding of this gospel principal?Paul said that among faith, hope, and charity, charity was the best. I think hope comes in 3rd place, with faith as 2nd best to charity. All 3 are important and a necessary part of a belief system, though. First you need to have hope that something good is true or will come true, and then at some point you need to be sure (or have faith) that it is going to come true, so that not only do you hope for it but you are sure it is going to happen, preferrably with God being the one to have given you his assurance that it is true or will come true rather than your faith coming from some person who could be wrong or speaking without any real knowledge. And then after that point you would become thankful for the good thing that is true or is going to come true while trying to help other people attain the same blessings, which is what I think having charity is all about.
CV75 Posted August 1, 2013 Posted August 1, 2013 (edited) Maybe I don't hang around the right places, but we don't talk much about hope. What is your understanding of this gospel principal?I look at hope as hybrid of faith and knowledge that bridges the two. From the three quotes you provided, "with surety" seems to indicate that there is some knowledge at one end or the other of hope, which "cometh of faith"--and since we know that knowledge also follows faith, hope seems to function as a bridge.It can also be viewed as a bridge in that faith is not a perfect knowledge, but that this expanding knowledge is brought on by hope or by hoping, leading to greater faith and knowledge. Faith is not hope, but if you have faith you are able to hope, and thus obtain greater faith and a perfect knowledge.Faith develops hope, and hope develops charity. The idea that the pure love of Christ is perfect knowledge is found in John 17. Edited August 1, 2013 by CV75 1
The Nehor Posted August 2, 2013 Posted August 2, 2013 As you start to exercise faith you develop a hope for salvation. Once you hope for yourself you hope for others and God gives youmthe gift of charity.
altersteve Posted August 2, 2013 Posted August 2, 2013 (edited) Hope is a concept I believe in very strongly. To me, it's about continual improvement -- being better today than you were yesterday, and better tomorrow than you are today. It's the drive within each of us to wake up in the morning a little better, smarter, stronger, happier, and closer to Christ than we were the day before, and keeping that momentum going with each passing day. That's where my hope comes from. You just need a little faith and charity to go along with it, and you'll never not be happy.I always try to keep this in mind: hope + faith + charity = happiness. Edited August 2, 2013 by altersteve
janderich Posted August 2, 2013 Posted August 2, 2013 Faith is structured around our confidence in God but hope deals with our standing before him. As our faith grows so does our hope. As we exercise faith in God we gain assurance of our place in the heavens even a "place at the right hand of God."Hope then needs to be much more than some flimsy desire. Otherwise it will never be an anchor to our souls. Hope is based on promise from God. As Mormon says, "Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise." (Moro 7:41) This promise is the promise of eternal life. It is at first very conditional but as faith grows so does hope. At a certain point, as confidence in God grows a person receives the more sure word of prophecy which is the promise that they are sealed up unto eternal life. Then faith becomes unshaken and hope becomes a solid anchor to the soul leading the man of God to do right and to desire the same for those around him. So faith, hope, and charity work together leading a person upward until he finds his faith confirmed, his hope obtained, and his love unbounded.
pogi Posted August 2, 2013 Posted August 2, 2013 (edited) To me, hope is the seed of faith, which faith strengthens hope, which in turn strengthens faith until a "surety" of hope is obtained in Christ. This cycle seems to build on itself until a "perfect knowledge" makes both faith and hope dormant (Alma 32). Without hope, the seed of the word of God would never be planted in the heart, but would be cast out in doubt. Without faith or knowledge, one can only hope or doubt in the word of God, making hope the most fundamental choice which sets the coarse for the remainder of our religious lives. Hope is what eventually separates the believers from the unbelievers. It is the fuel which leads into all faith, righteousness, and knowledge.When we express our hope to others, it becomes their hope, which leads to faith. Hope is what is birthed in the hearts of the listeners when we preach Jesus Christ. Edited August 2, 2013 by pogi
Ahab Posted August 2, 2013 Posted August 2, 2013 When we express our hope to others, it becomes their hope, which leads to faith. Hope is what is birthed in the hearts of the listeners when we preach Jesus Christ.Our at least we hope so, when we desire that others do what we did. I think it usually works out better when we express our faith to others, though, rather than only sharing our hopes, because as far as they know we may be hoping for something that can not come true. And it helps even more when we're sharing our faith out of the charity in our hearts, rather than for some other motive.For example, I could just say: I sure hope I am following Jesus Christ, because I hope to live in heaven someday, which I also hope is a place that really exists.It's a lot of hoping, but what if my hopes are not based on a real possibility as something that can actually happen?Which is why it's even better to say, in all honesty: I am sure I am following Jesus Christ, because I'm sure heaven is a place that really exists and I'm also sure that following Jesus Christ is going to get me there someday.And then to top it off with a little charity I could say something like: And you can get there too, someday, if you will also follow him. 1
rpn Posted August 3, 2013 Posted August 3, 2013 (edited) I only came to understand how critical hope is to the plan when I began having regular contact with those who had been abused. Without hope, there is just no way to see a loving Heavenly Father or learn to trust a human being. Overcoming the absence of hope is so very difficult. Every little obstacle causes regression when it is given up again. Edited August 3, 2013 by rpn
pogi Posted August 3, 2013 Posted August 3, 2013 (edited) Which is why it's even better to say, in all honesty: I am sure I am following Jesus Christ, because I'm sure heaven is a place that really exists and I'm also sure that following Jesus Christ is going to get me there someday..I was thinking along the lines of 1 Peter 3:15"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear."Unless you have a perfect knowledge which has given you a dormant faith and hope, it is impossible to share your faith without sharing your hope also. They are inseparably connected, and you do not necessarily have to use the phrasing "I hope." You can say I believe, I have faith, and some even feel confident saying "I know," but really these are all just expressions of hope unless, again, one has a perfect knowledge. When we share our testimony or faith in Jesus Christ, we are sharing our hope or "surety of hope for a better world," that is all that I mean. Edited August 3, 2013 by pogi
mfbukowski Posted August 3, 2013 Posted August 3, 2013 (edited) Maybe I don't hang around the right places, but we don't talk much about hope. What is your understanding of this gospel principal?It is what religion is. For me they are nearly synonymous.One could say "I am a member of the Mormon Hope Philosophy" or "I have faith in the Mormon Hope Philosophy" Edited August 3, 2013 by mfbukowski 1
mfbukowski Posted August 3, 2013 Posted August 3, 2013 That's why atheists don't get it.They think religion has to do with factual statements- it doesn't. It's about hope- and even atheists have hope for a better world, a better life, etc, and act on those hopes every day they get out of bed in the morning. 1
mfbukowski Posted August 3, 2013 Posted August 3, 2013 Our at least we hope so, when we desire that others do what we did. I think it usually works out better when we express our faith to others, though, rather than only sharing our hopes, because as far as they know we may be hoping for something that can not come true. And it helps even more when we're sharing our faith out of the charity in our hearts, rather than for some other motive.For example, I could just say: I sure hope I am following Jesus Christ, because I hope to live in heaven someday, which I also hope is a place that really exists.It's a lot of hoping, but what if my hopes are not based on a real possibility as something that can actually happen?Which is why it's even better to say, in all honesty: I am sure I am following Jesus Christ, because I'm sure heaven is a place that really exists and I'm also sure that following Jesus Christ is going to get me there someday.And then to top it off with a little charity I could say something like: And you can get there too, someday, if you will also follow him.Ok I have to say this.Mark the day on the calendar. I agree with Ahab. Today is the day I give a rep point to Ahab. Hell has officially frozen over.
Bernard Gui Posted August 3, 2013 Author Posted August 3, 2013 Thank you all for the wonderful comments. They could be the foundation for a sacrament meeting talk.Is hope something that we choose to do?
Freedom Posted August 3, 2013 Posted August 3, 2013 http://www.lds.org/ensign/2009/06/hope-the-misunderstood-sister?lang=engI see it as a pattern of progression - belief leads to faith which leads to hope which leads to knowledge. I have faith that London is a remarkable historical place to visit but if I had visited it, I would have experienced its charm and would now have hope of a return. We hope for things that we understand through faith. We have faith of the atonement and when we gain a witness of our faith, we how have hope of the resurrection.
JDave Posted August 3, 2013 Posted August 3, 2013 Hope is essential (though I like the Spanish imprescindible better). A lack of hope is debilitating. I agree with Moroni's statement that "if ye have no hope ye must needs be in despair", though I think the next statement "and despair cometh because of iniquity" could be better if expanded to state "or by losing sight of God". Sometimes we forget the gospel perspective, or life overwhelms us, and we lose hope. And sometimes we need to find the path in life whereby God can grant us hope. I wish it were not considered a strength to pretend that such never happens.
pogi Posted August 4, 2013 Posted August 4, 2013 Thank you all for the wonderful comments. They could be the foundation for a sacrament meeting talk.Is hope something that we choose to do?I have looked at hope as both a choice and a gift, much like patience, kindness, righteousness, gentleness, self-control, etc. (Gal 5). Faith, hope and charity are all gifts of the spirit, but they are also choices that we make every day.
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