Faith, Hope, Love

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. “
1Co 13:13

Most folks who have been Christians for any length of time are familiar with the “Love” passage of 1 Corinthians 13 (Audio). I have known it for many years myself. The scripture above was brought up in our Sunday school class on Sunday in the context of loving our brothers and sisters in Christ, but for the first time in my life I looked past the word love and my mind settled at the word hope.

Faith is the basic requirement for being a follower of Christ. As the writer of Hebrews states in Heb 11:6, “Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” If we have no faith that He is, and no faith that he died for the remission of our sin, then we can have no relationship with him. Without faith, there can be no understanding of God.

Faith is the first step to Godliness. Love is the eventual outgrowth of a relationship with Christ by faith. It is the outward sign that we are in Christ. As Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Of the three – faith, hope and love – love shall remain when faith and hope are no longer needed. On that day we shall see the Lord face to face and know him as he knows us (1Co 13:12). Our hope (Rom 8:24) and faith will be fulfilled and therefore no longer needed. Love will remain when these others pass away. Because Love is the final evidence of a heart that is dedicated to God, I believe that the Love we show will be with us for eternity.

But what of hope? As I studied hope out in the scripture, I realized that it is mentioned nearly as often as faith and frequently along with faith and love. I began to wonder what hope brought to a relationship with Christ and realized that the scriptures have much to say about the subject. It is hope that keeps us pressing on when times get tough. Hope is what Jesus has called us to (Eph 1:18, 4:4). It is the hope of eternal life (Tit 1:2,3:7). Hope for the return of Christ (Tit 2:13). Hope in the glory of God (Rom 5:2). Without this hope, we cannot continue in our relationship with Christ. If faith is the beginning of this relationship, then hope is the growth and love is the outgrowth. The do not supersede each other, but continue concurrently, building on one another to complete us.

Where do I put my hope? Is it in my bank account? Do I hope that I will have enough money to buy the toys I want? Do I hope that the next tornado will bypass my house? Do I hope that my health will hold out as I grow older? Or do I hope for the return of Christ? Do I hope for eternal glory in God’s presence?

"Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." Romans 8:23-25.