Charity, Part XIII: The Greatest of These (1 Corinthians 13:13)
2023-01-09
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Why is charity greater than faith and hope? In these times, faith is trust in the Lord, and is essential for salvation. Hope is anticipation of the fulfillment of God’s promises and is essential in keeping us focused on His coming. Consider these definitions from the Scriptures:
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen... But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:1, 6)
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? (Romans 8:23-24)
Part of faith is trusting in things you cannot see. Part of hope is the anticipation of something we do not see yet, but will someday, like the resurrection. The nature of these things will be completely different when the Lord comes, for we will see Him face to face. These things also can be practiced without others, for we have seen, “though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2). But charity will remain throughout all the ages.
Why else is charity greater than faith and hope? Because God is love:
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. (1 John 4:8)
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:16)
Love, the same word as charity, is the fruit of knowing God and dwelling in Him, because it is divine in nature. Love is from eternity past and continues into eternity future.