In this verse and in fact in the entire 13th Chapter of I Corinthians (Which is called the Love Chapter) Paul not only distinguishes among faith, hope, and love, but links them together to show their mutual dependance on each other. In Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus gives us the first & greatest commandment, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Unlike the passive type of love we usually think of…this type of love – Agape love- is active and was shown by God the Father to us when He gave us His one and only Son to die in our place…it is a perfect love that proceeds out of a heart of care & concern for others…all others. But we need faith, a trust and belief in Jesus, actively expressing itself to manifest this love. (Galatians 5:6) While hope is no more than faith looking towards the future with sure confidence & expectation. Paul sums this up wonderfully in I Thessalonians 1:3, when he wrote, “We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
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