Faith, Hope and Love

Read:  1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Introduction: 1 Corinthians 13 is one of the most famous passages in the Bible and is often read at special or formal occasions, such as weddings and funerals. In the passage, Paul speaks about “faith”, “hope” and “love”. We want to examine these concepts in this message.

Just imagine if each of these were the name of a church. St. Faith’s would be a vibrant, worshipping church with exciting miracles and manifestations of the Holy Spirit. If you need a supernatural touch from God , the place to go would be St Faith’s. St. Hope’s is not charismatic, but the congregation is well schooled in the Bible, and have their eyes focused on all that heaven is going to be. They are not expecting a miracle today so they are not phased or shaken when they face difficulties in life. They look for the coming of the Lord. St. Love’s is also a great church – they call themselves a community church, and they have an emphasis on sharing the Gospel through practical ways, such as care and social action. The Mayor and local dignitaries attend from time to time. The congregation is not always sure what they believe about the Bible but they love each other and are making a real difference to some of the seniors/children in their community. 

Each of these fictional churches lacks what the other possesses. Every church and each believer should have faith, hope and love.

FAITH

Paul’s famous definition of love is sandwiched around his exhortation for believers to move in the anointing of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:31 and 14:1). The Apostle is not at all suggesting that love should be present instead of power, but rather that love should be the motivating force behind the use of all spiritual gifts, so that they build up the church. Despite the views of cessationist theologians, these gifts of the Spirit will not cease until Jesus Christ returns; when “perfection comes” (1 Corinthians 13:10). Until then, they must be “eagerly desired” (1 Corinthians 12:31) by the church because a “demonstration of the Spirit’s power”(1 Corinthians 2:4) can bring some to believe in Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 14:24-25),

HOPE

The English word “hope” suggests an uncertainty of what will be that is not present in the original concept of hope. Where faith is believing for today, hope is trusting for the Lord’s goodness for tomorrow; especially at the Resurrection of the dead when God’s great plan of redemption will have reached its ultimate conclusion. Teaching on the hope of heaven is often neglected among some pentecostal and charismatic Christian groups, perhaps because of the emphasis on “kingdom now” and victory theology that is so prevalent in their pulpits. Christians who do not have a good understanidng of hope can struggle when they feel that their prayers are unanswered or they face sickness or even death. While some of God’s blessing can be expected and received today, the power of the cross will ultimately be made manifest at the Last Day when Jesus comes. In heaven there will be no tears, no pain, no heartache. Whatever we have done for the Master will be rewarded appropriately and we shall be at total peace and joy. Now we can enjoy a taste of heaven, but still “we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

LOVE

While spiritual gifts are released by faith, they must be used by love. Paul describes love in two ways. He says that love is patient and that love is kind (1 Corinthians 13:4). Patience is a passive act; ie "I will not retaliate, I will hold my tongue; I will forgive," etc. We are to be patient with each other just as God is also patient with mankind. Paul writes, “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realising that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?” (Romans 2:4). Kindness is altogether different and is active. Jesus said, “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked” ( Luke 6:35).

Note the following biblical lists. Patient love assures that we do not…

Envy
Boast
Act proudly
Be rude
Seek the good of one’s self
Get angry
Hold a grudge
Delight in evil (1 Corinthians 13:4-6)

Kind love assures that we do…

Rejoice
Protect
Trust
Hope
Persevere (1 Corinthians 13:6-8)

While Paul exhorts the use of spiritual gifts in evangelism, love is also vital. Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).

Conclusion
Faith releases the power of the Spirit today; Hope looks to God’s redemption tomorrow; and Love shows us how to live in the now. We need the combined virtues of St. Faith's, St. Hope's and St. Love's if we are to impact our world according to the biblical pattern. But the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13).