FAITH HOPE LOVE

Biblical Studies

Francis Perry passed from this life into the rest of the Lord on May 16, 2014, two days short of his 93rd birthday.
I will continue keeping up the website to the best of my ability.
Joseph Perry

Your Host, F. M. Perry

FaithHopeLove.net endeavors to make available writings and resources helpful to students of the Bible, searchers after truth, and seekers of the new and deeper life that is to be found in Jesus Christ. The host, though he has never been a professional minister, has been a life-long student of the Bible and a respected teacher of the Gospel that is contained in it.

On this website find studies and essays in such diverse topics as: understanding the spiritual realm, principles of Christian living, the Biblical view of the makeup of the human person, a Christian view of the Koran, and of course faith, hope and love—the three-fold gift of God to human kind.

The table of contents is in the right-hand column of this page. Included under "Other sites we like"are links to other resources that we think are helpful. If you want to contact the host, please use our contact page.

Joseph Perry, son and webmaster.

FAITH, HOPE, LOVE, THESE THREE.

By F. M. Perry

"But now abide faith, hope, love, these three." (1^st Corinthians 13:13).

"Constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." (1^st Thessalonians 1:3).

The Holy Bible introduces us to concepts which theologians sometimes call "metaphysical" concepts. These are concepts generally of "being and knowing" which are not based on "hard physical science." They include Biblical concepts like those of spirit, soul, heaven, hell, angels, demons, Satan, the Almighty God, etc. In short, the so-called "metaphysical" concepts include all to which the Bible refers as "things which are not seen." The scripture further informs us, "For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2^ndCorinthians 4:18). It is with things "eternal" and "not seen," things which cannot be discerned with the five senses of the fleshly body, which I am concerned in this study. Instead of the term "metaphysical things," however, I prefer to use the Biblical term "spiritual things," as does Paul in Romans 15:27.

"Spiritual things" are of such importance in the Bible that they are discussed with a special vocabulary of spiritual words. Of course, many of the spiritual words are adaptations of material words, having been given new meanings when used in spiritual settings. Words like "life," "death," "garden," "house," "armor," "body," etc. are of this type, being often used metaphorically to describe spiritual concepts. But other words like "soul," "spirit," "angel," "demon," "God," etc. have their primary meanings in the spiritual realm. Three such words, "faith," "hope," and "love," are primarily spiritual words.

To Christians the words "faith," "hope," and "love" convey non-material concepts, being related to the functions of the spiritual "inner person," although having important effect upon functions of the fleshly body as well. It is the spiritual concepts contained in these three words, "faith," "hope," and "love," that I want to explore in this study. The great attention given to these three words in the New Testament prompts us to try to gain further understanding because of their obvious importance.

First of all, note that "faith," "hope," and "love" are very important parts of the message for Christian living in all of the epistles of the New Testament. Moreover, they are always mentioned as being specifically related to each other, as though they form a sort of triumvirate governing the Christian life.

Faith, Hope, Love, These Three; read the complete paper.

The Sermon on the Mount

Opening Salvo of the Earthly Ministry of Jesus

Class Notes by F. M. Perry, 1973

Read the class notes

THAT WE MIGHT BEAR FRUIT FOR GOD

By F. M. Perry

A series of studies in the Roman letter

(Romans 5:12 to 8:39 and 12:1 to 15:14)

Romans 7:4. "Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit for God."

One of the foremost problems among Christians today is that of frustration due to the seeming ineffectiveness of their work for the Lord. Many Christians strive vigorously "to produce some fruit" for the Lord, only to find the results of their efforts meager or altogether unsuccessful. Frustration takes a high toll from among God's people.

Many Christians do not realize that such frustration is a common human problem experienced even by the Christians of the first Century, even by the Apostle Paul. The cry of the frustrated Christian today is but an echo of the poignant cry of the frustrated Apostle Paul when he said, "The wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not! ...Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?" (Romans 7:18, 24). Through the guidance of God's Holy Spirit, Paul wrote this letter to the Roman Christians largely for the purpose of revealing how to escape the frustration of ineffectiveness, how "to bear fruit for God."

Click here for the index to this series of lessons.

LOVE AS EXPRESSED BY SPIRIT AND SOUL AND BODY

By F. M. Perry

Let us start by remembering that Jesus said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you also love one another.” (John 13:34 NASV). And Jesus also said, "I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matt. 5:44). Jesus said He wants us to love, even our enemies. We try to use our will power to love our enemies and we find it hard, if not impossible to do. In fact, we find it difficult to even understand that kind of love within the reasoning power of our intellect. Can a Scriptural knowledge of the functions of our spirit, soul, and body help us to understand love and how to carry out Jesus' command to love? Let's go on.

To read the article click here.

FUNDAMENTALS OF SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING

By F. M. Perry

This is a study of the human spirit, the human soul, and the human body with the Bible as the source of information. This study is presented in the expectation of learning some fundamental truths that will help in understanding the spiritual life God has made possible for mankind. The chapter titles of the study (prepared in pdf format) are as follows:
1. The Invisible Things.
2. Introducing the Triune Man.
3. Spirit and Soul and Body.
4. Body and Spirit After Fleshly Death.
5. The Soul After Fleshly Death.
6. The Spirit's Functions - Conscience, Intuition, Communion.
7. The Soul's Functions - Volition, Intellect, Emotion.
8. The Inner Man - the Heart.
9. The Spiritual Life.
10. Love As Expressed Through Spirit and Soul and Body.
11. Seducing Spirits and the Soul.

Please click here to read the study.

THE HOPE OF GLORY

By Harold Key

(Note: Harold Key, the author of this study, has revised and expanded it into his new book "The Hope of Glory: Your Hope Is Too Small." For information to obtain the new book click here or go to www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?isbn=0-595-47028-9)

The thesis of this study is simply this fact. Man, as the highest level of the created world, is in reality "a-being-in-process." And we must see the completed end of the process in order to understand what man is. The Gospel of Jesus Christ asserts that he, the man who after he had died was raised from the dead by the power of God, is indeed the completed end. The good news in this fact is this: in that man (Jesus) we see the true nature and destiny of every man.

This possibility, this truth, (man, "a-being-in-process") is essential to an understanding of the theme in this paper. This understanding tremendously elevates our appreciation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We are a part of, but more than, lower levels of reality. But we are not yet what we are designed to be. That which we are destined to becomewill involve all levels of reality from the lowest to an even higher yet to come. I hope this idea is so appealing that you will want to continue your reading. I'm trying here to get you to have the anticipation of a "gold prospector" with the feeling you just may be close to some real pay dirt. (Continued)

The Hope of Glory, read the complete paper

Christians in a Doomed World

By F. M. Perry

Although this article was written in October 1994, it is just now being published (April 23, 2008). It is a discussion of what Christians should do in the politically, socially, and environmentally explosive conditions of the world today.

Click here to access the discussion

Evangelism in the First Century

By F. M. Perry

This new article (April 8, 2008) is a limited study of the first century advent of Christianity as it was received and further propagated by the small number of Jewish Disciples to whom Jesus first gave His “Great Commission.”

Read F. M.'s new study about first century evangelism