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Faith and Love Go Hand in Hand
By : David Campbell
I wonder if it has ever struck you in reading the New Testament and how often faith and love are mentioned in the same breath. Again and again, you find that where the one is the other is as well. Let me give you some examples.
In one place, Paul declares that ‘we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers . . . because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing’ (2 Thess. 1:3). Writing to Philemon, the same apostle gives thanks to God ‘because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have towards the Lord Jesus’ (verse 5). Similarly, in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul gives thanks ‘because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints’ (Eph. 1:15). He uses almost identical language in his letter to the Colossians: ‘We always thank God . . . when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints’ (Col. 1:3-4). Heaven-born faith and heaven-born love evidently go hand in hand. The one is always present with the other.
How do we explain this invariable companionship? Why is the believer always a loving believer? A number of distinct yet complementary answers can be given. They illustrate, individually and together, something of the greatness of the salvation with which we have been blessed if we are Christians.
We begin with the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. The new birth originates with the Holy Spirit. He comes to us in our spiritual deadness and breathes new life into us. The result? Both faith and love. On the one hand, regeneration produces faith. It is because the Spirit comes to us in life-giving power at the outset of the Christian life that we are able to believe in Christ. And it is to the Spirit, too, that we trace Christian love. For love is the first-mentioned fruit of the Spirit’s presence and work (Gal. 5:22). When faith and love exist together, it is proof that we have truly been born again.
We may relate the two – faith and love – to union with Christ as well. Faith unites us to Christ. When we believe in him, we come to be mysteriously and wonderfully joined to him. There is an inflowing of Christ’s own life into ours. It is his life in us that gives us loving hearts for our fellow Christians. For Christ loves his people. Those, therefore, who are in him and sharers of his life are certain to be loving too. Just like him.