The Greatest: Virtue
And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13
Recommended Reading: 1 Corinthians 13
Every religious and philosophical tradition—both ancient and modern—has a set of virtues it promotes. The list might be formal or informal, but the qualities of life enumerated represent the best of what the tradition promotes to its followers.
The closest Christianity comes to a list of virtues is Paul’s list of the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Christian virtues are distinguished from other lists of virtues by their source: the Holy Spirit as opposed to the human ideas and efforts of man. A shorter list of virtues is found in 1 Corinthians 13:13: faith, hope, and love. Paul makes the point that the greatest of these virtues is love, which he also named first in the list of the fruit of the Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 13:1-3, Paul explains that no noble or spiritual act—spiritual power, great faith, sacrificial generosity—is worthwhile if love is missing. That is consistent with 1 John 4:8, 16: “God is love.”
Since love is the greatest virtue, ask God to fill you with His love in all that you do today.
Every virtue known to man is found in Jesus.
Michael Green
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