We are not saved by grace through love, we do not walk by love, but by faith, the disciples that day did not ask our Lord to increase their love, but their faith. Hebrews eleven is not recognized as a hall of love, but of unswerving faith, of those that lived and gave their lives in faith.
Faith is the fire that kindles love is how a man much wiser than myself has phrased these truths.
“The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17)
Here those of the world cannot venture, here those who only profess the Lord Jesus Christ with their lips cannot go, but here, in this life, is where the few live.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1)
Faith is not a feeling, it is a known fact, it produces actions of love because of and for the One who gave us our faith. Faith grows as we are sanctified, it rests upon the promises of the Word of God, it needs no visible representation of itself from the One who has placed it within us. In fact, Job 13:15a is just as much a means to our growth as those moments beside the still waters.
“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him:”
This world is being deceived into believing the lie that the way to the Living God is through love, love expressed continuously and without hesitation or judgment of the lifestyle of those in this world, that to be accepted into His eternal Kingdom all one must do is love their neighbor without reservation.
This lie intentionally leaves out John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
It denies the truth of John 3:36, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
Faith in the Sovereignty of the Most High, in His Holiness, in His hatred of evil has no place in this man-made perception that all He requires of us to be righteous and justified in His sight is to love Him and love our neighbor as ourselves. The man does not need to die to self, but learn to love himself as he is, and so then will be able to love all in more earnest, no matter the lifestyle they have chosen for themselves.
In their minds, and do not deceive yourself here, this is from Satan himself, God is love, and if you love all, you are of God.
No one has ever loved the Lord first and then received faith, no one can love the Lord as we are commanded to love Him without first having received the gift of faith.
“For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1st Cor. 4:7)
Love will not save you.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” (Eph. 2:8)
In the most basic of truths this is revealed by the wicked of this world today, for if you do not love your neighbor, if you do not accept them as they are, enable their right to live life as they please, reprove, rebuke or judge them with righteous judgment from the Scriptures, you will be labeled a hater.
Our adversary first needed to deceive those who profess to serve the Lord Jesus Christ into believing that the most important thing in the life of a Christian is to love everyone, then faith in the truths of the Scriptures, of how we are to behave ourselves in accordance with those truths, would be replaced with the emotion of love. Bringing into reality today the truth of Matthew 24:12.
“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matt. 24:12)
Not polite, but kind, kind and loving enough to reveal the truth, and suffer for it if necessary or called upon to do so.
Faith first, then love. If you can see these truths, you are not being deceived.
