In the book of 1 Corinthians 13 it says that there are only three things that will last forever, these things are: faith, hope and love. The most important of these three is love. If we read the Bible immediately, we can see that what is emphasized the most is this. In fact, God says that there are two conditions to enter heaven, these are: love God above all else, and love your neighbor as you would love yourself.
Having faith, hope, and love is important. Why?
Faith, hope, and love They are the most important qualities that a Christian must have for a good relationship with God, because they are the fundamental pillar. But, what purpose does each of these things have, below we explain why having faith, hope, and love are an important part of our lives.
purpose of faith
Between faith, hope and love, faith is one of the first things we learn as Christians. It often begins with a quote from Jesus in Luke 17:6where says:
“If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this one: ‘May you be uprooted and thrown into the sea.’ And it would obey you!
“Hebrews 11:1 gives this clear definition of faith: “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for really happens; it gives us security about things we cannot see.” The purpose of faith is to lead us to know the heart of God. Faith is not influencing our own comfort, but leading us to know God’s heart and then to trust his ways to guide us.
and we can’t do anything other than vine (John 15:5). Hebrews 11:1 It’s a great definition of faith, but Hebrews 11:6 it gives us the application of life. He says:
“Because we come to God in faith knowing that He is real and that He rewards the faith of those who passionately seek Him.”
The purpose of hope
Hope is “a feeling of expectation and desire for something to happen.” It can also be defined as “a feeling of confidence”.
So, faith is the belief that there is something better to look for, while hope is the expectation or the certainty that it is there. Hope is the fuel that keeps faith alive in our search for love. For this reason “faith, hope, and love are things that necessarily have to go together.
The way in which faith, which is the search for the Lord, connects with hope, which is the expectation of finding him, is through wisdom. Proverbs 24:14 He says:
“In the same way, wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, you will have a bright future and your hopes will not be dashed.”
Jesus is our model of constant search for wisdom. Often in our spiritual development, we reach a place of complacency where we are good with what we have. It’s wonderful to be grateful, but there’s more to your life when you continually seek wisdom.
At each level we should graduate, move and grow, constantly adding to what we understand. This is what keeps hope alive. As we seek more, we learn more and build confidence in who we are on the vine.
In Luke 2:52 we have a subtle but powerful image of him revealing the foundation of his influence and confidence. He says:
“Jesus continued to increase in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” Jesus is our leader and we must follow his leadership by constantly seeking wisdom and relationship with others.
the purpose of love
Paul makes it very clear in 1 Corinthians 13:13 that the greatest of all spiritual gifts is love. Based on this, we know that love is the result that we see of our faith and our hope. Love is the goal.
How wonderful it is to understand the goal! When starting a new game, the biggest hurdle is often gaining insight, rather than physical limitations. If you understand the goal, you can use what you have to get there.
Love is the power that enables us to do the work of Jesus and even greater works as Jesus described in John 14:12. He says:
“Whoever believes in me will also do the works that I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”
Love has the power to help us believe again and restore hope in others. It is the engine that drives our spiritual lives. For this reason, Faith, hope, and love necessarily have to be part of our day to day, and they must complement each other.
Faith, hope, and love: the perpetual cycle of life
If faith, hope, and love are the things that last forever, it is clear that these are the qualities that we must pursue with our lives. Some may worry about knowing what the ultimate goal is, that there may be no meaning to life if there is nothing left to discover. But there is life in these things, which will never end!
At first, we are born with no other understanding besides faith. As babies, we naturally seek attention and care. We confidently look for someone to give us the care we need.
As we earn the badges of life, we are frightened by experiences that rob us of our faith and hope, and in turn, we forget our natural instinct to love as we burn out to find a new starting point.
Finding faith, hope and love for ourselves does not mark the end of anything. You can mark the beginning for someone else. If you’ve ever been in , you know the power of another person showing you kindness or believing in you. When love is shown to you, you ignite a new belief of what you could be.
So you have hope that there is still something good in this world, and then you love yourself. Then you share love with others, and you start this cycle over and over again. This is our beginning, our new beginnings, and our forever, both for ourselves and for others.
A prayer for faith, hope, and love
We can start with this sentence in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, Giving praise to our God and telling him that he is our father, and the source of all comfort, and the love that we can obtain both for ourselves and for the help of others:
Lord, you are the source of everything, thank you for giving me your unconditional love, thank you because I have the joy of beginning my life cycle, and knowing that you give me the necessary wisdom to walk with you.
My God, I seek you to be continually interested in wisdom, so that my hope cannot be cut off. I pray that while I keep myself full, I will find ways to carry out your work, so that I can give love. Amen.
Faith, hope, and love are fundamental characteristics of a Christian. These qualities are part of a cycle that cannot be broken. Without faith there is no hope, and without hope there can be no love. It is necessary that we make them part of our lives, not only to correctly fulfill God’s mandate, but also for our physical and spiritual well-being, and that of others.