The Greatest of These is Love
The Bible says, “But now abide faith, hope and love, these three; but the
greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor. 13:13).
“Faith” is that which a person has who puts his or her trust in God. It is the
assurance and conviction that God will abide by the wonderful promises He has
made to those who live by faith. God has kept every promise so far so we are
confident of His promise of eternal life. While “faith” is the assurance of
things yet unseen, it is still based on solid evidence (Heb. 11:1). It comes by
hearing the word of God (Rom 10:17). Justifying faith is an obedient faith.
“Hope “ is the desire plus the expectation of something in the future. Hope
gives both comfort and strength to endure. It gives us incentive to live
faithfully and therefore it is said that we are “saved by our hope” (Rom. 8:24).
We enjoy the “hope of eternal life” (Titus 1:2) and it is a real, living hope
based on Jesus’ resurrection (1 Pet. 1:3).
Both “faith” and “hope” are powerful and wonderful attributes, but the greatest
is “love.” If not for the love of God our sinful world would have been
deservedly destroyed long ago. God is love, and disciples of Jesus love because
He first loved us (1 John 4:8,19). Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than
this; that a man will lay down His life for His friends.” (John 15:13). The
following day, He did. “Faith” and “hope” exist only because God loves us. “But
now abide faith, hope and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
By Jon W. Quinn
The Front Page
From Expository Files 20.3; March 2013
