Looking at the final passage that makes mention of the trio of faith, hope, and love we find how having faith and hope in God leads us to sincerely love our brethren.
“[Christ] indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which abides forever…” (1 Peter 1:20-23 NKJV)
Our Faith and Hope Are in God
Jesus came to preach
and teach people about the kingdom of God. He told people of His Father and the
promise of eternal life that God the Father holds out to those who hear, believe,
and obey (1 Timothy 2:4, Hebrews 11:6,
John 3:16-17, 1 John 5:13).
Jesus was not gathering followers to Himself, but to His Father (consider John 12:49-50). We are to conform ourselves to Jesus’ image (Romans 8:29) – His obedience and faithfulness, His efforts to tell others of God the Father, His love for all people, etc. – because He was/is the only perfect example that will, when we conform to Him, lead us home to God (1 John 1:6, John 14:6).
Side note: God gave those who answered His call (God calls us through the gospel, 1 Thessalonians 2:13-14) and obeyed His commands (Mark 16:15-16) to Christ, whom He made head over the church, which is Christ’s body (John 17:6-26, Ephesians 1:1:22-23, 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 18, and 27). We become member of Christ’s body/church when we hear, believe, repent, confess, and are baptized.
God raised Jesus from the dead and gave Him glory so that our faith and hope are in Him. Jesus was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:1-3). If we faithfully follow Jesus’ example of wholly trusting God throughout our lifetime, we too, can have hope of being resurrected in the Last Day (read and think on 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
Having Faith and Hope in God Leads Us to Love Our Brethren
Read and think on 1 John 4:20-5:5 – if we love God, we will love our brother also. If we believe that Jesus is the Christ we are born of God (He “begot” us), so if we love Him who begot us, we will love those who are also begotten of Him – our brothers and sisters in Christ!
“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.” (1 John 5:2 NKJV)
What better love could we have and show for our brethren than by remaining faithful to God, consistently learning and growing through study and application of His word (1 Timothy 4:12-16), through good times and bad. Our love for, and obedience to, God will have us serving others humbly, always looking out for another’s best interests (agape), and developing patience (longsuffering) as we help others come to know the good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2).
Jesus loved His brethren because His faith and hope were in God the Father, we, in following His example, can do the same! Strengthen your faith in God, anchor your hope in Him, and fervently love your brethren with a sincere and pure heart (1 Peter 1:22, 2 Timothy 2:22)!
You can do it! So can I!!
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