FHL

Faith, Hope, and Love

The Christian's Necessities

1 Corinthians 13:1-8 - Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ( it ) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge it will vanish away.
1 Corinthians 13:13 - And now abide faith, hope, and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Faith, hope, and love, the three things all Christians need. However, love is all of these three in itself, it believes all things ( faith ), it hopes all things, and of course it is love. In fact, love is, by its definition above, every Fruit of the Spirit, it is: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control ( Galatians 5:22 ). Let's look at the three most important Fruits of the Spirit a little more closely, namely, faith, hope, and love.

Faith:

Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Hebrews 11:3 - By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
Hebrews 11:6 - But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Genesis 15:5-6 - Then He brought him outside and said, " Look toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said unto him, "So shall your descendants be." And he believed in the Lord and He accounted ( imputed, credited, counted ) it to him for righteousness.
James 2:14 - What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith, but does not have works? Can faith save him?
James 2:17 - Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
James 2:21-24 - Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works Faith was made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God. You see then that man is justified by works, and not faith only.
James 2:19 - You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe -- and tremble!

Faith is unconditional belief in God and his promises. Faith is the most evident thing that we can show to the unsaved. It is the evidence that Christ dwells in us. However, faith is not just believing in God, for even the demons believe. There are actually two parts of faith, the first is belief in God and his promises, the second is what is called the step of faith. It is acting on the first part of faith. Lets take a look at the life of Abraham, which is full of steps of faith.

God promises Abraham that he will make him a great nation, and asks Abraham to leave his family and country. Abraham leaves in faith believing what God had promised.
In faith, Abraham believed when God promised him a son, and it was accounted as righteousness. ( Genesis 15:5-6 )
And in faith that God would fulfill his covenant, Abraham circumcised all the males of his household. ( Genesis 17 )
And in faith, Abraham took his son to Mt. Moriah, to sacrifice the very son God had promised him. In this God tested Abraham's faith to see if he would believe and follow his commandment.
In faith, Rebekah set out to a land she had never seen, to marry a man she did not even know.
( for more examples from others people in the Bible, see Hebrews 11 )

Faith is just as much an act or step as it is belief, and we as Christians should strive to live by faith. Trusting God in stressful situations, trusting God to heal someone, casting out demons, and evangalism all require acts of faith. Without these acts or works of faith the belief in God is useless, for even the demons believe. If we only believe in God and don't trust in him, it is useless, for God is our fortress. Furthermore, if we don't trust Him now with the small things, when persecution comes we will be as the seeds on rocky ground, in the parable of the sower. However, since Jesus Christ, who dwells in us, is the Author and Finisher of our faith, we need only to ask him to live through us the next time we begin to doubt or feel despair. For God is made perfect in our weakness. Only by trusting in Him will we attain that 'peace that surpasses all understanding.'

Hope:

Hope is quite similar to the first type of faith, which is belief in something promised by God.

Romans 8:23-25 - Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

This verse is paralleled by the verse on faith that says, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen."

Love:

Love the last, but most certainly not the least. It is everything that is described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ( it ) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Here is another verse.

1 John 4:17 - Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgement; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear...........

Love is unconditional, as Christians we should love one another. This is the hardest thing to do. However, next time you begin to get offended at someone remember, God is Love, and He dwells in you. Though you may not be able to love Jesus can believe in him.