CHAPTER 18
Faith, Hope, and Love
“But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1Co 13:13 NAS)
We have preserved for us in the Bible a record of God’s revelation to mankind. Its accuracy can be attributed to the faithfulness of God and the diligence of His servants. We have every reason in the world to trust this record as being truth. God’s Word has been confirmed by His Son and His Spirit. Those who have lived by this Word also testify of its truth. The Word was given to us that we might have Life.
The Scripture has given us a lens through which we can view the world. Without this lens all that we see is cloudy and dark. Those who choose to ignore the revelation of God are as blind men groping in the dark. The world they see exists only in their imaginations. In their mind the world is a place that was created through evil, death, and suffering. Out of chaos and random confusion mankind has arisen to finally take hold of his destiny. They believe that through using emerging technology mankind is now on the verge of leveraging his knowledge to eventually establishing an eternal existence for himself and his posterity. Man has now come to the place where he believes nothing is impossible for him as he is becoming like god.
You may think that no one really believes what I have just described. But yet, in many ways people’s actions seem to reflect that this is what they do believe. In spite of the fact that we are faced with reality checks on a daily basis, people still try to live in a fantasy world of their own making. Increasingly, people are being encouraged to live in a fantasy world. Never in all of history has the push been so strong, with a multitude of voices and a multitude of choices. But the laws of the universe remain unchanged. Truth remains.
Those who still choose to view everything through the lens of Scripture know the truth, and the truth has set them free. It is as if scales have fallen from their eyes and they can see. These people are the light of the world. Without the light that shines from heaven there is no hope for this world that is perishing. No amount of wishing will change that. That is why the testimony of those who can see is so important in the world, and why the enemy is so intent on trying to deceive us into thinking that we can gain by giving up our standing on the high moral ground of God’s Truth.
As I conclude this discussion intended to encourage people to stand fast on the high ground without ceding one inch, I will emphasize these three pillars, faith, hope, and love. This is just a reminder, for I have touched on these all before. Bear with me as I go over them one more time. These three simple words can be turned on their head if their definitions are tampered with. As with many words in the English dictionary, their meaning can change with time. We have to define them within the text that we find them. I am talking about Biblical Faith, Biblical Hope, and Biblical Love.
Faith
Faith in our culture has come to mean a lot of things. But in the Bible it is speaking about confidence in God and His Word, which are one and the same. Faith is about believing in something that we cannot see. We believe it because God has told us it is true. We have faith in what He has said because His record is perfect. From this revelation we see that all God declares beforehand comes to pass just as He has declared. So our faith is not a blind faith that has no foundation, but it is established on God who is faithful.
The word faith has been compromised by using it to refer to religions of the world. Faith in God has no comparison; it stands alone on an unshakable foundation of truth. Only the Bible has stood the test of time, accurately revealing the truth. Biblical faith is an unwavering confidence in God and His Word. This is not a blind faith, but rather confidence in established truth. Earlier I discussed how new discoveries in science are continuing to verify the Words of God spoken long ago. Those that have placed their faith in God are always rewarded. Noah’s faith placed him on the right side of the door of the ark. Faith in God is about trusting Him for things we cannot see, but if God said it, believe it or not, it is real.
Hope
Hope in our modern language offers little conciliation. Its usual usage reflects mere wishful thinking or a desire to want something to happen or be true. Often hope does rise to a higher level when the expression of our desire has expectations of fulfillment. We have all experienced joy as our hope was fulfilled and disappointment when it was not.
But there is an archaic definition of hope defined as: trust, reliance. This is the hope referred to in Scripture. This is hope that is founded on our faith in God and His promises. Biblical hope is anticipation of the fulfillment of the promises of God, looking forward with assurance for the fulfillment of our greatest desire. The more we learn about our Savior, the bigger our picture is of what this all entails. Simply put, we anticipate Christ’s return because it ushers in the beginning of the fulfillment of our desire that where He is, we will be too.
Even here, in a discussion that is usually among believers, it is possible to cede the high ground and direct people’s focus on things that are temporal, such as avoiding suffering or tribulation. Hope is that which is based upon the Word of God so that those who hope will never be disappointed. For we have this word from God that the fulfillment of our hope will exceed all that we think or imagine.
Love
I wrote earlier about the four different Greek words that in our English translations are translated as love. Our modern language has confused the matter even more. Our modern, secular culture has debased love even further, bringing it down to an animalistic nature. So we need to be careful to clarify that the love we are speaking about here is “agape” love. This is God’s love toward us. This love is not based upon feelings or circumstances, for it is the unwavering choice of the giver. This love is best described as caring for and desiring the best for its recipient. This love is expressed using all the means at one’s disposal to provide the best of conditions for the one that is loved.
We who are recipients of God’s love are to learn from Him how to express this love toward those we are called to love. We have to admit that our love is limited by the resources at our disposal. The greatest love we can give stems from the gifts that we have received from heaven. Those gifts begin with our knowledge of the love of God, and that is where our loving begins to those whom we love. But think about it. Think about the resources at God,s disposal. Think about how He offered His only begotten Son to die for us. He has withheld nothing from us if we will accept His Love. Now that is what I call Love.
“But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1Co 13:13 NAS)
Standing Firm
“Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” (Eph 6:13 NAS)
Having the faith, hope and love that come from God above, we stand on the high moral ground. We cannot cede one inch of that holy ground without jeopardizing souls. God’s message of truth must remain pure or truth will be compromised. Our faith needs to be unwavering if we are to avoid unnecessary suffering. If we stand firm our hope will be fulfilled. God has provided all that we need to stand. It is therefore up to us to stand. Love conquers all.