Paul told us that the greatest of the three spiritual gifts was love. This daily devotional looks at faith, hope, and love individually and how they combine.
Nuggets
- Faith is the foundation of Christianity.
- We exhibit our faith through hope.
- Love, because it leads to perfection, is the highest development of our sanctified character.
- Love is the arena through which faith and hope are shown.
Devotions in How to Love Our Neighbors series
Paul ended the 13th chapter of First Corinthians by talking about three spiritual graces — faith, hope, and love. He talked the one that ensures — love.
Let's Put It into Context
Here is a running list of nuggets for the series.
Faith
“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (I Cor. 13: 13 ESV)
Faith is the foundation of Christianity.
Have you ever stopped to think how complicated faith is? Faith is a gift from God and a work of the Spirit that enhances the conviction that the doctrines revealed in God’s Word are true, even if we do not understand all aspects of them, a belief which impacts our lives and distinguishes us from others. It has an intellectual part and a moral part.
Glossary
Faith is in our mind. We have to make a conscious decision to believe that Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer.
But then we also have to take that faith and allow it to change our character. Belief alone is not enough. We have to grow closer to being like God.
Bird described faith as the pivotal principle of Christianity. We cannot come to Christ as our Savior and Redeemer if we do not have faith.
Resource
Wrapped up into faith is trust. Trust is assurance that the promises of God are true.
Glossary
To read a related devotion, click the button below.
We believe and trust that God’s promises are true. We make a conscious decision to accept them and then act accordingly.
Hope
We exhibit our faith through hope.
When we accept the gift of faith, we gain hope. Hope is the expectation, also called a living hope, based on the confidence that, because of our relationship with God, our names will be found in the book of life. We could say that hope is the product of faith.
Bird described it this way. He wrote, “If a man believes in the Son of God, he shall not perish, but have everlasting life. If we firmly believe this promise it will give us hope of its fulfilment (sic).”
Resource
Hope helps us so much. We go through many hard trials in this life.
The anticipation of something better that hope brings helps us to ensure the sorrows of this life. We have to not only desire that future good, but we must also expect it. Truth be told, we already see it as a done deal.
The definition for hope isn’t that we are longing for something to happen. It is that we have confidence that it will.
We are confident that we will receive the blessings God has promised to those who love Him.
As disciples, it is our duty to be hopeful. Why would a non-believer want to even consider Jesus as Savior and Redeemer if there wasn’t hope?
Love
Love, because it leads to perfection, is the highest development of our sanctified character.
That is logical. God is love, so that is our goal when we want to be like Him.
We show our faith through the love we give. Our faith has to change our character. That inward belief has to be shown through an outward expression.
Burder used the word disinterested when describing love. We know that is used to show that Jesus was willing to give up the trappings of His Deity.
What do we give up to show love to others? Our opinions. Our priorities. Our comfort zone.
Don’t limit this to just loving others. Yes, that is the second greatest commandment.
We have nothing if we don’t keep the first greatest commandment. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mk. 12: 30 ESV).
We show our love to God by showing gratitude, obedience, and imitation. We are called to align our opinions with His and make His priorities our’s. Oh, yes. God will call us out of our comfort zones.
Alexander reminded us that love is the only grace that is practiced by God.
We talked in the last devotion about how spiritual gifts are temporary and love is eternal. Faith is temporary. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11: 1 ESV).
Faith, by definition, will end when we are called home. We will no longer have to long for God’s promises to be true. We will find out they definitely are!
So, our faith and hope will be rewarded in a twinkling of an eye (I Cor. 15: 52).
That means love will be the only one to remain.
Combing the Three
“… but the greatest of these is love” (I Cor. 13: 13 ESV)
Love is the arena through which faith and hope are shown.
Put another way, Gray said that faith and hope are principles of holiness. Love, on the other hand, is holiness.
Resource
Faith, hope, and love are linked because we must possess all three in order to be saved. Cut one out, and we won’t make the cut.
- We must have faith that we are separated from God; that Jesus’s birth death, and resurrection is the only way we can be saved; and that God is Sovereign God and just be obeyed.
- We must have hope that — even though we can’t see God or the outcome — we can believe in His promises.
- We must love God and submit our lives to Him.
Alexander and Hughes showed us how faith, hope, and love are united.
- All come from God.
- All reside in our hearts.
- All contain a purifying influence.
- All are good.
Resource
If we would be missing one of the three, our character would suffer. Alexander wrote, “He therefore, by whom that character is formed, begins it by the gift of faith, but completes and perfects it by the addition of hope and love. There is not one of them with which a Christian can part.”
Resource
We tend to focus on the last part of verse 13. “… but the greatest of these is love” (I Cor. 13: 13 ESV).
We see love is the greatest but tend to forget the other two are still great. They are greater than anything we have on our own.
Let’s look at it this way. Faith and hope are personal graces. Love is a social grace.
But then, since faith and hope are within us, that means they are limited. Love is outward, so it is unlimited.
Love shows maturity in our relationship with God. We have gone beyond having Jesus as our personal Savior. We want to share Him with others.
Did I say earlier that faith had to come first? Well, it does from our viewpoint.
But really love came first. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (Jn. 3: 16 NIV).
Making the Connections
Faith, hope, and loves are not things that are out of reach. God specifically tells us how they can be ours.
- “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Mt. 6: 33 ESV).
- “For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (Mt. 7: 8 ESV).
Our receiving faith, hope, and love depends on our receiving Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer.
How Do We Apply This?
- Use the graces to evaluate our spiritual maturity.
- Grow in faith, hope, and love when we grow in grace.
Resource
Father God. Lord, we praise You for the gift of faith. We would have no hope without it. Faith only came to us because You love us. We love You, Lord. Help us to navigate the Sanctification Road so that we can gain Your character. Amen.
What do you think?
Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
If you don’t understand something and would like further clarification, please contact me.
If you have not signed up for the email daily or weekly providing the link to the devotions and the newsletter, do so below.
If God has used this devotion to speak with you, consider sharing it on social media.