FAITH, HOPE AND LOVE: A Perfect Trio

There are three Bible passages that include faith, hope, and love. When I think about these words together, the first thing that comes to mind is 1 Corinthians 13:13 “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1Co 13:13 ESV) If you prefer the King James Version, you will find the word “charity” rather than love, but the word used here is agape, which is often described as unconditional love.

The other two passages that include faith, hope, and love are as follows:

We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. (1Th 1:2-3 ESV)

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. (1Th 5:8 ESV)

It surprised me that more verses don’t put faith, hope, and love together. They fit so well together ... they form a perfect trio, blending together in a perfect harmony. If one were missing, their beautiful song wouldn’t sound right. If we don’t have faith in Jesus Christ, we don’t have true hope. Without hope, our faith would waiver. Without the agape love of God, we would have neither faith nor hope—both faith and hope are rooted in the love of God.

It seems to me that faith, hope, and love are inter-related, and they all play vital roles in the Christian life. In 1 Corinthians 13, faith, hope, and love, are gifts from God that endure. They help us minister to others and grow. In 1 Thessalonians 1, they are active parts of the Christian life (work of faith and love, steadfastness of hope). In 1 Thessalonians 5, they are protective in nature, as part of our spiritual armor.

Without faith, hope, and love, where would we be? Today, I encourage you to reflect on what God has provided us in the perfect trio of faith, hope, and love!

In His grip,
Pastor Decker