Examining Faith, Hope & Love- Part 1
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. I Corinthians 13:13 (KJV)
This is the final verse of I Corinthians 13, known as the Love Chapter. Let’s look at this particular verse and break it down.
Abideth is the Greek is meno, which means to stay in a given place or state, remain, stand, tarry, abide, dwell, live. Faith, hope, and love remain.
Faith is the Greek word pistis, meaning firm persuasion, conviction, belief in the truth, that which is believed, doctrine, the ability to believe, confirmation, assurance, confidence.
Hope in Greek is elpis, which is defined as to anticipate visually with pleasure, favorable and confident expectation, a forward look with assurance, the anticipation of good, trust, confidence. Hope endures under trial. It desires something good with the expectation of obtaining it.
Greatest is the Greek word meizon, and does not refer to the inherent value of something, but it speaks of the continuation of its function in the future. Charity, or love, will be ongoing. Faith and hope, on the other hand, are things that the believer will experience on earth only and will not be needed in heaven.
Charity is interpreted as love in many translations, and is the word agape in Greek. It is a verb, or an action word. Love is action. It speaks of God’s love that we have seen in operation when He gave us His Son (John 3:16). It is Christian love that gives to others. It means to love, affectionate regard, goodwill, benevolence. With reference to God’s love, it is God’s willful direction towards mankind. It is God doing what is best for man. Agape, or God’s love, is unconditional, self-sacrificing, giving, the highest form of love. It seeks to serve, help, care for and please others. We love because God is love. If you read I Corinthians 13:4-8 you will see the characteristics of God’s love.
Faith works by love, meaning love is what makes faith work. Hope gives faith a target to aim for. Love is what makes them all work.
