Faith and Love

Yet in all these things
We are more than conquerors 
Through Him 
Who love us.
For I am persuaded 
That neither death, nor life,
Nor angels nor principalities
Nor powers, nor things present
Nor things to come,
Nor height nor depth,
Nor any other created thing,
Shall be able to separate us
From the love of God
Which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 9:37-39

     I took a few days off from writing this blog to meditate upon our faith and how things might affect it both positively, and negatively.  The occasion was my nephew's (age 45) death.  Some people use Christianity in a manner that is not worthy of having that moniker.  It may be said, and is, that sorrow must not be evidenced too greatly in a Christian.  This is wrong, yes, as a Christian, and especially if the deceased has professed faith in Jesus Christ we have an assurance of seeing that person again.  But, we are human, and God has never taken our humanity away, we suffer loss, we miss the departed one, and that is life and must never be taken away.  Yet, we do not suffer as the world does, for our faith, while is tried at these times it is our faith, founded upon the authority of God, and our Savior Jesus Christ that we move forward in our walk with Him, fully trusting, and looking forward to that great reunion when Christ returns on the last day as He has promised.  As the opening Scriptures so aptly states: "Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord."

     It has been blogged previously in regards to love as the ground of faith, and that men believe that faith is founded on feeling.  Yet, we must ask; Is love a necessary and invariable element consequent to saving faith?  Now, this is true, men cannot see and believe a thing to be morally good without having feelings of approbation.  This is true when a person can see and believe the Glory of God as revealed in the Scriptures without having adoration or reverence in his soul.  Not one can believe that salvation was propitiated by Christ as the Son of God and the Son of Man and that He loved us and gave Himself for us, making us kings and priests unto God, without have love and devotion in proportion to his faith and strength of his faith filling the heart with love and controlling the life.  We can then with full assurance say that faith works by love and purifies the heart.  

     Here then is where things get a bit "sticky" as the Roman Catholic Church states that "faith is perfected or completed by love."  This is contrary to the usage of the Greek word translated as "completed" is the word for work and is always used in a middle sense. English does not have a middle voice and translated the Greek middle voice in the active voice. The middle voice used by the Greeks is that it is distinct from the Active, to show that the subject as doing something or getting something done in his own interest. Paul in Romans 7:4-6 shows that love without faith, or is antecedent to faith is impossible.  Until we believe, we are under the condemnation of the law.  If we are condemned until we believe, whether we are of the elect or not, we are enemies of God.  All that can be forensically given to one under this condemnation is death. Praise God!  For when God enables one and give the gift of faith to that person, and are reconciled to God, united in Christ, we then bring forth fruit unto God.  We believe that God loves us therefore, we love God.  We believe that Jesus Christ gave Himself as our propitiation for our sins and we devote our lives to Him.  Now we cannot believe until God enables us, and calls us to Himself, giving us the gift of faith, but when that act occurs and we believe all the above is granted to us and given by us.  In fact, we believe further, that this world is passing away, and that those things which are invisible are seen through faith and the authority of God, His Son, and by the power of the Holy Spirit.  We believe that, although unseen, Christ is at the right hand of God, making eternal intercession for all those God has given to Him. (John 17:9). 


     Now can be seen the connection between love and faith.  We are totally depraved, there is no good in us antecedent to our faith, our belief and that  faith and belief did not come by anything we did to earn it, it was a free gift given to us by the Providence of God for His purpose.  We are chosen by God, love certainly comes and is insisted upon by the love of God for all that He has done for His people.  


God was manifested in the 
     Flesh,
Justified in the S;pirit,
Seen by Anges,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory.
                       Hebrews 3:16b.


In Christ


Richard L. Crumb