Faith, Hope, Love and the Holy Spirit - Literature review Example

In what manner and to what degree is the development of the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love, an outcome of the work of the Holy Spirit? The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such, there is no law1. It is an ageless luster of beautiful characters qualities. Frank Braeden called them cluster of heavenly jewels and just to articulate them, it brings a flush over the heart2. These characteristics are eternal and for the Christians, they should become their basic personalities. They should be considered as “personal value-system,”3 which cannot be eroded by external influence. When facing with the threat of terrorists, whose leader claimed Christians are infidel, the Christians should present more of these characteristics rather than retaliating. The Bible states, Christians should not retaliate evil for evil but setting up a coal on the head of the enemy. Let God takes care of the matter. Forgiveness is their greatest weapon4 against all evil. The fruits of the Spirit are Christians’ treasures, like a shining pearl thread from the fabric of their inmost being.5 These human characters shall last forever, argued Braeden. They stand evil and immorality. Why does this fruit of the Spirit important to human being, not only for Christian but also to others? Because the greatest enemy in this world is one’s own heart.6 The phrase says, “We are our own worst enemy.” The manifestation of the fruit is not by “the overflow of powerful religious feeling but by faithful response to the systematic study and preaching of the Word of God.”7 Christians need this fruit because it gives them the opportunity to lead and position themselves in an environment they will not be able to have in the secular world. Unfortunately, as human beings, too often, they fall quickly from exerting this fruit because of self-pride, because of their egoistical attitude and behavior, and they are too focused on achieving their own ambition. With these attitudes and hidden behavior, and as they are being pressure to uphold competitiveness in the workplace, they are prone to resentment, hardness of heart, become judgmental and critical of others, jealous of others, and frustrated if they don’t get what they want. In their relationship with others, they try to give answer to others that they don’t even know what the answers are. Said Braeden, the fruit of the Spirit “is the ultimate formula for success in human relationships.” 8 It should be welcomed and enshrined in human hearts and lived out in everywhere a Christian lives – in homes, in churches, in schools, in the workplaces, even in heaven to come. The fruit of the Spirit is not religious or science but personal and very personal. It is critical. It is reflected in one’s characters as the result of his or her personal relationship with Christ. Even Jesus, when He was in this world, was depending on God to help Him to outlive the fruit of the Spirit as He interacted with the people. If He had no patient, love, longsuffering, meekness, temperance, joy, peace, goodness, and faith, Calvary would never exist. The plan of redemption would not exist and human race does not require salvation. Many people claim they are religious or they are Christians but their deeds, actions and behaviors indicate otherwise. Some Christians even live a double live. They are somebody in the weekdays but when the weekend comes, they are entirely different persons. Some may act like saints but others are pointing fingers at other people for their misdeeds. Consequently, other people perceive them as cult. Many people even conclude that every religion is a cult. That is because they have little understanding of what they believe. Others find religious life is a burdensome because there are do’s and don’ts and it is impossible to produce the fruit of the Spirit. It is because they see that following God from their human eyes. To produce the fruit of the Spirit requires faith. Faith is believing in the invisible things, “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”9 One cannot mix heavenly things and earthly things. Those who do not understand the values of a religion keep evaluating religious life and associate it with its physical roots. Thereby, we often hear people’s comment “he is religious” or “he is a cult.” According to Miles, “the religious life should be judged by its fruits rather than by its physical roots.”10 In Timothy 1:1, the Apostle Paul said God is our Savior and Jesus is our hope. At times such as today, Christians need hope. Through prayer, we can communicate with God and express our hope to develop these fruits. Hope is not because we have found “something” but because we have confidence in “someone” – God Himself, said Anthony. Anthony said, hope is a person and as a person, he has certain characteristics. Among other: (1) We have the hope because God is sovereign. This strengthens us despite the calamity. Habakuk described his hope in God by saying “Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls; yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.”11 (2) We have the hope because God is present. In Matthew 28:20, God said, “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (3) We have the hope because God involves in our lives. Prophet Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 29:11-13, “I know the thoughts I think toward you… thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end… ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you… ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” Therefore, Prophet Jeremiah encouraged the Christian to keep hope alive regardless of the situation because God has been involved in their lives from the beginning. He can intervene in their present difficulties, and He will bring an end of their difficulties at the right time. (4) God is great. God asked Job “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?”12 Said David, “The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard.”13 No one can answer the result of His creation but it represents hope and encouragement. His greatness gives divine inspiration. Americans find it so difficult living under economic oppression of the Bush administration. When Obama came into the scene as a presidential candidate with his campaign slogan “Change,” Americans feel some relief. They have the hope that finally, someone is coming to bring some change. As mentioned early, the fruit of the spirit is heavenly jewels and cannot be visible with human eyes. Without faith, it is impossible to please God, said the Hebrews.14 Lack of faith is becoming a chronic disease in Christian society and many are embracing secularism even spiritualism. Nevertheless, faith determines whether the power of God could enter and transform their lives.15 Many fail to present their faith because they are living inside the crucibles, which cause them to continuously doubt about God’s love. Others perceive faith as something unknown or dark but the impact of faith in one’s life can be incredible, said Anthony. Faith is an essential Christian virtue, said Luginbill.16 Nevertheless, all these things I can do through Christ that strengthens me, but without love, I am nothing. The fruit of the Spirit bears witness of God’s existence in one’s heart. Faith, added Anthony, is shaped by the words of God, empowered by the spirit of God through prayer. Through faith, one can see Jesus in a person’s characters. It is the foundation of one’s belief in God, and through faith, one can claim the promise of God, which is his or her hope. Faith lifts human’s eyes to face Jesus and brings heaven’s miracles of transformation into their lives – one that strengthens and leads them into heaven.17 It makes the person loves to praise Him. From hopes and faith comes meekness. The Apostle Matthew said, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.”18 Meekness is “enduring injury without patience and without resentment.”19 Meekness also means being humble, a character that has become irrelevant in a competitive environment. However, it is a powerful characteristic for Christ’s followers to have it is a powerful20 weapon against evil and a person with the meekness of heart can become a powerful witness for God.21 A characteristic enforces love. Jesus enforces His followers to love their enemies. Despite what Jesus has experienced, God never discriminate the human race. He still gives rain to the bad and the good and blesses the righteous and the unrighteous. Said Anthony, when Jesus said to us to love our enemies, he does not mean that we should always have warm and cozy relationship with those who have hurt us or to show our love toward them in a certain way, but through our specific actions to them that we show our care and consideration. No one is perfect and is able to reflect the fruit of the Spirit. However, Jesus always encourages His followers by saying, “Be therefore perfect, even as your heavenly father which is in heaven is perfect.”22 To be perfect requires meekness of heart. It may be difficult to become meek. Yet, Jesus said, “Learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart.”23 It is very cruel to treat others unjustly. The golden rule is do unto others what we like others do unto us. Many may find it difficult to see meekness in one’s characters but Ellen White in her The Desire of Ages said the most visible feature of meekness in a person’s trait is self-control. A person who experiences abuse and cruelty will quickly lose his or her patience and calm and fails to reveal God’s character. “Lowliness of heart is the strength that gives victory to the followers of Christ; it is the token of their connection with the courts above.” 24 Christians should not allow themselves to be easily wounded or buried in grief. Despite the circumstances, they should continuously allow themselves to be presentable with cheerful heart and joyful spirit. This is contagious. Quoted by Anthony, White said, “The softening, subduing influence of the love of God brought into practical lives will make impressions upon minds that will be a savor of life unto life. But a harsh denunciatory spirit, if manifested, will turn many souls away from the truth into the ranks of the enemy. Solemn thought! To deal patiently with the tempted requires us to battle with self.”25 In The Ministry of Healing, White concluded that the Christian life is a continuous battle. Their life is like warfare. But she encouraged them to persevere and be patience. No one would fight his or her battles. God never promised that following Him would be like in a rose garden. Rather, the Bible said “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat.”26 James P. Needham defined longsuffering is the “quality of self-restraint in the face of provocation which does not hastily retaliate or promptly punish, it is the opposite of anger, and is associated with mercy”27 and patience “is the quality that does not surrender to circumstances or succumb under trial; it is the opposite of despondency, and is associated with hope.”28 He continued longsuffering makes a person is able to bear one another. Having longsuffering is important for every Christian even non-Christian because it helps the person to get along well with other people from various backgrounds and in different environments. It is an integral part of a Christian’s life.29 At times such as today, love is the most wanted and needed but it is also the most abused term.30 Western people often perceive love to be physical, passion, and attraction. But when Paul compares love in 1 Corinthian 13 to hope and faith, he said that all this fruit of the Spirit is important but without love, there is nothing. It is the greatest commandment – to love your God with all your heart and your mind and your soul, and love your neighbor as yourself.31 Living out the fruit of the Spirit is part of one’s personal religious experience but also human experience. Yet, the branch cannot bear fruit by itself32 without abiding on the tree. On verse 5, the Apostle John said, “without me, you can do nothing.” One can reflect the fruit of the Spirit in his deeds and behavior not in a religious form but because that person is growing up in what he or she believes. Like a baby, that person’s religious experience grows everyday because of his or her constant relationship with God. It is not the person’s own doing but it is God who works in that person’s life only if he or she is willing and to do His good pleasure.33 Producing the fruit of the Spirit is the result of growing mature in Christ. This “mature religious mode of knowing is based on the recognition that life, our abilities; our social and environmental circumstances are gifts and opportunities which come from God.”34 This makes a person more willing to serve God without being pressured to. His or her relationship with God is continuously nurtured through worship, prayer, and open communication with God by reading and studying His Word. As the person lives his or her life in the environment, his or her life is strengthened. When a person becomes a Christian and he or she is truly converted, it is no longer his or her own characters but it is Christ who lives in him or her. Therefore, he or she can do all things through Christ, who strengthens him or her.35 Said White “lives must be just what God designs they shall be--faithful in good words, in kind and thoughtful deeds, in the expression of meekness, purity, and love. Thus we represent Christ to the world.”36 Reference Anthony, G. (2007, July-September). The Refiner’s Fire. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association. Anthony, G. Lesson 10: Meekness in the Crucibles. Retrieved December 4, 2008 from http://ssnet.org/qrtly/eng/07d/less.html Braeden, F. (1987). Instruction Manual for the New “Pictorial Aid.” Warburton, Vic.: Signs Publishing Company. Congar, Y. (1986). The Word and the Spirit. London: Chapman Donovan, P. (1979). Interpreting Religious Experience. London: Sheldon Press Gordon, J.M. (1991). Evangelical Spirituality. London: SPCK Dr. Luginbill, R. d. Peter’s Epistles #21 – Perseverance of Faith. Retrieved December 3, 2008 from http:www.ichthys.com/pet21.htm. Johnson, C. E. (2001). Meeting the Ethical Challenges of Leadership: Casting Light or Shadow. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Miles, G. (2007). Science and Religious Experience. Portland, OR: Sussex Academic Press. Moltmann, J. (1992). The Church in the Power of the Holy Spirit. London, England: SCM. Needham, J. P. The Fruit of the Spirit: Longsuffering. Retrieved December 4, 2008 from http://www.watchmanmag.com/0406/040618.htm. Strachan, C. G. (1973). The Pentecostal Theology of Edward Irving London: Darton, Longman & Todd. Ritenbaugh, J. W. (1998, March). The Fruit of the Spirit: Love. Forerunner, "Personal," Retrieved December 4, 2008 from http://cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/PERSONAL/k/287/Fruit-of-Spirit-Love.htm White, E. G. Evangelism, p. 630 in Anthony, G. Lesson 10: Meekness in the Crucibles. Retrieved December 4, 2008 from http://ssnet.org/qrtly/eng/07d/less.html. White, E. G. (1999). The Ministry of Healing. Altamont, TN: Harvest Book. Read More