At least that is the view that has come to the fore (at least in the West) as science and empiricism has slowly supplanted revelation and religion as the source of reliable knowledge. We prefer that which is solid and tangible. That they remain, if you like, vital to our human flourishing, even if (or perhaps especially because) they are constantly being threatened or displaced by things of lesser substance.On the face of it, almost by definition, faith itself seems an unsubstantial and uncertain thing on which to build.
Which is to suggest, perhaps, that they retain an abiding value. So that, as it were, a Christian is a person who lives by faith, hope and love - forged in relation to God.Paul himself had said, of course, that these three - faith, hope and love - abide. Indeed by the Third Century they were officially defined as such. Not everyone accepts that view, but whoever wrote it, it is clear that Ephesians reflects the same three theological virtues of faith, hope and love that we see elsewhere in Paul’s writings, often appearing in close relation to each other, as they do in this evening’s reading, and in other NT writings too.From the earliest days it seems that in combination faith, hope and love were recognised as the principal features of the Christian religion. And it is generally considered not to be from the pen of Paul, but by a later author building on his views. (2 Samuel 23:1-5 Ephesians 1:15-end) The epistle to the Ephesians is not a letter in a strict sense it is more like a theological treatise in the style of a letter.
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