Is hope a virtue

Answer 1

12We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us! 13But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. 1 Corinthians 13 verses 12 - 13 (Message Translation). So although love is the greatest virtue, 'hope' is in the top three along with faith in God. 'Hope' is one of the charactereistics that should mark out a true Christian from others. A Christian has the hope not only of their own personal future but also of a completely renewed earth with all of the evil removed. This is a very great hope and should inspire Christains to work tirelessly on the current Earth to love people in a practical sense and to thereby increase God's Kingdom. They should not fear earthly problems as they are connected to a more powerful and eternal heavenly realm. They should not be miserable grumpy religious or moralist zealots. Such people have no love, probably no hope and very little faith and do not represent Christainity correctly.