Faith’s Expression

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Galatians 5:6

In youthful naïveté we may have believed many things were helpful that were in reality wasted effort. Like the boy who believed the secret to a good baseball pitch was to hold his tongue a certain way, or the girl who would close her eyes and count to twenty to get rid of the “monsters” under her bed. We also have the unfortunate habit of holding on to religious rituals superstitiously, thinking, for example, that if we go to the church during religious holidays we will have better health and more wealth in the future. All of this is, of course, nonsense.

Paul addressed the less naïve view along these lines, the false teaching that we need Jesus plus adherence to the Old Testament Law to be saved. Circumcision was the real sticking point, but not the only concern, yet it came to symbolize in shorthand observance to the Old Testament Law. Useless! was Paul’s assessment, as silly as crossing your fingers or knocking on wood for good luck. Unfortunately the “Christianity” of many people is as weak and as nonsensical, and unbiblical, as this, mere sentiment and kind thoughts but not genuine faith based upon the revelation of God. Small wonder that some people see the Christian faith as childish beliefs — this is the only Christianity that they have encountered. They probably do not realize that the phrase, “When I became a man I put childish things behind me,” comes from the Bible itself and is a call to mature faith (1 Cor. 13:11).

There is something that does matter, a response we can make and must make to what God reveals to us: faith expressing itself through love.[1] The idea is that genuine faith reveals itself through works of love, and not dead adherence to religious ceremonies.

Faith based on childish nonsense, even if it uses Christian terms, is not the faith described here. Neither is it mental ascent to the possibility of God, or mere belief in the orthodox doctrinal statements of the church, which however correct may be coldly and matter-of-factly held. True faith must incorporate these things but they in and of themselves are not enough. Nor is it appreciation for the ministry of some church or Christian organization. And, of course, it cannot be the type of faith that never gets beyond a person’s will to act — the “dead faith” James wrote about.

Genuine faith is a turning of the heart to Christ in such a deep and personal way that it finds some means of expression. And since the nature of the Christian gospel is love, then love should be the nature of the expression. The expression does not save, no more than the gift one gives to his mother is equal to his love for his mother, but unexpressed faith, like unexpressed love, is unauthentic. Luther wrote:

Faith must of course be sincere. It must be a faith that performs good works through love. If faith lacks love it is not true faith. Thus the Apostle bars the way of hypocrites to the kingdom of Christ on all sides. He declares on the one hand, “In Christ Jesus circumcision availeth nothing,” i.e., works avail nothing, but faith alone, and that without any merit whatever, avails before God. On the other hand, the Apostle declares that without fruits faith serves no purpose. To think, “If faith justifies without works, let us work nothing,” is to despise the grace of God. Idle faith is not justifying faith. In this terse manner Paul presents the whole life of a Christian. Inwardly it consists in faith towards God, outwardly in love towards our fellow-men.

Paul affirmed the faith of the Thessalonians — it was evident to all — with these words:

We are always thankful as we pray for you all, for we never forget that your faith has meant solid achievement, your love has meant hard work, and the hope that you have in our Lord Jesus Christ means sheer dogged endurance in the life that you live before God, the Father of us all.

1 Thessalonians 1:2–3 (Phillips Translation)

In a marriage the supreme question is whether the couple loves one another, for then they will find the means to overcome every other problem. And in the Christian faith our obedience to Christ, our faithfulness in service, our fellowship with other believers — all of this depends on our love for Him. If we love Him, we can through His love for us and His Spirit within us, do all things. Faith expressing itself through love has no limitation in actions, such as legalism has. The legalist can perform certain deeds and feel smug within him self. He has, in his mind, done enough. The one who truly loves never stops to weigh his gifts to or measure his deeds for the one he claims to love.

Therefore, the love and dedication described in the Bible has potential that legalism never has. Love is, after all, impossible to measure or contain. It is a value that once held in the heart redirects everything else in that life. What for one person is a bother to do or a burden to carry, for the one who loves is nothing at all. He does it gladly and with joy. Faith that expresses itself in love has the potential to change the believer as well

as the entire world.

In the words of Thomas a’ Kempis, “Whoever loves much, does much.”

Prayer:

Lord, Let our faith be real and genuine — search us until we know what our love truly is, or what it is not. From Your love’s power and influence in our hearts, let us love You and others. Amen.

[1] A literal translation of the original Greek could be faith operating itself through love, the middle voice being reflexive here. The reflexive form of the verb gives great insight into the nature of biblical faith, that it is not the same as doing certain deeds or performing certain rituals. Someone may go through the steps of a ritual but have no love or faith in his heart. The actions of faith reveal the faith itself, are expressions of the genuineness of the faith.