1 Cor 13:13; But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.
I've seen a lot of threads here on TJ over the last few years about faith and love. These are important things obviously. I'm not trying to diminish them at all. In fact the verse above says.. "the greatest of these is love".
It's even more important than faith... sometimes we forget that.
ἀγάπη
agapē
ag-ah'-pay
From G25; love, that is, affection or benevolence; specifically (plural) a love feast: - (feast of) charity ([-ably]), dear, love.
Total KJV occurrences: 116
The word "love" (translated as charity in King James) here is agape. It's different from other kinds of love.
It says this word is in the King James 116 times. But there are other kinds of love mentioned in the Bible.
Matt 23:6; for example... also has the word "love" in it. But it isn't agape.
φιλέω
phileō
fil-eh'-o
From G5384; to be a friend to (fond of [an individual or an object]), that is, have affection for (denoting personal attachment, as a matter of sentiment or feeling; while G25 is wider, embracing especially the judgment and the deliberate assent of the will as a matter of principle, duty and propriety: the two thus stand related very much as G2309 and G1014, or as G2372 and G3563 respectively; the former being chiefly of the heart and the latter of the head); specifically to kiss (as a mark of tenderness): - kiss, love.
Total KJV occurrences: 25
The point here is... there is more than one kind of love. Eros, Philia, Ludus, Pragma, etc....
The word "faith" in the opening verse is....
πίστις
pistis
pis'-tis
From G3982; persuasion, that is, credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly constancy in such profession; by extension the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself: - assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.
Total KJV occurrences: 244
Unlike love.... there is only one kind of faith in the Bible. There is only one word for faith in the Greek.
Some people (even some Christians) say that there are different kinds of faith in the Bible, but the
Bible itself only mentions one kind of faith. Now that faith can be in the wrong thing, or it can be weak,
but it is still faith.
After all of that explanation, we get the last word of three words in 1 Cor 13:13;
Hope....
ἐλπίς
elpis
el-pece'
Fromἔλπω elpō which is a primary word (to anticipate, usually with pleasure); expectation (abstract or concrete) or confidence: - faith, hope.
Total KJV occurrences: 54
If we go by strongs concordance.... this word is only used 54 times in the new testament.
Compared to faith and love.... 166 times and 244 times respectively.
Still hope must be important. in some ways it is similar to faith... but in some ways it is the opposite of faith.
Hope is not "guarantee". Hope is not "absolute assurance". Hope is hope.
Matt 12:21; "AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE."
...and so we do.
Rom 8:24; For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?
Rom 8:25; But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.
You often hear we saved by faith... and so we are. But we are also saved in "hope".
... to be continued ...
I've seen a lot of threads here on TJ over the last few years about faith and love. These are important things obviously. I'm not trying to diminish them at all. In fact the verse above says.. "the greatest of these is love".
It's even more important than faith... sometimes we forget that.
ἀγάπη
agapē
ag-ah'-pay
From G25; love, that is, affection or benevolence; specifically (plural) a love feast: - (feast of) charity ([-ably]), dear, love.
Total KJV occurrences: 116
The word "love" (translated as charity in King James) here is agape. It's different from other kinds of love.
It says this word is in the King James 116 times. But there are other kinds of love mentioned in the Bible.
Matt 23:6; for example... also has the word "love" in it. But it isn't agape.
φιλέω
phileō
fil-eh'-o
From G5384; to be a friend to (fond of [an individual or an object]), that is, have affection for (denoting personal attachment, as a matter of sentiment or feeling; while G25 is wider, embracing especially the judgment and the deliberate assent of the will as a matter of principle, duty and propriety: the two thus stand related very much as G2309 and G1014, or as G2372 and G3563 respectively; the former being chiefly of the heart and the latter of the head); specifically to kiss (as a mark of tenderness): - kiss, love.
Total KJV occurrences: 25
The point here is... there is more than one kind of love. Eros, Philia, Ludus, Pragma, etc....
The word "faith" in the opening verse is....
πίστις
pistis
pis'-tis
From G3982; persuasion, that is, credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly constancy in such profession; by extension the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself: - assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.
Total KJV occurrences: 244
Unlike love.... there is only one kind of faith in the Bible. There is only one word for faith in the Greek.
Some people (even some Christians) say that there are different kinds of faith in the Bible, but the
Bible itself only mentions one kind of faith. Now that faith can be in the wrong thing, or it can be weak,
but it is still faith.
After all of that explanation, we get the last word of three words in 1 Cor 13:13;
Hope....
ἐλπίς
elpis
el-pece'
Fromἔλπω elpō which is a primary word (to anticipate, usually with pleasure); expectation (abstract or concrete) or confidence: - faith, hope.
Total KJV occurrences: 54
If we go by strongs concordance.... this word is only used 54 times in the new testament.
Compared to faith and love.... 166 times and 244 times respectively.
Still hope must be important. in some ways it is similar to faith... but in some ways it is the opposite of faith.
Hope is not "guarantee". Hope is not "absolute assurance". Hope is hope.
Matt 12:21; "AND IN HIS NAME THE GENTILES WILL HOPE."
...and so we do.
Rom 8:24; For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?
Rom 8:25; But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.
You often hear we saved by faith... and so we are. But we are also saved in "hope".
... to be continued ...