“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). These three attributes are spiritual gifts common to all believers. The extent that they are manifested in our lives is limited only by the extent of our sinful behavior. It may be compared to the moon’s reflection of the sun. It is limited only by the extent that the world that gets in the way.
The reason love is considered the greatest may be understood using a simple formula. Faith + Hope = Love. Love requires and includes both Faith and Hope. Love validates faith and hope just as Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac validated his confidence in God. Apart from faith, there is no hope. Possessing faith without hope is a common condition but one that robs the individual of much blessing, including the ability to demonstrate love. We observed that Abraham had faith throughout his journey. He sometimes fixed his eyes on the hope of God’s promises, and at times he focused on himself. The difference of his perception determined his actions. All the great examples of faithful lives are combined with the exercise of hope, and they all end with the manifestation of divine love. Hebrews 11 is the unofficial hall of faith and highlights many real life examples to study.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hebrews 12:1-3
The greatest demonstration of love is that God sent his own son, Jesus Christ, to bear the sin of the world. Jesus came and demonstrated faith; he exercised hope; he laid down his life in love. Believers serve others by using the same formula, faith + hope = love.
The meaning of faith, hope and love described in these contexts is a divinely allocated form of each of these attributes. We use these words, at times, to describe people and events common to believers and nonbelievers. However, in the Biblical context, they are only available to believers because of the love of God, the sacrificial death of Christ, and the power and presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.
And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:1-8
Next Section: Appendix “A” – Abraham’s Timeline
Table of Contents: Faith, Hope and Love
Text for this post has been borrowed from my Kindle eBook Faith, Hope and Love (Book 2 of the Grace and Knowledge Series), by Brother Woody Brohm. Copyright 2013.
I’ve included the full text of the book on this blog and you are free to read the book in this format if you please. Just follow the Next Section Link or view the Table of Contents to skip to wherever you prefer.
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