THE THREE DIVINE PRINCIPLES THAT GOVERN THE KINGDOM OF GOD

The Kingdom of God is that realm of life governed, first and foremost, by divine principles.

The first is faith.

The second is hope.

The third is love.

These three are the foundational principles that regulate life in the Kingdom of God. Although the world also speaks of faith, hope, and love, there is a profound difference between what comes from man and what comes from God.

In the world's system, everything revolves around human faith, human hope, and human love. Human faith has produced remarkable achievements throughout history. Human hope has inspired countless ambitions. Human love, however, is fundamentally rooted in self-interest.

Human love is centred on self. It asks, "What benefits me?" That is why a man may be willing to destroy others just to protect himself and his family. He may not care what becomes of everyone else, so long as he survives and those on his side are safe. Such love is limited because it originates from human nature.

But when we speak of the Kingdom of God, we are speaking about divine faith, divine hope, and divine love. Every principle that governs God's Kingdom proceeds from God Himself. Therefore, God's faith is different from human faith. God's hope is different from human hope. God's love is altogether different from human love.

1. FAITH — THE PRINCIPLE FOR NOW

Faith is always for today.

Faith is expressed in the present. It is never postponed to another time. Faith functions in the now. It takes hold of God's Word and acts upon it immediately.

Faith is always now.

2. HOPE — THE PRINCIPLE OF THE FUTURE

Hope always looks ahead.

Hope is for tomorrow. It is the confident expectation of what lies ahead. Every human being must believe in the future. That is why you go home today expecting to return to work tomorrow. You make plans for tomorrow because hope is already at work within you.

Planning, expectation, anticipation, and confidence about tomorrow all rest upon the divine principle of hope.

Faith operates in the present.

Hope reaches into the future.

3. LOVE — THE WAY OF LIFE

Love is the way of life.

It governs how you live every day. It determines your relationship with God, your attitude toward other people, your response to humanity, your treatment of creation, and even how you relate to your environment.

Love is not merely an emotion. It is the divine principle that governs the believer's conduct. It is the atmosphere in which the Kingdom of God functions.

When Jesus came preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, He was introducing mankind to an entirely different order of life—a Kingdom governed, not by human wisdom or human nature, but by divine principles.

In that Kingdom, faith is always for now, hope is always for the future, and love is the very way of life.