|
|
|
Faith,
Hope And Love By
Kent Heaton ”And
now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love”
(1 Corinthians 13:13). Throughout
scripture the Lord uses various combinations of words to establish a pattern of
unity in thought. The sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7) is a wonderful
dissertation on many principles of God’s
relationship with man and man’s needed relationship with his fellow man and
with the Lord. Peter enumerates on the graces of the Christian in 2 Peter
1:5-11. Paul outlines the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit in
Galatians 5:16-26. The conclusion of that great chapter of love in 1 Corinthians
13 is not less important in the design of its message. What
is the relationship between faith, hope and love? Faith sees the unseen, hope
measures the promises and love expresses the unseen promises. The Hebrew writer
penned, "Now
faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”
(Hebrews 11:1). We understand the world was "framed by the word of God”
(Hebrews 11:3) but only through the eye of faith. Without that faith we cannot
please God (Hebrews 11:6). Paul told the Romans God had been revealed to all men
”for since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly
seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and
Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). Faith sees the
invisible as clearly as the visible. Hope
measures the promises of God. What has God promised? ”In
hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began”
(Titus 1:2) Faith gives the vision for the promise of eternal life and hope
gives us character (Romans 5:1-5). As we walk by faith we measure each day with
the promise of something beyond this life. We are not tied to the trappings of
this world but live with the expectation of a greater place to be. Abram
measured his hope with each step he took in obedience to the Father. ”By faith
Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive
as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he
dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with
Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise” (Hebrews 11:8-9). Faith
and hope alone are not enough. Love is the expression of our faith (that which
is unseen) and our hope (that which is promised). The manner we serve the Lord
is through our love for Him for what He has done for us and what He has promised
us. ”We love
Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). The way we define love toward
God says more about our relationship with God than the meaning of love. Our
actions and motives define our love. Jesus said, "If you love Me, keep My
commandments” (John 14:15). The beloved apostle writes, "For this is the
love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not
burdensome” (1 John 5:3). Our love for God is based upon the knowledge of
faith we have in the unseen measured by the secure promises of God expressed in
our hope of eternal life. Love
is the greatest because from its character is the evidence of our faith and
hope. The evidence of our faith is found in our love. The measure of love is
found in our hope of eternal life. To live without faith, hope and love is to
live without the only peace man can know (John 14:6). Faith brings you to
Christ; hope convinces you of Christ; and love brings obedience to Christ.
& The
Greatest of These Is Love By
Bob Myhan There
is another reason that love is greater than faith and hope, a reason that is
rooted in the context of Paul’s discussion of the miraculous spiritual gifts
of the first century. In
chapter 12, Paul lists nine separate gifts explaining that they all work
together for the revelation, proclamation and confirmation of the gospel; the
point being that, no matter which gift an individual had, it was to be used for
the furtherance of the gospel. In
chapter 13, he explained the temporary nature of these gifts as contrasted with
the eternal nature of love. In
chapter 14, he explained that “tongues are for a sign, not to those who
believe but to unbelievers; but prophesying is not for unbelievers but for those
who believe.” For this reason prophesying was more beneficial than
tongue-speaking in the assembly, unless there is an interpreter. Thus, it was
possible for those who possessed spiritual gifts to abuse them, rather than use
them for the mutual and reciprocal edification of those in the assembly. Now
let us look more closely at chapter 13. Here, Paul shows the Corinthians “a
more excellent way” than spiritual gifts. This is the way of love, without
which all else is for nought. (Verses 1-3) He
continues by describing rather than defining love (verses 4-8a), concluding with
“love never ends.” He then reminds them that spiritual gifts, on the other
hand, will end when their purpose is completed. Love
never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will
cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. (Verse
8, ESV) Prophecies
would be replaced with uninspired teaching, and miraculous knowledge would be
replaced with naturally acquired knowledge. The gift of tongues would simply
cease, as it would not be replaced. For
we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the
partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like
a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part;
then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. (Verses
9-12, ESV) This
simply means that the gospel was revealed through spiritual gifts a little bit
at a time—part here and part there (compare Isa. 28:10). Once the revelation
is perfect or complete by being fully revealed and confirmed, however, there
will no longer be a need for the partial revelations via spiritual gifts. The
illustration from Paul’s childhood shows that spiritual gifts belonged to the
infancy of the church. The
mirrors of those days were polished metal and did not give as clear a reflection
as do mirrors of today. Looking at God’s will through spiritual gifts was like
looking at one’s reflection in one of those imperfect mirrors. Once the
revelation was complete, however, one would be able to see God’s will as
clearly as looking into one’s own face. So
now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
(Verse
13, ESV) These
three character traits will survive spiritual gifts. Love is greater than faith
and hope in that it will survive even them. So
we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we
are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.
(2 Cor. 5:6-7, ESV) For
in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for
what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with
patience. ( When we enter heaven, faith will become sight and hope will become possession; but love will continue. & |