Love Is Greater Than Faith
Scripture: Matthew 24:12; First Corinthians 13; Hebrews 11:6
I had a conversation with someone several weeks ago about the things happening in the world. We discussed the attitudes that are prevalent in the United States; attitudes of hate by those who truly believe they are Christians. You see, there are people who believe that because they are Christians they can berate, hate and mistreat others who are not Christians or profess a different religious world view and they even treat other Christians who do not hold their beliefs this way. Then there are those who believe that because the United States is supposed to be a Christian nation, Christians should rule the government and everyone should be forced to a Christian way of life. Although the founding fathers identified themselves as predominately Christian, the U.S. was established with the idea of religious freedom – worshiping God or not worshiping God was an individual choice. A person was not vilified if they chose to believe something different from Christianity. Sadly, that is not the case today in the United States. We are quickly becoming the reason why people choose not to serve Christ as their personal Savior and, that my friend, is a problem. When some Christians demonstrate more hate than love because of a skewed understanding of “faith” in Christ and belief that it empowers them to act this way, it undermines the message of the gospel, which is what truly separates Christianity from other religions and empowers us to bring people to Christ. The title of my message this morning is “Love is Greater Than Faith.”
If you do an internet search of the history of the “Faith” movement in the United States, you will find articles discussing the faith movement and those who started it. The articles predominately talk about the “Faith” movement as being separate from the traditional Church establishment. However, if you do an internet search on the “love” movement in the United States, the first article that pops up is about the Free Love movement which is a social movement that accepts all forms of love. It seeks complete freedom from state and church interference in personal relationships. Every article on the first page of my search dealt with the free love movement. The only mention of the Church was the negative view that the Church has on the practice of free love. Why am I telling you this? The Bible makes it clear that love is more important than faith in our relationship with Christ and today it seems to be the one virtue that is not on display in the lives of many Christians. New Light, do you remember the very first thing Jesus said about His Father? Let me refresh your memory. In the first part of John 3:16 Jesus says of His Father, “For God so loved …” Loving people the way our Father loves people should be the one thing that distinguishes us from those who don’t know God. However, today hate seems to be the rule of the day, especially from Christians who are in disagreement with the beliefs of someone else, including other Christians. This further proves what Jesus said in Matthew 24:12. He said, “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12) We know from Matthew 4:17 that Jesus preached the kingdom of God and, when He did, He spoke prophetically about the Church – about us. We are living in the days when we believe our faith in God is more important than our love for Him (as demonstrated in how we treat others.) This morning I want you to know with certainty that our love is greater than our faith and it is love that empowers our faith. If we do not have love as the foundation for which we are in Christ, then we really do not have a foundation at all.
Turn with me to First Corinthians chapter thirteen. First Corinthians chapter thirteen is known as the love chapter in the Bible. In this chapter Paul stresses that nothing is more important than love. We will not read the whole chapter, but I want to pull out a few verses that contrast faith with love. The latter part of First Corinthians 13:2 says, “…..and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing.” We know that it requires faith for us to please God. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Faith is important to pleasing God because in order for us to even believe that He exists requires faith. But once we know He exists, and once we know that He is love, and once we accept His Son as our personal Savior by faith because He died for us, because He loved us, then we shift. You see, our faith was the initiator of our love. Our faith opened the door to for us to be able to love like God loves. And once we accepted that love by faith, then love begins to empower our faith. However, for some Christians, they do not move beyond their initial faith to receive Christ to faith empowered by love. For them faith becomes the end all. So they walk in faith, perform miracles in faith, and do wonderful things, all in faith but it means nothing because they never shifted to a life of love. Paul said, “…..and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing.” But he did not stop there.
Paul went on to describe what love was. He said, “4) Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5) does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6) does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8) Love never fails…..” (First Corinthians 13:4-8) You have heard many messages about love and I am sure that all of us believe that we have a handle on it. But let’s look at what Paul said. Love is patient, “it’s able to endure waiting, delays, or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset.” Does this sound like what we are seeing exhibited in the Church today? He said love is kind, “it has a generous warm compassionate nature.” Are we seeing this exhibited in the Church today? He said love is not jealous, “it does not feel bitter and unhappy because of another’s advantages, possessions, or perceived blessings.” Again, are we seeing this attitude exhibited in the Church today? He said that love doesn’t brag, is not arrogant, acts unbecomingly, seek its own, not provoked or take into account a wrong suffered. Does this sound like what we are seeing in the Church today? Finally he said that love does not rejoice in unrighteousness (sin) but in the truth. He said that love, “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8) Love never fails….” Simply put, love takes pleasure in the things that pleases God. God is love and God always was and always will be. Therefore, love always existed and it likewise always will! Paul closes the chapter with these words reminding us of what he said in verse eight, “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (First Corinthians 13:13) Paul said that faith, hope and love will abide, but the greatest of these is love. Faith and hope are vital to our lives as Christians. As I said before, faith is what pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). And hope is what gets us through life in what seems to be a hopeless world. But love is what fuels our faith. We have faith in Jesus because we love Him. And love is what gives us hope. We know that one day we will see Him face to face - the One we love. Now turn with me to Galatians chapter five.
Galatians 5:6 says, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.” Paul wrote to the Galatians that faith working through love is what is important to Christ. Let’s take a minute and think about the words “working through.” The Greek word translated as “working” in this verse is “energeo” which means “brought about by.” The Greek word for “through” in this verse is “agkalizomai” and it means “to embrace; to take into one’s arms.” When we understand these two definitions a new picture of what Paul was telling us begins to unfold. He was telling us that faith is brought about by, as if carried in ones arms, love. In other words, our faith is activated and supported by love. Put another way: faith follows after love. The Amplified Bible translates this verse this way, “For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love.” (Galatians 5:6)
Paul told us that faith demonstrates its existence by love to God, and benevolence to men. It is not just an intellectual belief but one which comes from the heart and controls our action. It is not a dead faith; but it is a faith which is operative, and which is seen in Christian kindness and affection. Remember what James said? He wrote, “14) What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 17) Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” (James 2:14, 17) James wrote that if we have faith we should have works which demonstrates our faith. Now listen to what John said in First John chapter three: “17) But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18) Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.” (First John 3:17-18) Both James and John confirmed what Paul wrote to the Galatians that faith is activated and supported by love. They stressed that true faith is that which is seen in compassion, in love to God, in love to all who bear the Christian name; in a readiness to do good to all mankind. I want you to think about the number of times we read in the gospels where Jesus was moved with compassion. This is what I am talking about that seems to be missing in the Church today.
Now, I have stated that love is greater than faith. I shared with you what was written in First Corinthians chapter thirteen about love and how Paul stressed to the Galatians that love is what activates faith. And we saw what James and John wrote about faith being put to action as evidence by our love for God and our fellowman. Now turn with me to First Timothy as I want you to notice something else that Paul wrote to Timothy. In First Timothy 1:5 Paul writes, “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” First and foremost Paul told Timothy that the goal of godly instruction was love from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith. Love which is genuine must proceed from a holy heart – a heart in line with God’s heart. The idea behind a good conscience is a conscience free from guilt. You see, there can be no genuine love of God where the conscience is constantly being violated because we know we are continually doing wrong. If we wish to have the evidence of love to God, we must keep a good conscience by keeping His commandments. Finally he said with a sincere faith, and this one is important. Faith is simply confidence in God. Faith is simply taking God at His Word. All true love of God is based on confidence in Him. How can anyone have love for someone they have absolutely no confidence in? Can we exercise true love to a professed friend in whom we have no confidence? So once again faith requires an element of love in order to do what it does. Hebrews chapter eleven bears this out. This chapter is often called the “hall of faith.” The very first verse says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) The Amplified Bible translates it this way, “Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things (we) hope for, being the proof of things (we) do not see and the conviction of their reality (faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses). Our faith in God is simply our confessed conviction that we believe Him. This conviction and trust in Him is based purely on our love for Him. When you read the rest of this chapter you see where people did miraculous things by faith in God. They loved God and they demonstrated it by the things they did. Love strengthens and powers our faith. Turn with me to First John chapter four. We will begin reading at verse 7.
“7) Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8) The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9) By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10) In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11) Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (First John 4:7-11) If we are of love, then and only then, have we been born again! The person who chooses not to love does not know God, no matter how popular they are in our society. Also, the Bible never says that God is faith or hope even though He is the object of our faith and hope. Love, however, is as necessary to God as blood is to a living being for He is love! Love is not a characteristic of God. Love is who God is! So, in this sense, love is greater than faith and hope. When we are standing in His presence in heaven faith will cease because it will be fulfilled. Likewise the same will be with hope. But what will be present when we are in His presence is absolute, unfiltered love. Therefore, while we are on this earth, our relationship with God is defined by the love we share, not our faith. This was proven by Jesus when He said, “34) A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35) By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35) It is only our love that proves to others that we are disciples of Christ. It’s not our faith; it’s not our preaching; it’s not our teaching! It’s the love that we have for one another. Again, love is greater than faith.
John wrote in First John chapter five the following, “1) Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him. 2) By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments. 3) For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome. 4) For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.” (First John 5:1-4) John says that faith is our victory that overcomes the world. Faith in Who? Faith in Jesus Christ! And how do we know we have faith in Jesus Christ? We know because of love. John said whoever loves God love His Son. And we know that we are the children of God when we love Him and obey His commandments, which the primary one is to love! This is the glue that hold everything together and it’s that love that allows us to be born again which gives us the victory over the things of this world!
We live in a world where people are proud of their faith. They confess their belief in God and their faith that He is operating in their lives. We see many people on TV espousing their belief in God and His ordinances while at the same time not demonstrating any love that defines that relationship. As I close this morning I want to speak to your hearts. People say all the time that “God knows my heart.” and I tell you that it’s true that He does. Because God knows our hearts He knows if we truly belong to Him. He knows if we truly know Him. He knows if we have truly accepted His Son as our Lord and Savior. He knows because He knows if His love is abiding within us and being shared with others, especially those whose lives or beliefs or politics we disagree with. Jesus said “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44) Love those who do not love you back! Are you doing this? Are you standing in the gap for people who hate you and those you do not believe are worthy of your time and prayers?
Love is Who God is. It’s Who Jesus is. It’s Who the Holy Spirit is. We are surrounded by love and if we have accepted Christ as our personal Savior, then we are filled with love. Faith gets us started, but once that light is lit, then that flame is powered and maintained by love. Remember John 3:16 tells us that God loved us first and sent Jesus to die on a cross so that He could redeem us back to Himself. New Light, I know you have faith, but do you have love? If you do, then your love is greater than your faith! If you do not have love then I hope you understand that you also lack faith. Your hate diminishes your faith while your love increases it.
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
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