Faith, Hope and Love
We know that faith, hope and love are at the foundation of our walk with Christ and that these virtues ought to inform the way we interact with one another in the church. We are likely familiar with the words of 1 Corinthians 13 which tells us that “faith, hope and love abide, but the greatest of these is love.”
I think the words of Hebrews 10:22-24 give us a glimpse of why love is the greatest and, perhaps, reveal something of the interplay between these three gifts given to believers.
The author has already built the case that Jesus, our great High Priest, has given these Jewish believers (and us!) access to God himself. He has also given the encouragement that believers come before God with confidence because of the work He has done.
After making the case for our access to God, he gives these words,
“let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of FAITH, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our HOPE without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to LOVE and good works,” Hebrews 10:22-24
FAITH
First we see that we are called to draw near to God in full assurance of our faith. Our faith is a gift from God that enables us to believe and trust in the person and work of Jesus. It is through this gift of faith that we can draw near to God.
But what does it mean to draw near to God? It means to enter into His presence, to know Him (not just know about Him), to know and walk in His ways, talking with Him as we go about our days.
In short, it is orienting our hearts to Him, living in awareness of His near presence
This takes time, both in His word and in prayer. But, time spent this way is the most worthy endeavor we could undertake. And, in drawing near, we have assurance of His great work on our behalf and He purifies our hearts so that we might see Him more clearly.
HOPE
The assurance of our faith allows us to hold tightly to the confession of our hope in Christ. This hope, like our faith, is given, not because of what we have done but because He is faithful. This world and its burdens can make us weary. But the Gospel gives us hope, both in this life and the life to come. This hope sustains us in hard times because it is filled with the promise of an eternal future spent with Him for eternity.
True believers will hold tightly to hope in Christ because the Lord holds them. He will not fail because He is faithful to the end.
LOVE
And so, this leads us to the greatest virtue given to us by the Lord. Love.
Love is both the root and the fruit of our salvation. The Lord has set His love on us based on nothing we have done. He loved us because He loved us. And, in his love, He gives us the gift of faith and overwhelms us with hope that strengthens us today and brightens our tomorrow as we look forward to His glorious return.
Love is also the fruit of our salvation. Dietrich Bonhoeffer shows us the communal aspect of this love in contrast to faith and hope,
“Faith and hope can be practiced by a solitary, in a hermit’s cell or on a desert island. But the exercise of love is possible only in a community.”
And the Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:2, without love, we are nothing! All the knowledge, giftings and power given to us and all the sacrifice and service poured out by us, mean nothing if we miss love.
The love of Christ is not something we keep to ourselves. His love compels us to love others, not hoarding the faith and hope gifted to us.
Oh Church! May we be a people rooted in the love of Christ and may His love give us assurance of our faith more and more with each passing day as we walk with Him.
And, may the hope of Christ grow in our hearts, sustaining us until the day we are able to experience His love fully, without the hindrance of our sin.
And, may the gifts of faith and hope, given to us by our gracious, humble Lord, produce the fruit of love so that we may encourage one another to see and taste the goodness of our God and serve Him (and one another) in love.