Faith, Hope and Love

What is faith, hope and love? We live in a society today that generally thinks faith is what religious organization a person is part of; that hope is wishing something will happen to fulfill a personal desire; that love equates to sexual attraction. Most Christians don’t even have a concept of these three words hence why the Church isn’t much different than the world anymore. What does Paul tell us?

1 Cor 13:13
13 And now three remain: remain faith, hope, love; but the greatest of these is love.
MKJV

In other words, at the end of the day when the dead are judged according to their deeds, the only deeds that will mean anything are those that are those that are done in faith, hope, and/ or love (Rev 20:11-13). Note: though our deeds are judged, the factor that determines where we spend the rest of our existence hinges on the relationship we have with our Creator.

Faith

What is faith, emunah (אמונה)? Faith is ‘trusting in a firm foundation of truth as a child trusts his nursing father’. What is truth? God’s word is truth. Who is the word of God? Jesus. Ultimately faith is trusting in the Messiah.

Faith is also fruit; it is substance and evidence (Heb 1:1, James 1 & 2). Where does faith come from?

Rom 10:17
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and obeying through the word of God.
MKJV

Paul gets this concept from Abraham and others who have faith like the writer of Hebrews describes in chapter 11. God told Abraham to leave his country and what did he do? He left and went to Canaan and built an altar.

God told Abraham that his seed would be as the stars of Abraham; he believed God and it was accredited to him for righteousness. The evidence of Abraham’s belief (faith) is that he made the preparations for and entered into an eternal covenant with the Creator that day.

God told Abraham to offer up his son as a test of his faith. Abraham offered his son trusting in the promise of God believing that should his son die that God would raise him up to fulfill his promise. On the cusp of Abraham about to kill his son, God stopped him and provided a ram or himself as the Passover sacrifice.

We can see that faith requires action and rightly so; Hebrew is an action-based language. Faith results in action, or more properly faith is the result of an action; Hebrew is also cyclical. It is the fruit of our belief. The process works the same as kernel of wheat. The seed, the Word of God, is planted in the field, our heart. We water it, weed it and nourish it; think about it, remove the things from our life that would choke it out and let the Spirit of God work to make it grow. When it is full grown it produces fruit or a head of grain which we harvest to feed ourselves and others. That head of grain is faith; some 100 fold, 60 fold or 30 fold: the faith of Abraham, Isaac or Joseph. With that we nourish our soul and the souls of others. We speak the word of God into their life, heal them, and cast out devils.

By extension, faith also comes from experience. Jesus said:

John 14:29
29 And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it does come to pass, you will believe.
MKJV

When we experience the Word of God in our life, it strengthens our faith. A child whose father makes promises but never fulfills them will grow up to not trust his father. However, a child whose father is true to his promises will grow up to trust his father. And what is the evidence that his father is true to his word? The child went on a camping trip or has a bike. Nobody can take that experience away from him no matter how knowledgeable they may be and intellectual their argument.

Even so it is with God. The world is full of knowledge. Heck that is the religion of the Serpent; knowledge is power. But no matter how knowledgeable they may be or how much they make you doubt, the experiences you’ve had with God will be there to reassure you that He is real and that His Word is true.

The more you’ve experienced the promises of God in your life, the stronger your faith will be. But you can’t experience those promises if you don’t have the faith of Abraham, Isaac or Joseph to begin with. The children of Israel experienced the promises of God when they were delivered form Egypt and were lead through the wilderness yet many constantly rebelled against God, why? God tells us in his first word/ commandment:

Ex 20:2
2 I am the LORD your God, which have brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
MKJV

If a person doesn’t believe in God, trust in him as a child trusts his nursing father, it doesn’t matter how much they experience God; all they will hear is thunder.

Hope

What is hope, tiqvah (תקוה)? Hope is ‘the sign of the woman that makes her secure at the end of the day’. Concretely, this sign is a cord, string or rope. This is apparent from the first place hope appears in scripture.

Josh 2:17-21
17 And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this oath of yours which you have made us swear.
18 Behold, when we come into the land, you will bind this line (hope – tiqvah) of scarlet thread in the window which you let us down by: and you will bring your father, and your mother, and your brothers, and all your father’s household, home unto you.
19 And it will be, that whosoever will go out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood will be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever will be with you in the house, his blood will be on our head, if any hand be upon him.
20 And if you utter this business of ours, then we will be released of oath of yours which you have made us to swear.
21 And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line (hope – tiqvah) in the window.
MKJV

Most of us know the story. Two Israeli spies were checking out Jericho. The guards caught wind of it and perused after them. They came upon Rahab and she hid them on the roof of her house. Then she helped them escape upon the condition that they would save her and her family. Rahab and her family were saved and she went on to become the grandmother of David and later of Jesus.

This is the story of our hope. God says:

Jer 29:10-11
10 For thus says the LORD, That after seventy years are accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and I will raise you up with my good word, to cause you to return to this place.
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected (hope – tiqvah) end.
MKJV

Most people readily know the second verse but not its context. Seventy years is a generation. Jesus said that the last generation wouldn’t pass away until everything was accomplished. One of the things that will be accomplished is that Babylon will be utterly destroyed. Like Rahab, our hope is that we will not be destroyed with her in the day of God’s vengeance. The only way we will not be destroyed with her is if we come out of her. The reason we come out of her is because God is returning us to the land of Promise just as he swore to our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

What is the sign that we have or are ready to come out of Babylon? (Read Ex 12 and 13 for context.)

Ex 13:15-16
15 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh would hardly let us go, that the LORD slew all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of beast: therefore I sacrifice to the LORD all that opens the matrix, being males; but all the firstborn of my children I redeem.
16 And it shall be for a sign upon your hand, and for frontlets between your eyes: for by strength of hand the LORD brought us forth out of Egypt.
MKJV

Exodus 12 and 13 recounts the tenth plague on Egypt. We are commanded to retell and relive that even every year. The sign, oth (אות), the scarlet thread that is the evidence of our hope, that we are ready to leave Babylon is if we celebrate Passover every year. If we do not hang this thread from our window, if we do not paint our doorposts with blood, then our destruction and that of our family and loved ones will be upon our own head and we will be destroyed with the rest of Jericho.

So what is hope? Hope is living life expecting God to save us at the end of the day when Babylon is destroyed.

Love

What is love, ahavah (אהבה)? Love is ‘behold what is provided to make the house strong’. The action of this word is ‘give’. Concretely it is gift but when used in a negative way it is a burden.

Most people know what a white elephant gift is. What most people don’t know is where it originated from. Back in the day in Thailand, white elephants were considered gods. If the emperor wanted to lavishly reward a person, he would give him a white elephant and provide everything necessary to take care of that elephant. I.e. the guy won the lottery and was set for left. But if the emperor wanted to curse somebody, he would bestow upon them a white elephant and not provide what was needed to take care of it. Because that elephant was a god, that person was required to take care of it at all costs. If he didn’t and the elephant died before him, he would then be executed. This is an example of how a gift can be either a blessing or a burden.

Who does Paul tell us our provider is?

Phil 4:20
19 But my God will supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
MKJV

What is it he provides?

James 2:2
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
MKJV

What is this gift? Is it not God’s Word? Didn’t Jesus, who is the Word of God made flesh come from above? Didn’t the Torah, the instruction of God also come from above?

Why is it that love is the greatest of the three afore mentioned?

Matt 22:37-40
37 Jesus said unto him, You will love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like it, You will love your neighbor as yourself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
MKJV

 Mark 12:29-31
29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The LORD our God is one Lord:
30 And you will love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like, namely this, You will love your neighbor as yourself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
MKJV

The greatest commandment is to love. Every commandment of God is to love. If we love God, we will obey his commandments; this is how we know we love God. Jesus tells his disciples in garden before he was crucified that if they love him, they will keep his commandments. When the rich man comes to Jesus and asks him what he must do to inherit eternal life or know God, Jesus admonishes him to obey the Torah. When the young man says he had done so since his childhood, Mark records that Jesus beheld him and loved him.

The commandments of God were provided to us so that we would know how to love God and our fellow believer. They were only given to his house though the physical application extends to all mankind. God revealed the secrets of life to his people long ago and science is just now beginning to understand them thirty-five hundred years later.

Synopses

So, what is faith? ‘Trusting in a firm foundation of truth as a child trusts in his nursing father.’ If a person’s faith is not in the Messiah, it is not true faith and he will not stand.

What is hope? ‘The sign of the woman that makes her secure at the end of the day.’ If a person’s hope is not in the Messiah, his hope is not eternal and it will fail.

What is love? ‘Behold what is provided to make the family strong.’ If a person does not love as admonished by the Messiah, he will be grievously burdened and made weak.

Notice that these three words are feminine nouns. In other words, they are attributes of the bride or Body of Messiah. They all require us to depend upon our husband, Jesus.

Faith – Will He be true to his promises, the covenant.

Hope- Will He deliver us from Babylon on the day of destruction, salvation.

Love – Will He provide for our needs, blessing.

At the end of day hope, faith, and love will be the difference between those who escape, survive and endure to the End and those who don’t.

Days of Elijah – Part 1

What are the Days of Elijah? To understand this, we need to study the ministry of Elijah which we will do in Part 2. But first we’ll start with a prophesy about Elijah.

Mal 4:5-6
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
KJV

What does it mean “Turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to the fathers?” Does this mean kids will love their daddies more? No. Does this mean that kids will love their Daddy more? Not on the surface; it’s a reference back to the forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who received the promises of God. How does scripture sum up their life?

Gen 26:5
5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
KJV

Let’s back up a verse in Mal 4.

Mal 4:4
4 Remember the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
(N)KJV

What else does this theme remind us of?

Deut 30:1-16
30:1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and you will call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee,
2 And will return unto the LORD your God, and will obey his voice according to all that I command you this day, you and your children, with all your heart, and with all your soul;
3 That then the LORD your God will turn your captivity, and have compassion upon you, and will return and gather you from all the nations, where the LORD your God has scattered you.
4 If any of you be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from there will the LORD your God gather you, and from there will he fetch you:
5 And the LORD your God will bring you into the land which you fathers possessed, and you will possess it; and he will do you good, and multiply you above your fathers.
6 And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your seed, to love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, that you may live.
7 And the LORD your God will put all these curses upon your enemies, and on them that hate you, which persecuted you.
8 And you will return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command you this day.
9 And the LORD your God will make you plenteous in every work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over you for good, as he rejoiced over your fathers:
10 If you will hearken unto the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul.
11 For this commandment which I command you this day, it is not hidden from you, neither is it far off.
12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, Who will go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou should say, Who will go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it?
14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it.
15 See, I have set before you this day life and good, and death and evil;
16 In that I command you this day to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that you may live and multiply: and the LORD thy God will bless you in the land where you go to possess it.
(N)KJV

These verses cover a lot. But what are the common threads in all scriptures we’ve gone over so far?

• fathers
• commandments, statues and laws (literally instruction – the reason Torah is interpreted as ‘law’ is because ‘nomos’ in Greek means ‘instruction’ but when translated from Greek to English means ‘law’)
• blessings and curses
• captivity (described in the context around the verses)

Let’s sew with some of these threads for a bit.

Abraham is the father of our faith. He is also a picture of the Father. Isaac is a picture of the Son. And Jacob is a picture of the Bride. (All this requires another article to explain.) With them the covenants were made and the promises given (Gen 15, 17, 22:15-18, 26:3-5, 28:11-15, 35:9-13, 46:2-5, 48:3-4). Turning our hearts towards them doesn’t simply mean we love them but desire to be like them and do what they do. Them turning their hearts toward us means they desire to instruct us in the ways of life so that we might live. That is where the commandments, statues and laws come in.

Most people resist the commandments, statues and laws of God because they don’t understand them. They don’t understand them because of what they have been taught about them. I want to spend some time putting these things into perspective. It’s taken me a long time to understand these things myself and change my perspective and ultimately my attitude towards them.

We have been taught that the Law of Moses was given for salvation in the Old Testament and that Jesus came bearing grace and put away the Law of Moses. This perspective comes from several sources.

• During Jesus time and even now Judaism teaches salvation by works.
• Paul dealt with and addressed these same people in his letters.
• It is a doctrine held by the Catholic Church (spawned out of anti-Semitism) that has been passed down and permeates every denomination that I know of.

What is the problem with this teaching? It simply isn’t true. Jesus himself states:

Matt 5:17-19
17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
KJV

Salvation has always been about relationship. This is what Jesus, Paul and the other writers of the New Testament often address. Remember, Abraham believed (faith in Hebrew) God and it was accounted to him for righteousness (Gen15:6). Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD and was saved from the judgment that came to the world (Gen 6:8). Moses intercedes on Israel’s behalf appealing to God’s grace and God grants it because he “knew Moses” (relationship) (Ex 33:12-17). Salvation has always and always and always been and is about relationship.

So what is the purpose of the commandments? Love. The two greatest commandments upon which all the others are based are commandments to love.

Deut 6:5
5 And you will love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
(N)KJV

Lev 19:18
18 You will not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you will love your neighbour as yourself: I am the LORD.
(N)KJV

Matt 22:40
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
KJV

Jesus admonishes us:

John 14:15
15 If you love me, keep my commandments.
(N)KJV

John 15:8-17
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so will you be my disciples.
9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you: continue in my love.
10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
12 This is my commandment, That you love one another, as I have loved you.
13 Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14 You are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you.
15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knows not what his lord does: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
16 You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.
(N)KJV

And they are about life (primarily physical) and blessings.

Deut 30:16
16 In that I command you this day to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that you may live and multiply: and the LORD your God will bless you in the land whither you go to possess it.
(N)KJV

Deut 32:45-47
45 And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel:
46 And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day, which you will command your children to observe to do, all the words of this law.
47 For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing you will prolong your days in the land, wherever you go over Jordan to possess it.
(N)KJV

Deut 28:1-13
28:1 And it will come to pass, if you will hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD your God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command you this day, that the LORD your God will set you on high above all nations of the earth:
2 And all these blessings will come on you, and overtake you, if you will hearken unto the voice of the LORD your God.
3 Blessed will you be in the city, and blessed will you be in the field.
4 Blessed will be the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your oxen, and the flocks of your sheep.
5 Blessed will be your basket and your store.
6 Blessed will you be when you come in, and blessed will you be when you go out.
7 The LORD will cause your enemies that rise up against you to be smitten before your face: they will come out against you one way, and flee before you seven ways.
8 The LORD will command the blessing upon you in your storehouses, and in all that you set your hand unto; and he will bless you in the land which the LORD your God gives you.
9 The LORD will establish you a holy people unto himself, as he has sworn unto you, if you will keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and walk in his ways.
10 And all people of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD; and they will be afraid of you.
11 And the LORD will make you plenteous in goods, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers to give you.
12 The LORD will open unto you his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto your land in his season, and to bless all the work of your hand: and you will lend unto many nations, and you will not borrow.
13 And the LORD will make you the head, and not the tail; and you will be above only, and you will not be beneath; if that you hearken unto the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day, to observe and to do them:
(N)KJV

If you would like to know more about the physics of the commandments of God, please read my article on “The Physics and Definition of Sin, Repentance and Forgiveness“.

They are also the purpose of life, what we are supposed to do.

Eccl 12:13-14
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and guard his commandments: for this is the purpose of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
(N)KJV

In Hebrew, purpose is ‘kol’ (כל) which is all, whole, everything, sum. Guard is ‘shomer’ (שמר) which is to keep, protect, guard with your every breath of life.

It is also said that the commandments are divided into moral, civil and ceremonial laws and only the moral and civil ones are to be obeyed. There is no such division in scripture. Morals, by its very definition, are agreed upon instructions of men, commandments are instructions of God. (I may explain this more later.)

Some say only the commandments that Jesus repeated in the New Testament need to be followed. I cannot comprehend how that makes any sense being Jesus is from the beginning with God as God who gave the commandments to begin with. If Jesus added to, took away from, changed, or did not obey any of the commandments in Torah, he would not have been sinless and could not have been the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the World (Deut 12:32, John 1:29, Luke 23:13-15).

The reason God ends Malachi 4 with, “Lest I smite the earth with a curse” is because of the physical repercussions of not obeying the commandments of God which are the instructions for life.

In life, we have two perspectives, God’s and men. When things are done that men cannot comprehend or understand, they attribute it to God or a god and often spiritualize it (hence why people think that scientific understanding somehow disproves God). Everything is made up of frequency (energy). (I hope I don’t lose you here). God spoke (frequency) everything into existence. It is the Word of God that holds everything together. Debar (דבר) is Hebrew for both ‘word’ and ‘thing’ (try and wrap the two concepts together in your head). P’al, (פעל) is Hebrew for ‘energy’ and is the base pronunciation for Hebrew verbs.

Evil, ra (רע) means to take something that was created for a purpose and destroy it. For example, you are mixing up bread in a bowl. In the process, someone takes it from you and throws it on the ground smashing it into a million pieces. The bowl and dough can no longer be used for anything.

When people sin, they are taking the things that God created and doing likewise. They are breaking it, smashing it, destroying it and making it of no use. Hence why the world is falling apart and there are earthquakes and floods and volcanoes and sickness and disease. Hence why, in the last days, these things will be commonplace. Hence why Jesus, when he returns, must restore the earth. This is why there is a curse. And this is why Israel, we, ended up in captivity. And this is why Elijah must come first to turn our hearts back to the fathers (which is happening today). And this is why it isn’t until we repent and return back to the commandments of God that He will restore us and gather us from all the nations (Deut. 30).

Again, I want to emphasize, obeying the commandments of God has nothing to do with salvation.

The next part may be difficult to read.  Take your time.