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Opinion, Out and About

Out and About

| Sandi Kemp
As far back as I can remember, I have always loved Valentine’s Day. I send my children gifts on Valentine’s, where they use to be waiting for them at the breakfast table. I give gifts to my team members at the office, one year I gave them all dinner and a movie. This year, spoiler alert to whomever is proofing my column, I have a few options, and I’m not saying.  Ha ha.  I guess I’ve always loved love. And, I’m not talking about romantic love…I’m talking about the best love of all – Agape or Phileo LOVE…but I’m not going to get into the Greek words – right now.

I’m sure if you have read my column on any regular basis, you would know that I’m a fan of the Bible for many reasons. It addresses love at least 310 times. There is a verse, 1 Corinthians 13:13 that says, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” I thought about why the greatest of “these” is love. Just for fun, I asked ChatGPT the following: “Faith, Hope and Love, but the greatest of these is love. Why?” Apparently, no one has turned Chat GPT’s Bible off yet and I had not told ChatGPT I wanted an answer straight out of the bible. It gave me a 5-point sermon. (Side note, I’m going to start checking my pastor’s sermons for AI) This is what ChatGPT (Artificial Intelligence) has to say about my question.

The reason love is the greatest comes down to its eternal nature and its central role in God’s character and our relationship with Him and others.

  1. Love is Eternal, While Faith and Hope are Temporary
  • Faith is believing in what we do not yet see (Hebrews 11:1). But when we are in God’s presence, we will no longer need faith because we will see Him face to face.
  • Hope is our confident expectation of what is to come. But once we receive eternal life and stand before God, hope will be fulfilled and no longer needed.
  • Love, however, continues forever. God is love (1 John 4:8), and love will remain in heaven and in eternity.
  1. Love is the Essence of God’s Nature
  • The Bible doesn’t say “God is faith” or “God is hope,” but it does say “God is love” (1 John 4:8).
  • Love is the foundation of everything God does—His creation, salvation, and relationship with us.
  1. Love is the Greatest Commandment
  • Jesus taught that the two greatest commandments are to love God and love others (Matthew 22:36-40).
  • Everything else—faith, hope, obedience—flows out of love.
  1. Love is the Ultimate Expression of Christ’s Sacrifice
  • Jesus’ death on the cross was the greatest demonstration of love (John 15:13).
  • Faith and hope lead us to salvation, but love is what motivated God to save us in the first place (John 3:16).
  1. Love is the Mark of a True Christian
  • Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)
  • Faith and hope are internal, but love is outward—it is how we show Christ to the world.

Conclusion: Love is the Greatest

While faith and hope are crucial in this life, love surpasses them because it is the very nature of God, the fulfillment of His commands, and the eternal bond between Him and His people. Love is the reason for creation, salvation, and eternal life. That’s why love is the greatest of all. 💙

And ChatGPT – put in a “blue heart.” I’m going have to see what a blue heart means in machine language.  I’d have to say, I couldn’t have done better myself – and the above is much better than what I had time for – that is for sure.

Quote of the Week: “All you need is Love” John Lennon (1940-1980) A song by John Lennon which could have also been titled “All you need is God” but then the lyrics wouldn’t have worked. Most of them would but the part that goes, “She loves you – yeah yeah yeah” needs to be changed to He loves you…and then, it might just work.

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