Why Does Paul Put Faith, Love & Hope Together in 1 Thessalonians 1:3?

     saw a new connection between faith, love, and hope this week. We see these words repeated throughout the New Testament. And these three words  all come together in 1 Thessalonians 1:3:

I took this of Mt Rainier as we were coming in to Seattle.

Remembering unceasingly your work of faith, and labor of love and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father. 

    Part of a footnote on this verse from the Recovery Version of the New Testament is very helpful:  "In the two Epistles to the young church in Thessalonica, the genuine Christian life for the proper church life is revealed in a simple and brief way. It is a life of three dimensions in the light of the Lord's coming back, having faith as the beginning, the foundation, love as the process, the construction, and hope as the consummation, the completion." 
. 
     It fascinated me when Witness Lee said in chapter 6 that faith, love, and hope in verse 3 mirror the three characteristics of a holy life for the church life in verses 9 and 10.  Chapter 6 of the Life-Study of 1 Thessalonians showed me how that works: 

     The work of faith comes first. Faith comes through our acceptance of the word [1 Thess. 1:6] that is the embodiment of the Triune God. When we received this word, faith was produced within us….Here [1 Thess. 1:9] Paul speaks of turning to God from idols.  This is the first action of faith.   

 ...Now we must see that the serving the living God is related to the labor of love. We are laboring to serve our God, who is living. We serve this living One because we love Him. Galatians 5:6 says that faith operates through love. This love is related first to serving our living God. 

…Finally in verse 3 Paul speaks of the endurance of hope. No doubt, the endurance of hope in verse 3 corresponds to the waiting for the Son of God in verse 10 (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of 1 Thessalonians. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry. 1982, Print).

  Over the years my husband and I have greatly appreciated how clear the presentation of truth is in these Life-Studies put out by Living Stream Ministry!  In chapter 14 Witness Lee goes on to show in a more detailed way how faith, love, and hope are the very structure of our Christian life.  This is my paraphrase of what I got--as believers we are constantly under a hearing of faith that causes our faith to grow. And from that faith our love increases towards God and other believers. The evident outcome of both faith and love working in us is we eagerly anticipate the Lord's coming.  So faith, love, and hope actually define what our entire Christian life is all about!  

You can  also listen to live excerpts from these messages on 1 Thessalonians on Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee.  

What Does 1 Thessalonians 1:9 Say About God?
What Does God's Salvation in 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 Accomplish in New Believers?
Why Does Paul Put Faith, Love, & Hope Together in 1 Thessalonians 1:3?
How Does God Preserve Us Complete in 1 Thessalonians 5:23?
What Does Salvation in Sanctification of the Spirit Mean in 2 Thessalonians 2:13?