Love…

“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” (1 Col 13:13)

By faith we are justified and not by works. It is by faith in Jesus Christ that we walk upon the narrow way and are children of God. It is faith in Jesus that enables us overcome the devil’s attacks upon us. By faith we can have a correct view of the things about us and overcome the trappings of this Godless world. In fact, without this same faith we cannot please God. And yet love is greater then faith. Rom 3:28 , Rom 5:2 ,Gal 2:16, 1Pe 1:9, Rom 9:32, 2Co 5:7, Gal 3:26, Eph 6:16, Heb 11:3, Heb 11:6, 1Jn 5:4

Hope in God’s mercy gladdens our hearts giving us strength to go onwards – for God himself watches over us. Those who have this hope please the LORD, so such a man is truely blessed. Our hope is a saving hope, a hope of salvation that protects us from the evil one and urges us on in sanctification. This hope is a great one because it is based on the promises of the God who cannot lie. Therefore, this hope is an anchor to our souls. In fact, it is so great a hope that we must always be prepared to share it with others. But love is greater then even our hope that lies within. Psa 16:9, Psa 33:18, Pro 10:28, Psa 146:5, Psa 147:11, Jer 17:7, Rom 8:24, 1Th 5:8, 1Jn 3:2-3, Tit 1:2, Heb 6:18-19, 1Pe 3:15

Why?

Because God has mercy on those that love Him and the same shall go to heaven. Love for fellow believers is a sign of a true christian. Those that do not love God, do not love Jesus Christ and so don’t belong to God. So how do we love God? By keeping His commandments. But this is a problem for us. For all mankind has broken God’s commandments – in fact we, in our fleshly, currupted nature, hate Him. And yet, while we were still busy hating and rebelling against Him, God showed His love for us by sending Jesus Christ (God incarnate) to take the penalty for our sin. God through His love had mercy upon us and gave us faith to believe on Jesus Christ and a love for Him (causing us to want to live for him), thereby giving us the hope of salvation. So love is greater then faith and hope, for without God’s love toward us none of us would have either faith to believe on Jesus, or the hope of salvation and would thus be damned. Exo 20:6 , Psa 69:35-36, Joh 13:34-35, 1Jn 3:14, 1Co 8:3, Joh 5:42-43, Joh 8:42, Joh 14:15, 1Co 16:22, 1Jn 4:8-9, Rom 3:23, Joh 7:7, Rom 1:30, Rom 5:8, Eph 1:4 -7, Eph 2:4-6, Gal 5:6, 2Co 5:14-15, 1Jn 4:19, 1Jn 4:10, 1Pe 1:8, Rom 5:5