The best-known verse is 1 Corinthians 13:13: "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." In the KJV, charity means love. Paul also thanks God for the "work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope" (1 Thessalonians 1:3), and Hebrews 11:1 says "faith is the substance of things hoped for."
Faith, hope, and love appear together again and again in the New Testament, almost like a three-strand cord. Faith trusts what God has said, hope looks forward to what He has promised, and love is how that faith and hope show up in a life. These twelve King James verses cover the three together, faith and hope side by side, and why the greatest of these is love. One note on wording: where modern Bibles say love in 1 Corinthians 13, the King James Version says charity, from the Latin caritas, meaning self-giving love, not merely giving to the poor.
Faith, hope and charity together
1. 1 Corinthians 13:13
"And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."
The verse that names all three. Gifts like tongues and prophecy will pass away, but faith, hope, and charity abide. Love is greatest because faith will one day become sight and hope will be fulfilled, but love goes on forever.
2. 1 Thessalonians 1:3
"Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;"
Paul remembers the Thessalonians' work of faith, labour of love, and patience of hope. Each virtue produces something: faith works, love labours, and hope endures.
3. 1 Thessalonians 5:8
"But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation."
Faith and love are a breastplate guarding the heart, and the hope of salvation is a helmet guarding the mind. The three are not soft feelings but armor for daily life.
4. Colossians 1:4-5
"Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;"
Faith in Christ Jesus and love for all the saints both grow from the hope laid up in heaven. When your hope is secure, you are free to trust God and to love people generously.
Faith and hope
5. Hebrews 11:1
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith and hope are bound together here: hope looks ahead to God's promise, and faith treats that promise as real today.
6. Romans 15:13
"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost."
Paul calls God the God of hope and prays that believers would be filled with joy and peace in believing, so that they abound in hope. Faith is the doorway, and hope overflows by the Holy Ghost.
7. 1 Peter 1:21
"Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God."
Because God raised Jesus from the dead, our faith and hope might be in God. Christian hope is not wishful thinking; it rests on the empty tomb.
8. Hebrews 6:19
"Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;"
Hope is an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast. An anchor does not stop the storm, but it keeps the ship from drifting.
The greatest of these is love
9. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."
The famous love chapter describes charity in action: patient, kind, not envious or proud, not easily provoked. Notice that love believeth all things and hopeth all things; love keeps faith and hope alive in relationships.
10. Galatians 5:6
"For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love."
What matters in Christ is faith which worketh by love. Faith is not proven by religious markers but by love. Our faith without works page explores this further.
11. Romans 5:5
"And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."
Hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. Our hope will not disappoint us because it is rooted in God's love already poured into us.
12. 1 John 4:16
"And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."
God is love. Our love is a response to His: we have known and believed the love God has for us. Faith receives His love, hope rests in it, and love passes it on.
A short prayer
Father, grow faith, hope, and love in me. Help me trust what You have said, hope in what You have promised, and love the people You have put in my life. Anchor my soul in Your love today. In Jesus' name, amen.
Go deeper: a SOAP study prompt
Pick one verse above and write: - Scripture: copy the verse by hand. - Observation: what does it say? Who is speaking, to whom? - Application: what does it mean for you today? - Prayer: turn it into a two-line prayer.
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Frequently asked questions
Where in the Bible does it say faith, hope and love?
1 Corinthians 13:13: "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity." The three also appear together in 1 Thessalonians 1:3, 1 Thessalonians 5:8 and Colossians 1:4-5.
Why is love the greatest of faith, hope and love?
Faith and hope are needed now, but one day faith will become sight and hope will be fulfilled. Love never ends, because "God is love" (1 John 4:16). Love is also what faith produces: "faith which worketh by love" (Galatians 5:6).
Why does the KJV say charity instead of love?
The 1611 translators used charity, from the Latin caritas, for the Greek agape, the self-giving love of God. Today charity usually means donations, so modern versions say love, but the meaning is the same.
What is the difference between faith and hope?
Hope looks forward to what God has promised; faith trusts Him and treats that promise as real now. Hebrews 11:1 joins them: faith is "the substance of things hoped for."
Sources: All Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), public domain in the United States. References were checked against the KJV text from bible-api.com.
Related: Bible verses about faith · Bible verses about hope · Bible verses about love · Bible verses about God's love · Bible verses about the fruit of the Spirit · Bible verses for weddings
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