Love: A Work of Faith

... love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven,... (Matthew 5:43-45)

Faith without works is dead, but love in action is a work of faith. Faith energizes us unto good works and these mature us to be more like Jesus.* This for me has been one of the most difficult challenges to my faith and maturity; loving my enemies, those who persecute me, do me wrong and unjustly. As we mature though the surpassing love of Jesus compels us into obedience.

what good my brethren if someone claims to have faith but has no works, powerful to save him? If a brother or sister is in need... but you do not give them what their body needs what good is that? In the same way faith works without is dead... (James 2:13-17)

Obviously, works by themselves without faith is dead. Serving one another in love begins within the church. This is why Jesus said we would be known as his disciples by our love for one another. If the brother or sister in your church is in need and you do nothing, your faith is dead. So let us first start within the church to practice faith with works of love. Putting into action out faith through love works to mature us to be like Jesus.

but God rich in mercy through his great love which he loved us made us alive with Christ, by grace saved... to demonstrate in the ages, that coming the incomparable riches of his grace in loving-kindness to us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:5-7)

This is why God made us alive in Christ, thus why he sent Jesus, to manifest his great love for us. He made us alive by grace through faith, thus we are his workmanship which God prepared in advance for us to walk in. What God prepared in advance in Christ and was kept hidden until this age is that God chose us, before he created the world, to be holy, predestined us for adoption through the Spirit to be his own, like him. His eternal purpose in Christ and fulfilled through the church is so we are being conform the image of his son.

... so that you may have strength to according receive with all the saints... to know the surpassing love of Christ so to be filled to the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:18-19)

I write a lot about love, and it is good to always remind of the importance of agape love. First we need a firm foundation so we have strength to lay hold of a surpassing love and power so to grow into the maturity in Christ (Ephesians 3:13-21). This love surpasses affliction, persecution, injustice... it endures, in this life as we know we are loved as God's children and are not citizens of this world. Thus when our identity and mind is focused heavenly the things of this world become weak and we become strong in Christ.

in this we know because we love the children of God, whenever we love God and obey his precepts. For this is the love of God so that we keep his precepts (1 John 5:2-4)

Jesus commanded us to love one another. How can we say we love God and want to spread the gospel to the world but not love the children of God? Obedience comes from a proper foundation and growth into maturity, knowing the surpassing love of Christ and being filled to the fullness of God, In this verse there is a circular truth. If we are filled to his fullness and love God then we obey him which comes back around to the command that we love his children. True obedience is a fervent love for God and one another.

We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, as is fitting, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of each one of you for one another is increasing, (2 Thessalonians 1:3

When we can obey God's precepts like loving our enemies and those who persecute us, our faith is active through works and love has been matured among us. A sign of our maturity and obedience is that our faith is active in works of love. Any one can do good works, there are many non-Christian based charitable organizations that do. Mature faith in action is energized by love, this is a light unto the world, and how our good works glorify our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).

Exists no fear in love but maturing love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment so the one in fear is not matured in love (1 John 4:18)

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