Is love the greatest?

Thepfulhouvi Solo [dropcap]S[/dropcap]tudents of Theology and Church Workers speak of Love in terms of action of Agape, Folios and of Eros, but as a Layman, I am using the word Love here in the sense of a Noun commonly understood among layman in the Street. I know Love is Blind and I know Love is Universal. As a layman, I also know Love is great; but honestly: ‘Is Love the Greatest compared to Hope and Faith?’ Paul’s description of Love in First Corinthians 13: 13 is perhaps the most beautiful in the English language and he finally said:“And now these three remains –faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is Love”. Jesus simply said in John. 15: 13: “Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends” It was the extraordinary experiences on the Road to Damascus that stirred the Rational sense in Saul to integrated all his vast knowledge of the Scripture into one realization that JESUS actually is the CHRIST initially he never in his wildest imagination believed. Rational thoughts sometimes may lead Man to Atheism; but the Scripture words stirs the rational sense in man and woman to God also. Stirred with the spiritual words of Jesus, the Samaritan woman at the Well at Sychar said: “Sir, I can see that you are a Prophet. I know that Messiah is coming”. This is like saying that she believed in the coming of the Messiah. and when Jesus said: “I who speaks to you am he”. The Woman, surprised as never before, immediately left her Water Jar in the Well and became the first woman Missionary for Jesus to her Villagers. It is the rational sense in Man that enables to perceive Jesus as the Christ and this perception becomes Faith. Paul became blind and only when he became blind did he saw Jesus as the Christ. It is Faith first that lead to Jesus as Christ. Paul initially met Jesus not in Love but in wondering Faith in the aftermath of an extra ordinary experience in the Damascus Road that he perceived Jesus Christ. The incident so profoundly touched his highly educated rational Mind that he immediately went to Arabia instead of to Jerusalem, to meditate quietly for 4 years, during which he must have prayed and fasted deeply and returned completely changed with conviction to Damascus. “I did not consult any man, nor did I go to Jerusalem to see those who were Apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus, then after 3 years I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him for 15 days. I saw none of the other apostles only James (Jacob) the Lord’s brother”, wrote Paul to the Galatians when some there disputed Paul is not an Apostle of Jesus Christ. Gal. 1:16-19. Paul found Christ Jesus through his animosity rather than with his Love of Jesus. He found Jesus the Christ with his highly educated and trained Rational Mind. He found Christ by God’s Grace for him than for his love of Jesus. A Domestic Animal may love its Master very much but it has no rational thinking to realize God. I greatly admire and believe Paul’s Teachings on Love but honestly I am not sure Love is the greatest among these three -FAITH, HOPE and LOVE. Love needs to be defined otherwise love of the World is decried in the Scripture; Love of Money is said to be the root of all Evils but love of your enemy and love of your neighbor is extolled in the Gospel of Jesus. Love is found in every people, it is Universal among every People, every Races and every Religion. Love is found in Atheist, Agnostics and people who do not believe in any God. Extraordinary Love was in the Widow and her son of Shunam outside the Jewish community. they gave all the remaining food they had to an unknown foreigner wandering old man that appeared at their place in the depth of a 3 year Famine in the land; love was with Elisha who released captured Syrian soldiers after feeding them, and Love was with Emperor Darius who not only freed all the Jews from slavery in his Empire but also protected them in their returned land and gave all possible help to them to start their life again in Judea. In simple word: Love needs to be based on Principle for the good of man. Love is a condition of the Heart; Faith is the condition of the Spirit. The Love of God for Man is very great but Love among Man is junior to Faith in God. Abraham gave One-Tenth of his earnings to an unknown Melchizedech, Priest of Salem not out of Love for the Priest but out of faith in their common God, most High. The American Missionaries came to the land of the Nagas leaving their land of plenty, comfort and wealth because of their Faith firstly in their God and then for their love for unknown wild savages living in the jungle on the fringes of civilization. God came to Man not because of his faith in Man but because of his love for Man. In Man, Love is a greatest test of Christianity but Faith in God transcends the relationship between Man and Man. The relationship between God and Abraham was not based on Abraham’s love of God but for his Faith in God. Human History is full of great Man of Love and Great Man of Faith, and great Man of Faith more than great Man of Love shaped the destiny of Mankind. Paul’s statement on Love is very great but Atheist, Agnostics and people who donot believe in God also show great Reverence for Life. Jesus’ statement that: “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends”. And Faith in God precedes Love in my view.