Truth, Belief, Faith, and Hope - A Biblical Understanding of Terms as They Relate to Pentecost

This is a sermon that I gave on the day of Pentecost celebrating the initial outpouring of God's Spirit on His church nearly 2,000 years ago. 

In this message I attempt to highlight the intricate difference (though intimately connected) concepts of truth, belief, faith, and hope. Often, modern students of the Bible confuse the terms faith and belief as being interchangeable. This misunderstanding, along with the fact that ancient Greeks and Hebrews only had one term each (used in various contexts to show distinction) to express these two concepts makes it nearly impossible to gain any context on the topics of belief and faith, and can even confuse two other words that are directly connected - truth and hope. 

If we confuse faith and belief, which could also cause us to misunderstand the connected nature of truth and hope - it is no wonder modern Christians have such a hard time sharing what they believe with the world - just as the Apostles did at the start of the early Church. We look at a faithless and hopeless world and assume that preaching salvation to them will net us nothing. 

However, if we have a biblical view of the terms truth, belief, faith, and hope which act as stepping stones, one to another, we might at least take that first step. We might have no chance of causing someone to go from being antagonistic to Christianity to hope in Jesus Christ, but might we at least offer them truth? Might that truth stick with the person long enough for them to come to believe it? Might their hard hearts, under the weight of what their subconscious now believes, soften unto faith? Might that faith (which comes with life-changing action) might not lead to hope someday? Are not all things possible for God?

As Paul says in Romans 10:14-15 "How then will they call on Him (faith) in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe (belief) in Him of whom they have never heard (truth)? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ¹⁵ And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news (hope)!”