What Are the Greatest Divine Virtues or Gifts?

The Apostle Paul provides a comprehensive answer to this question, saying:
"And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13)

In the previous section, we discussed the first of these—faith—as one of the prerequisites for salvation. Below, to continue the chain of salvation’s prerequisites, we will focus on the next virtue mentioned above: hope.

What Is Hope?

True and genuine hope is a divine gift (2 Thessalonians 2:15) that also takes shape and strengthens through personal experience:
"Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." (Romans 5:3-4)

As the great teacher St. Gregory of Tatev (14th century) expressed it:
"Hope is the firm expectation of future blessings, which arises from God’s grace and good deeds."

Among the three aforementioned virtues, hope is the only one directed toward the future, as Scripture says:
"For who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." (Romans 8:24-25)

Who Is the Center of a Christian’s Hope?

Only the Almighty God. As Catholicos Karekin I stated:
"We place our hope in what aligns with God's will and supreme goodness."

The Holy Scriptures clearly affirm this truth:
"I put my hope in You, O Lord, and You will hear me, O my God." (Psalm 37:16)

It is important to note that this testimony applies both to the Father and the Son, once again emphasizing the truth of the Most Holy Trinity and the One God. In another Psalm, we read:
"You are my helper and my Savior; I have put my hope in Your Word." (Psalm 118:114)

And who is the Word of God, if not the Only Begotten Son of the Father? (John 1:1)

When we recognize this truth, we see the unity between the Psalmist’s and Apostle Paul’s thoughts, as the latter calls Jesus Christ the hope of all Christians (1 Timothy 1:1).

Indeed, the Almighty God—and not the material world—must be the foundation of our hope, for only the hope placed in God "does not put us to shame." (Romans 5:5)

With a deep understanding of this truth, our ancestors endured countless trials, remaining steadfast in their faith.

Hayk Madoyan
To be continued…