Can a person have faith without hope or hope without faith?

Question:

Can a person have faith without hope or hope without faith?

Answer:

Faith is what a person trusts to be true. Hope is what a person expects to happen. The answer to your question then heavily depends on what topics are being believed or hoped for. A person could say they believe in God, but he doesn't have a belief in the afterlife, and so such a person has no hope of heaven. Such would describe the Sadducees of the Bible. "For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all" (Acts 23:8).

But in reality, what the Sadducees believed in is not really what you would expect a person of faith ought to believe. "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him" (Hebrews 11:4). The writer states that faith requires two basic beliefs: a belief that God exists and that God rewards those who seek him. The Sadducees may have had a faith in God, but they lacked the belief in an eternal reward.

But it doesn't seem possible to have an expectation of something in the future without some faith that what you are expecting can happen. When Paul talked about hope, it was based on faith. "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Romans 5:1-5).

Print Friendly, PDF & Email