1Cor
13:13 (KJS) And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the
greatest of these is charity.
I
come to the wrap-up of my mini-series: Faith, Hope and Charity: Living in
the Real World. My goal has been to
contrast the way naturalists think about these three things and what the Bible
says about them. The series started with the recognition that faith in God,
creator of the universe and ultimate author of the Bible, is a choice.
Naturalists choose to reject this unseen God. They place their faith in science
alone, and science is simply a finely tuned method for gaining knowledge by
sight – observation and experiment. Anyone who has received God’s revelation of
himself through both creation and scripture is not limited by sight, and this
knowledge by revelation given by the creator and redeemer of the world does not
contradict that which comes by sight but includes and makes sense of it. This
Divine source of wisdom, knowledge and depth of insight, when received by faith
enables us to be sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see,
while the one who does not have this Divine source has only laws and
theories that are more or less highly probable.
I
come now to charity. You are probably asking, “Why have you switched to
the King James version to talk about the greatest of these three things you
have been writing about? Why not just talk about ‘love’?” I did so because the word ‘charity’ captures
the essence of biblical love, especially at this time of year, when we are all
thinking about giving ‘for which no goods or services were exchanged in
return for these gifts.’ John 3:16 says it all: “For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just as Jesus provides the model of
faith that is sure of what we hope for, so also He and the Father provide the
model of love that is given, not in exchange for services or goods received,
but that is all grace – unearned and undeserved favor. When God the Father gave
his Son, so that you and I might have eternal life he revealed his very
essence: God is love. He exists forever in three persons united by love, and he
created us so that we too might live for all eternity within his circle of
eternal love. When we become his children he puts his Spirit in us to remind us
of his promises given in scripture, and to lead us and teach us as we grow in
faith, hope, and charity, living successfully in the real world of 21st
century America.
