“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” | 1 Corinthians 13: 13
What great blessings the Lord has freely and eternally given unto His church! (Romans 8: 32)
Indeed, Christ has blessed us with all spiritual blessings. (Ephesians 1: 3) The apostle Paul makes mention of these three great and spiritual blessings that abide in every believer; faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. Why would Paul say that? Because it is true!
Every believer lives by faith, (Romans 1: 17) walks by faith (2 Corinthians 5: 7) and will die in faith, (Hebrews 13: 5), always looking to and trusting in Christ. (Hebrews 12: 2) But one day faith will end in perfect and complete sight, when we behold the Lord Jesus Christ face to face. (1 John 3: 2)
Likewise, every believer lives with a fervent hope, a living hope and a blessed hope; (Titus 2: 13) because it is a good hope through grace. (2 Thessalonians 2: 16) Hope springs from faith in Christ, (Hebrews 11: 1) for He is our hope. (Colossians 1: 27; 1 Timothy 1: 1) But the good hope we have in Christ, that too will one day come to an end in the certain expectation of the reality of that hope being predestinated to be just like the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 8: 29-30)
But the greatest of these gifts is love; the love of God that is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5: 5) will never end. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. (Romans 8: 38)
Our love for the Lord Jesus Christ had a beginning but it will never have an end. We only love Him because He first loved us. (1 John 4: 19)
When did the Lord start loving His own? From eternity in the covenant of grace! (Jeremiah 31: 3) The Lord’s love for His church is a sacrificial love. (Ephesians 5: 25; 1 John 4: 10) He laid down His life for His church. (John 13: 1) Oh how precious is that love for us!
May God grant us to be always thankful for this gift of His love unto us and may He cause it to grow in such a way as to glorify Him now and forever.
One day soon every believer will sing forever; “Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen (Revelation 1: 5-6)
~ Pastor Tom Harding
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Kingsport Sovereign Grace Church Bulletin Article date: 8 August, 2021 | Previous post date: n/a