The scripture teaches that in the face of perfection, those things which are imperfect will disappear; and that ultimately only three things will remain; “faith, hope and love” (1 Corinthians 13). For me, this conjures the image of all our works being tested by fire and it tells me that these are the “only” things that won’t be consumed by the flames. In light of that truth, it would be hard to argue against the virtues of faith, hope and love; but recently, I sensed the Lord drawing my attention to a place where even these things will fail.
Like all of God’s principles, the application of faith, hope and love can have some positive effect, even when they aren’t specifically deployed with Him in mind. But I would submit that this wasn’t what the Apostle Paul was referring to in his letter to the Corinthians. The faith he was speaking of was the belief in the person of Jesus Christ, the truth of His word and in the power of His Holy Spirit. It was about a hope that is rooted in Christ’s perfect sacrifice, the redemptive power of His resurrection and in the Kingdom yet to come. And that ultimately it was about the transforming love that is only accessible from and through Him. I believe that the transcendent nature of these virtues depends squarely on the degree to which they are connected to the person of Jesus Christ.
Interestingly, as our culture (and indeed the church in America) has moved further from the person of Christ, we have largely held onto the ideals of faith, hope and love. Even in secular circles these aesthetics are generally esteemed. Unfortunately, the faith that is most often exercised is a belief in one’s self or in the virtue of our great nation or in the ultimate goodness of humanity. Our hope seems to be largely rooted in our prosperity, the steady advancement of technology and in the idea that we’ve somehow become exempt from all the calamities that brought down the empires that came before us. And it appears as though we’ve traded the beautiful nature of love (described in the scripture) for some self-serving compulsion to feel good. Though we may still think of these things as “faith, hope and love”, they lack the essential ingredients to change our lives.
In this season leading up to the 2012 presidential election, it has been disturbing to witness the dialogue in and around the “Christian” community. I have seen so many people nearly worshipping a specific social agenda, political party or party candidate, while vilifying anyone who might dare to contradict them, that it makes me wonder what we’ve invested our faith in. I have heard so much ridiculous rhetoric about the outcome of these elections, that it makes me wonder what we’ve placed our hope in. And I’ve witnessed so many people, who consider themselves children of God, turning on their brothers and sisters, for the sake of advancing their own ideas, that it makes wonder what or who we really love.
The one thing I can say with certainty is that if we have invested our faith in “any” candidate, political party or social agenda, we will be dissatisfied. If our hope is rooted in the economic recovery, job growth, tax breaks, health care reform, gay marriage, democracy, capitalism, socialism or in the judgments of the Supreme Court, we are sure to be disillusioned. And if we’ve invested our sense of love and allegiance to a mere man, who cannot hope to deliver what he has promised, we are certain to be disappointed. If this is where we’ve arrived, our “faith, hope and love” is sure to burn with all the rest of the garbage; and maybe it’s time to remember where our help comes from.
Bjcorbin's Blog 
Amen!!! This was very insightful, well-written, and very true. I have read this about five times now.
Our modern (or postmodern or whatever) era is not very different at all from past eras and empires. We just happen to have more wires and flickering lights strung all over the place. History always repeats itself and humanity always makes the same mistakes, but expecting different results.
Back in 08, a local paper here in Portland named Obama “Person of the Year.” An illustrator painted Obama dressed as a Caesar for the cover. You know, the toga and crown of leaves. And the paper intended this to be a kind of homage or something. What I found so funny about the image is not thinking of Obama as a Caesar (though many conservatives could compare him to one), but the idea of a Caesar itself and how the human race really hasn’t advanced as much as it would like to claim. Whether it’s Washington or ancient Rome, people really do invest “love and allegiance to a mere man.”
Amen! It’s great to hear from you and I pray that all is well with you guys.