Faith & Love
Righteousness is love, and love is the light and the life of God. The righteousness of God is embedded in Christ. If we look at the glory of our Creator it is love and even his life is love. When Ellen G. White wrote in the Conflicts of the Ages series in the very first book, the Patriarchs and Prophets, the very first words starts like this “GOD IS LOVE.” 1 John 4: 16. His nature and His la~ is love. It ever will be the high and lofty One that inhabited eternity whose ways are everlasting and changeth not With Him is no variableness neither shadow of turning. Isaiah 57: 15,
Every manifestation of creative power is an expression of infinite love. The sovereignty of God involves fullness of blessing to all created beings. The psalmist says; Strong is Thy hand, and high is Thy right hand. Righteousness and judgment are the foundation of thy throne: Mercy and truth go before Thy face. Blessed are the people that know the joyful sound: They walk 0 Lord, in the light of Thy countenance. In Thy name do they rejoice all the day: And in Thy righteousness are they exalted. For Thou art the glory of their strength: For our shield belongeth unto Jehovah: And our King to the Holy One. Psalm 89: 13-18.
The history of the great conflict between good and evil, from the time it first began in heaven to the final overthrow of rebellion and the total eradication of sin is also a demonstration of God’s unchanging love.” PP 1:33. The spirit of prophesy then explains the existence of the universal Being, how sin enters the universe, the creation of Adam, with all the events unfolding, then punishment for the transgressor and the reward for those who obey His commandments. Then in the last book, the Great Controversy it’s stated thus “The great controversy is ended. Sin and sinners are no more. The entire universe is clean. One pulse of harmony and gladness beats through the vast creation. From Him who created all, flow life and light and gladness throughout the realms of illimitable space. From the minutest atom to the greatest world, all things animate and inanimate in their unshadowed beauty and perfect joy declare that GOD IS LOVE.
This is how it finishes. Everything that happens is because of His love. When love fails then selfishness take over our heart. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but FAITH WHICH WORKETH BY LOVE. Gal. 5:6.
When. you present your petitions to the Lord it should be in humility without boasting of superior attainments but with real soul hunger for the blessing of God. Christ always knows what is cherished in the heart. We must come in faith that the Lord will hear and answer our prayers for whatsoever is not faith is sin. Genuine faith is the faith that works by love and purifies the soul. A living faith will be a working faith. Should we go into the garden and there be no bursting buds or blooming flowers, no signs of life in stalk or branches we would say the plants are dead. Uproot them from the garden; for they are a deformity to the beds.
So it is with those who profess Christianity and have no spirituality. If there are no signs of religious vigor, if there is no doing of the commandments of the Lord, it is evident that there is no abiding in Christ, the living vine. Faith and Love are the essential powerful working elements of Christian character. Those who posses them are one with Christ, and continual learners and to work with His gifts of faith and love. We shall then wear Christ’s yoke and lift His burdens and Christ wills laborers together with God. Without faith it is impossible to please God and it must be faith that works by love and purifies the soul. We cannot overestimate the value of simple faith and unquestioning obedience. It is by following in the path of obedience in simple faith the character obtains perfection.
In our time there occurred a great tragedy to the British Empire. One of its great Princess’ perished in a car accident in the Paris express lanes. Princess Diana died. She was remembered not only by her countrymen but by many nations. Why then so many mourned for her? Because she has done something no Royals had done before. She helped the poor, she was with the AIDS patients, and the first to touch them without any gloves. She had love for not the great in society but to the very poor. Even today the God of heaven has some in high society who worship Him without knowing Him, like King Nebuchadnezzar or King Cyrus or some in the government who will join us when the Sunday law comes to effect.
That is why then the Prime Minister Tony Blair when asked to say something at her funeral, read from the Bible these verses “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love lam become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though 1 have the gift of prophecy, and understand an mysteries, and all knowledge and though I have faith, so that I could remove mountains and have not love I am nothing and though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned and have not love it profiteth me nothing. Love never faileth but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be knowledge it shall vanish away And now abideth faith hope love these three but the greatest of these is love. 1 Cor. 13:1-13.
What inspired him to read these verses? I think without doubt he felt that she possessed this virtue. But when I heard these verses I was startled when he read: the greatest faith a man can posses is that he can remove a mountain but now this faith is useless unless I have love. In this we understand love is the cornerstone of everything we do; everything stands on this. Our faith, hope, prophesy, longsuffering, etc. Like Christ is the cornerstone of His church, love is the cornerstone of our being.
In His parting conversation with His disciples on the night before the crucifixion the Saviour made no reference to the suffering that He had endured and must yet endure. He did not speak of the humiliation that was before Him, but sought to bring to their minds that which would strengthen their faith, leading them to look forward to the joys that await the overcomer. He rejoiced in the consciousness that He could and would do more for His followers than He had promised; that from Him would flow forth love and compassion, cleansing the soul temple, and making men like Him in character; that His truth, armed with the power of the Spirit, would go forth conquering and to conquer. In this scene you could wonder how much love our Saviour should have had not to mention anything about His sorrow but to comfort His disciples in the tiring time which was ahead of them. What a self-sacrificing love. It is not conclusive evidence that a man is a Christian because he manifests spiritual ecstasy under extraordinary circumstances. Holiness is not rapture: it is an entire surrender of the will to God; it is living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God; it is doing the will of our heavenly Father; it is trusting God in trial, in darkness as well as in the light; it is walking by faith and not by sight; it is relying on God with unquestioning confidence, and resting in His love.
When I was small my mother would tell us a story about a widower who had a son whom she loved very much. Her only possession was her son. But she was a very honest lady. She worked hard morning and evening and with blood, sweat and tears she fed her son. When her son was bigger she sent him to the best school so that he wouldn’t suffer like her. He studied up to college and she thought, now he is going to go to the university but he didn’t. To her surprise he joined with bad companions and became a terrorist and he hated his mother because she was poor. But whenever he came home the poor mother always fed him with good food and shelter.
One day because of his bad companions he murdered his own mother. He cut her heart out and put it in a bottle so that he could watch her. But one day to his surprise he was drunk and came home and he fell on the floor and broke his nose. He was bleeding and he didn’t have a mirror so he took the bottle where he had put his mother’s heart to fill it with water so that with the reflection he could see his wound. But when he pulled his mother’s heart out of the bottle it was crying, are you o.k. my son? That heart didn’t cry for all the cruelty he had done to her n but only was concerned for his good being. This is just a story to portray the true love of a mother.
But our heavenly Father is greater than the women who is pictured in this story. With so much love He gave us His only begotten “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. Without the cross, man could have no union with the Father. On it depends our every hope. From it shines the light of the Savior’s love, and when at the foot of the cross the sinner looks up to the One who died to save him, he may rejoice with fullness of joy, for his sins are pardoned. Kneeling in faith at the cross, he has reached the highest place to which man can attain. Paul’s epistle gave, new hope and strength, and a firmer faith in, and a deeper affection for, the One who through His death had brought life and immortality to light. Especially important to the church in our time are the teachings of the apostle upon this point. To those living so near the great consummation, the words of Paul should come with telling force: “Let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
One of the strongest evidences of true conversion is love to God and man. Those who accept Jesus as their Redeemer have a deep, sincere love for others of like precious faith. Thus it was with the believers at Thessalonica. “As touching brotherly love,” the apostle wrote, “ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; and that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; that ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.
In his second letter Paul sought to correct their misunderstanding of his teaching and to set before them his true position. He again expressed his confidence in their integrity, and his gratitude that their faith was strong, and that their love abounded for one another and for the cause of their Master. He told them that he presented them to other churches as an example of the patient, persevering faith that bravely withstands persecution and tribulation, and he carried their minds forward to the time of the second coming of Christ, when the people of God shall rest from all their cares and perplexities.
The philosopher turns aside from the light of salvation, because it puts his proud theories to shame; the worldling refuses to receive it, because it would separate him from his earthly idols. Paul saw that the character of Christ must be understood before men could love Him or view the cross with the eye of faith. Here must begin that study which shall be the science and the song of the redeemed through all eternity. In the light of the cross alone can the true value of the human soul be estimated.
The apostle’s words of warning to the Corinthian church are applicable to all time and are especially adapted to our day. By idolatry he meant not only the worship of idols, but self-serving, love of ease, the gratification of appetite and passion. A mere profession of faith in Christ, a boastful knowledge of the truth, does not make a man a Christian. A religion that seeks only to gratify the eye, the ear, and the taste, or that sanctions self -indulgence, is not the religion of Christ No matter how high the profession, he whose heart is not filled with love for God and his fellow men is not a true disciple of Christ. Though he should possess great faith and have power even to work miracles, yet without love his faith would be worthless. He might display great liberality; but should he, from some other motive than genuine love, bestow all his goods to feed the poor, the act would not commend him to the favor of God. In his zeal he might even meet a martyr’s death, yet if not actuated by love, he would be regarded by God as a deluded enthusiast or an ambitious hypocrite.
When Paul sent Titus to Corinth to strengthen the believers there, he instructed him to build up that church in the grace of giving, and in a personal letter to the believers he also added his own appeal. “As ye abound in everything,” he pleaded, “in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also,” “Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so they may be a performance also out of that which you have. For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that he hath not.” “And God is able to make all grace; abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: . . . being enriched in everything to all bountifulness, which causith through us thanksgiving to God.” 2 Corinthians 8:7, 12; 9:8-11
It is not God’s will that His ministers should seek to be rich. Regarding this, Paul wrote to Timothy: “The love of money is the root of all evil: which’ while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, o man of God flee these things and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” By example as well as by precept, the ambassador for Christ is to “charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, not trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God; who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” 1 Timothy 6:10, 11,17-19
When William Miller was preaching the gospel of the soon return of Christ around 50,000 people joined with him. Not only that, bur they sold their houses and farms and supported the work. But when Christ delayed, His coming these people, who supported his work now turned against, him. If Chris would have come to these people; according to our standard they should have been given eternal life. But Christ didn’t do that. He, just put them to a test and most of them were found wanting. Why? Because they didn’t love the Lord, but loved themselves, so that they thought it’s better to sell and buy salvation. Their hearts was not with the Lord. Only 50 continue the journey up to the 3-rd Angel. All the rest 49,950 people were hypocrites. They didn’t have the true love for God.
That’s why every deed we do, God sees the motive of the heart. Maybe the people can’t see, but He who sees everything, from His eyes nothing can be hid. He sees’ the end from the beginning, we can’t fool Him.
In the Gospel John was called the disciple of love. Certain times Christ called His disciples to behold certain manifestations only three were chosen, but only one was permitted to see His suffering on the cross. It was John. Maybe he had the love to His Redeemer that he could endure this big trial.
There is a story about John when he became old. One time when he was traveling to one of the island’s on the way to Rome to encountered a young man. He truly like this son. He tough him the gospel of Christ, then he left the young man in the care of the elder’s of the church and left to Rome. After few years he return to this island. He didn’t see this young man so he inquired as to what had happened to him. They told him that he had joined the robbers and he was now a thief. The Apostle insisted that they to take him to meet this young man. But all of them refused, saying if we go, they are going to rob us and kill us. The Apostle started to go himself, alone. Then one of them accompanied him then they found the young man. John prayed for him and told him about the matchless love of Jesus. Seeing the old man and his yearning heart, the young man came back with the Apostle and joined the church again and become one of the best disciples.
In this story we can see the love for his fellow man even when his life was in danger, he went and save a life. If you look at the ten commandments in its real form it’s written:
1) If you love Christ, you will have no other gods before Him.
2) If: you love Christ you will not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any things] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the water under the earth: you shall not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third, and forth [generation] of them that hate me; And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
3) If you love Christ, you will not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that take his name in vain.
4) If you love Christ, you will Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shall you, labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day [is] the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: [in it] you shall not do any work you, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates: For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the- seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
5) If you love your parents, you will Honor your father and your mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
6) If you love your neighbor you will not kill.
7) If you shall love your wife you will not commit adultery.
8) If you love your neighbor you will not steal
9) If you love your neighbor, you will not bear false witness against him.
10) If you love ‘your neighbor you will not covet thy neighbor’s house;, you will not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor “his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his 04′ nor his ass, nor any thing that [is] thy neighbor’s
Now if you sum it up these Ten Commandments it becomes two only. First: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And’ the second: [is J. like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. If we have true love we will obey His voice but naturally our heart is cold so what to do in that case. We can’t buy love in a supermarket nor produce it in a laboratory.
One time the world famous musicians, the Beatles wrote a song called “Money can’t buy me love”. So what are we suppose to do, sit and cry until we die? No, we have the answer in the Bible “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for [that which is] not bread? And your labour for ;[that which] satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye [that which is] good, and let ‘your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you” Isaiah 55:1, “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich” Rev: 3:18. We have to buy it from Christ for free, it’s given to us.
Gold is the richest element in the earth like spiritually{faith & love) is the richest grace man can have. In 1 Tim 6: 18 “rich in good works.” Gal 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. It’s a gift of God now “For brethren ye have been called unto liberty only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. Ga15:13-15.:.the last verse is “AS THE FATHER HATH LOVED ME SO HAVE I LOVED YOU CONTINUE YE IN MY LOVE. If ye keep My commandments ye shall abide in My love even as I have kept My father’s commandments arid abide in His love. John 15:9- 10.
AMEN.