Christian hope is also specific, a hope that is "stored up for you in heaven." We have seen that faith can be used in an objective sense, as in "the Christian faith," or in a subjective sense, as in "your faith in Christ." Likewise, there is an objective sense to hope, and then also a subjective sense. Even when used in its subjective sense, the hope of the gospel is much more than a general expectation of or desire for a positive future, or to wish for something. A mere wish often has no basis for its fulfillment, and outside of the gospel promise, the nature of what is desired falls far short of the believer's inheritance in its glory and purity. On the other hand, the Christian hope rests on the promise of God and the reality of redemption.

In any case, whereas faith is used in the subjective sense in this passage, hope is used in the objective sense – the significance of this will be noted in a moment. This is evident because, first, a subjective hope is an attitude, condition, or disposition of the mind – again, not necessarily and proportionately connected with a disturbance of the mind, or an emotion – but here the hope is stored up in heaven, not in the mind. Second, Paul says the Colossians "heard about" this hope, thus it is not something that is felt, sensed, opined, or affirmed in the mind, but something proclaimed and described. And third, if we may equate what the believers have received in verses 5 and 12, then this "hope" is said to be an "inheritance," which is something objective, not subjective.

Although this hope is stored up in heaven, so that the full benefits are reserved for a future time, through the Holy Spirit we now enjoy the powers of the age to come. Moreover, it is stored up in heaven not in the sense that it is kept from us, but that it is reserved for us. It is not something that we wish for or work for – it is not a possibility but a reality. God has foreordained our salvation, and nothing can take away our inheritance, because no one can snatch us from the his hand. This objective hope is the foundation of our subjective faith. The significance, therefore, is that our faith is not based on presumption or possibility, but destiny and reality.

One way to use these three words to embody a course of dogmatics is to place the doctrinal aspect of Christianity under faith, the ethical under love, and the eschatological under hope. These distinctions are meaningful, but not precise or perfect, for both the ethical and eschatological can also fall under the doctrinal, so that the entire religion can be called the Christian faith. Also, when used in this context, all three words would take on their objective senses.

We say that the Christian religion is characterized by these three things, but do other religions also offer faith, love, and, hope? When properly defined, we see that they do not. Again, Paul does not refer to some general faith or belief without regard to its object. The faith here is "faith in Christ Jesus." If non-Christians could have faith in Christ Jesus in the sense specified in Scripture, then they would already be Christians. Non-Christians do not have faith. And since love entails obedience to God's commands as they have been revealed in the Christian Bible, then no non-Christian religion, philosophy, or ethical view can offer or produce true love. Non-Christians do not have love. However, note that almost all of non-Christian philosophies – from Buddhism to Satanism – can contain love if it is defined as some sort of emotion. Then, our hope refers to the "inheritance" of the saints as promised in Scripture, stored up for us in the heaven described in Scripture. It is specific and exclusive. Thus there is no faith, no love, and no hope except in the Christian religion.

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