Preface
Part 1: Faith
Questions 1–17
- What is the worst sin?
- What is saving faith?
- Where does faith come from?
- What does it mean that faith is supernatural?
- Are we justified by believing in the doctrine of justification by faith alone?
- What does our faith lay hold of?
- Can we lose our justification?
- Is faith our righteousness?
- What is the principal exercise of faith?
- What is the principle of our obedience?
- In addition to being the object of our faith, is Jesus also the pattern of our faith?
- Can faith be increased and strengthened?
- Should those with saving faith fear God and tremble at his threats?
- Is there such a thing as false faith?
- What is Satan’s goal in his assaults on God’s children?
- How should we respond in the trials God sends us?
- Does true faith always persevere and end in victory?
Part 2: Hope
Questions 18–30
- How is hope commonly understood?
- What is Christian hope?
- What gives rise to Christian hope?
- Is hope necessary for the Christian?
- To whom is Christian hope given?
- How does hope relate to death?
- What is the supreme object of Christian hope?
- How does Christian hope relate to our future vision of Christ?
- In what destination do we long to live forever?
- Of what use is hope in times of suffering?
- What hope do we have regarding the salvation of our children?
- May we have hope regarding the death of infants?
- What duty flows out of Christian hope?
Part 3: Love
Questions 31–57
- What is the foundation of the Christian religion?
- What is love?
- What is the guide to loving God and our neighbor?
- How do we fail to show love for God?
- How do we show our love for God?
- What makes our obedience acceptable to God?
- How does faith work through love?
- What is the context for our love?
- What is the chief end of our love to others?
- How can we keep ourselves from idolatry, which manifests hatred toward God?
- What guards the church from false worship?
- How should God’s people regard themselves in the Christian life?
- Does God offer us a particular day in which we may rest and stir up our love for him and others?
- How do we love those who are in a higher or lower position than ourselves?
- What obedience should Christian parents expect from their children?
- Why are we to have love and respect for human life?
- How are we to show our love and respect for human life?
- What are our sexual duties in this life, and how does the fulfillment of such manifest love?
- What is the primary mark of a Christian marriage?
- Why is adultery such a heinous sin?
- How does love manifest itself in regard to our worldly goods and name?
- How is our generosity in love to be shown in the local church?
- Why is lying so serious?
- How do we show love with regard to our speech?
- What keeps us from an inordinate desire for the things of the world?
- Is love optional for Christians?
- Of faith, hope, and love, which is the greatest?
Appendix
Question 58
58 Did Jesus possess faith, hope, and love?
Catechism
Notes
General Index
Scripture Index
Endorsements
“Pastor Mark Jones has written an admirable treatise on the heart of biblical ethics: the virtues of faith, hope, and love. His book is based firmly on Scripture, and he has arranged it as a catechism: questions, answers, and commentary. He also digs deep into classic theological expositions, especially among the Puritans. This arrangement, clearly and vividly written, enables readers not only to understand these teachings, but to internalize them, and thus to grow in grace. This book will be a great help to individual and family devotions and to adult Bible study groups. I hope that many will have the opportunity to read it to the glory of God in Christ.”
John M. Frame, Professor of Systematic Theology and Philosophy Emeritus, Reformed Theological Seminary
“Much writing on Christian spirituality is hollow, bereft of theological heft and awash in baptized therapeuticism. By contrast, Faith. Hope. Love. is weightily Puritanesque in the best sense—offering clear, Christ-centered, scriptural ballast for the Christian life. Rooted richly in the Reformed tradition, Jones walks us through the theological virtues and the shape they give to our life in Christ. More importantly, in each chapter he points us to the Christ in whom we place our faith—the one we imitate in love and for whom we wait in hope. I highly commend this work.”
Derek Rishmawy, blogger, Reformedish; cohost, Mere Fidelity podcast
“The old paths are the way into the future. Mark Jones knows this is true for the life and witness of the church of Jesus Christ. He takes us back to the medieval theological virtues, organizes them in a reformational catechism, and uses post-Reformation, orthodox theological distinctions, all to instruct our minds, enflame our hearts, and move us to service. This is as clear as it gets when it comes to the doctrine of justification by faith alone and all that it means for living out a life of faith, hope, and love.”
Daniel R. Hyde, Pastor, Oceanside United Reformed Church, Carlsbad/Oceanside, California; Adjunct Instructor of Ministerial Studies, Mid-America Reformed Seminary; author, Welcome to a Reformed Church
“The questions we ask can be just as important as the answers. Well-meaning Christians often harmfully express the three theological virtues of faith, hope, and love in sentimental tropes devoid of substance. I will be recommending Mark’s excellent book for many to use devotionally. Its catechismal format has provided a superb corrective, moving us to delight in Christ-centered faith, hope, and love, and what they require of us in response.”
Aimee Byrd, author, Theological Fitness and No Little Women
