Faith, Knowledge, and Hope

by Edwin Crozier

Paul had a three-part mission for his work as a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. He did that work so God’s elect would grow in faith, in knowledge of the truth, and in hope of eternal life. What a great rubric for our work as teachers in Christ’s kingdom today. What a great rubric for our relationships with one another in Christ today.

May we help each other increase in faith. May we help deepen conviction in each other. May we help grow allegiance to Christ in each other. May we encourage one another to overcome doubt and fear–not ignoring doubts and fears, but addressing them and growing past them.

May we help each other grow in knowledge of the truth. Truth will set us free. Truth accords with godliness and, recall from I Timothy, godliness provides benefit in this life and in the next. Godliness deepens our relationship with God Himself. May our relationships with one another deepen our relationship with God.

May we help each other keep our hope in eternal life. Hope shift is so easy. Our hope can shift to education, to money, to family, to fame, to popularity, to health, to wealth. It can shift to so many things. But the real hope is eternal life, which God promised.

May our faith in God and His promise grow as we learn the truth more deeply from one another so that our hope increasingly anchors in eternity instead of this life.

Do your relationships help you with these things? Do you help others with these things in your relationships?