Faith working through love

"The only thing that counts is faith working through love." Galatians 5:6

 Faith

The essence of living the Kingdom life as a follower of Jesus Christ is "faith working through love." Faith is the conviction that God exists and that He rewards those who seek Him (see Hebrew 11:1,6). However, faith without action is dead (James 2:26). True conviction or faith is always accompanied by action for without action a conviction is only an opinion. True faith looks like something and that something is love.

The believer's faith is demonstrated in three essential ways - love for God's presence, love for His people and love for His salvation purposes. Every disciple of Christ will demonstrate all three aspects of this love that the apostle Paul is addressing. All three loves look like something!

Love God's Presence

Those who love God's presence by faith, seek His face. They spend time in His presence in prayer, worship and reading the Bible. They are devoted to having fellowship with God and seek to grow in their knowledge and experience of Him. This agape love is an unconditional commitment to God that is not dependent on feelings, circumstances or knowledge. It is a simple child-like trust in God that learns to enjoy His presence. The very presence of God becomes the disciple's greatest reward (see Gen. 15:1). As believers grow in their love for God, they grow in their love for what is on God's heart. "We love because he first loved us" 1 John 4:19. Love for God is therefore expressed in the believer's love for what God loves. 

Love God's People

God's people are those who belong to Him through faith in Jesus Christ (see Eph. 2:11-22). Loving God's people is expressed by a life devoted to serving the Body of Christ. In the letter to the Hebrews we read, "God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them" (Heb. 6:10). Love for the Church is demonstrated very practically. Believers who love the Church are devoted to the local church and the greater Church by spending time with other believers and seeking to help others grow in their relationship with God and supporting any physical needs others may have. The early Church demonstrated this agape love as they shared their lives and their possessions with one another and were committed to fellowshipping with one another (see Acts 2:42-47). 

Love God's Purposes

Those who through faith in Jesus Christ become members of His Body, the Church, are created in Christ to do good works (Eph. 2:10). The believer is therefore included in Christ for a purpose - God's salvation purposes - God's passion to see everyone reconciled to Him. Just as Jesus fulfilled the Father's purposes to seek and save the lost, so the Body of Christ is called to love the lost and seek to reconcile them to the Father's love. Those who have genuine faith will love God's purposes and seek to share the love of God with those who are separated from God.

Faith is therefore expressed through love for God's presence, God's people and God's salvation purposes. All three loves are the manifestation of true faith that is seen in the believer's actions as s/he reponds to God, to the Church and to the lost.