Faith, Hope and Charity - Moroni 7:40-44

How is it that ye can attain unto faith, save ye shall have hope? And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise. Wherefore, if a man have faith he must needs have hope; for without faith there cannot be any hope. And again, behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart. If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.

 Mormon gives us an interesting list of dependencies here. First, faith cannot be attained without hope:

hope → faith
It is noted that we should hope for eternal life. Mormon tells us elsewhere:

I also remember that thou hast said that thou hast prepared a house for man, yea, even among the mansions of thy Father, in which man might have a more excellent hope; wherefore man must hope, or he cannot receive an inheritance in the place which thou hast prepared. (Ether 12:31)

Alma has us imagine it:

I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth? (Alma 5:16)

We should imagine it as Jesus described it:

His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (Matt 25:21)

Second, hope and faith are not attainable except to the humble or "meek and lowly in heart".

humility → hope → faith

We are reminded that only the humble will be upheld and exalted:

And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. (Matthew 23:12)

God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble... Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. (James 4:6,10)

Honestly, there isn't enough that can be said about humility. It seems that without it, a man is doomed. It is unfortunate that it is so difficult to attain. And once you think you have it, the fact that you had that thought is proof that you don't. But all of the most important blessings rely on the possession of humility. Perhaps the only way to get it and retain it is to continuously remind ourselves of our current state:

...in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him. And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast? And now I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves? I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were created of the dust of the earth; but behold, it belongeth to him who created you.(Mosiah 2:23-25)

Next, if we can confess by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, we will have charity.

humility → hope → faith → charity

Faith centered in Jesus Christ is essential to charity, simply because charity is defined as: "the pure love of Christ". There are two meanings for this phrase; 1) to love Christ, 2) to have His love. I believe that both are essential to charity. To love Christ, is to recognize fully what he did for us. To remember Him, and not just in a sentimental way, since sentiment references something that is past. He is alive, and so to remember Him is to keep Him in our thoughts, seek His will and to emulate Him as a disciple.
To have His love is another thing. And this may probably be the most important point of charity. Moroni, continuing his sermon tells us exactly how to get His love:

...pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God... (Moroni 7:48)

It sounds simple, but we need to pray. It is revealing that this love is that "which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ." I believe that this love is the Holy Spirit:

And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (Romans 5:5)

In essence, to have the Holy Ghost is to have charity. To have the love of God in our hearts is to have the Holy Ghost. It is this Spirit which causes man to be more than mere animals. Which causes us to live godly lives, which gives us hope, faith and courage.

humility → hope → faith → charity → courage

Behold, I speak with boldness, having authority from God; and I fear not what man can do; for perfect love casteth out all fear. (Moroni 8:16)

Just think of the things God can do with you when you truly have no fear! I think of the ultimate example of fearlessness; that of our Savior who said:

O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. (Matt. 26:42)

Truly, our Savior had no fear, because He had perfect love. Without love, how could He perform such a selfless act?

He is our ultimate example. And what gives me hope, is that we truly can receive this same love, this same courage as Him; and it is through humility and faith in Him that our journey must begin - for he is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ ... which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot. (Moroni 10:32-33)

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen. (Moroni 7:48)