“Love is the Greatest” 1 Corinthians 13:13

“13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Emotions and feelings often change, Unfortunately, too many marriages break up because the husband or wife decides that he or she does not love their spouse. When love is understood simply as an emotion, then this is often the result. A love that lasts moves beyond emotion and to a decision. When you decide to love your spouse or to love your friend and stick with them no matter what, love remains. Before the foundation of the world, God set His affection on you (Eph. 1:3-5) and we became His treasured possession (Deut. 7:6). It is a source of great joy that God’s love never fails and never ends. Every day He pours out His rich blessings upon us. In fact, the Father has given us the wonderful gifts of faith, hope, and love. Take a moment and considered these blessings and why His love is the greatest gift of them all.

I  Faith (13a)

“13a So now faith,”

What is faith? The writer of Hebrews says, that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Though we do not see Jesus nor did we witness His death or resurrection, we trust that He lived and that He was victorious over the grave. We trust in the work of Christ for our salvation. Faith is not by sight. Seeing is not believing, believing is seeing. Faith gives substance to the things unseen. We spend our entire life here on earth looking forward to the future fulfillment of the promises of God. This is faith. The day when we see our Lord face to face, faith will lose its purpose because we will finally see the unseen.

II  Hope (13b)

“13b…hope,”

We often think of hope as a term that describes something that may or may not happen, but the Word of God defines hope as something that is a sure thing (Rom. 8:24, 25). Biblical hope is assurance that God is going to do exactly what He says He will do. We have a great hope that God will bring us to His side upon our death. In heaven, our hope will no longer be a guarantee of future promise, but it will be enjoyed as a present and powerful prise. Just as with faith, hope will lose its purpose in the presence of God.

III  Love (13c)

“13c…and love abide, these three; but the greatest is love”

Faith, hope, and love abide because they are our constant companions as we traverse this world. Earlier in chapter 13, Paul writes that love is patient, kind, does not envy or boast, is not arrogant or rude, doesn’t demand its own way, is not irritable or resentful, does not rejoice in wrongdoing, rejoices in truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, and never ends (13:4-8). Love is a powerful and unmatched gift of God. While our love might fade, His love never will because it is supernatural. Love is the greatest of these three virtues because while faith and hope will lose their purpose in eternity, love will never end. We will enjoy the love of God over and over without end. You might some times feel as though God does not love you, but once He sets His affection on you it will never fail and it will never diminish. There is an old hymn entitled “The Love of God” and the chorus says, “O Love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forevermore endure - The saints and angels song.” No, God’s love never fails and it will never run out on you!

Pastor Joshua