Examining Faith, Hope & Love- Part 2
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. I Corinthians 13:13 (KJV)
In my previous post, I showed you the importance of faith, hope, and love and gave you information about the meaning of each word.
Faith and hope are for us here on earth. It speaks of where we live right now. However, love is for now, plus it will remain forever. It is the greatest, meaning it is the longest-running of the three. After all, God Himself is love (I John 4:8, 16) and He is eternal.
Faith refers to our belief in God; in who He is and what He says in His Word and by His Spirit. It points to God’s power and the truth that nothing is impossible with God.
Hope is based on God being our hope (I Timothy 1:1). It is based on God’s love being shed abroad in, or poured into, our hearts (Romans 5:5). Hope never disappoints because the love of God never disappoints. God cannot and does not fail. God, Who is love, never fails (I Corinthians 13:8). That’s why we have hope.
Faith works by love according to Galatians 5:6. Hope has confidence in love. In other words, hope has confidence in God.
I can believe God, trust God, and have confidence in God because love (God) makes faith work. And God works all things out for our good when we pray in tongues and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:26-28).
Faith is our confidence in God. Hope is confident expectation of good. It is all activated out of our belief in God’s love for us.
Faith, hope and love are all for today. Faith and hope abide and remain now until we see Jesus face-to-face. Then, faith and hope will turn into sight. When we see Jesus, there will be no further need for faith or hope. However, love remains forever because we will always love Jesus and He will always love us, because He is love. God is love. God is not faith and hope, although they come from Him. However, love lasts forever because God is forever. Love is the greatest because nothing is greater or more eternal than God who is love. God and His love endure forever.
