God looks on the heart, so it would be wise of you to judge yourself.
Does your faith in the Almighty, your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit, in the promises and inerrancy of His Holy Word rest more firmly within you than the love you profess for Him?
“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” (Job 13:15)
To continue to praise Him, not love Him.
Not teach us to love, but teach us to pray, not increase our love, but increase our faith. Not where is your love, but where is your faith.
Faith, unmitigated, unswerving, immoveable faith is what defines those who have truly been born-again, it is not altered in pain, it is not modified by circumstances, the knowledge of the continuation of this life here or the ending of it has no bearing on our faith.
“Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 21:13)
“Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it?” (John 18:11)
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God and thou shalt love thy neighbor can never become a reality in anyone’s life if they do not possess faith first.
Faith walks up to the stranger and begins a conversation about their eternal soul with them, faith dies peacefully and in peace when it is time to, faith accepts everything from our Father’s hand, it does not falter in the valley of the shadow of death, it walks willingly into the fire, it sits at the rich man’s gate patiently.
“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” (Matt. 17:20)
But can your faith look past your heart, can it see beyond the love you profess for our Savior, can it be tested in the most extreme manner possible and come out of the furnace refined as the purest gold?
The love that many profess to have for the Lord is fickle, it is based on the current circumstances in their life, on their health, their wellbeing, even their finances. This love has very little to do with their faith, but their faith is based upon it. These are they who fulfill Matthew 15:8, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.”
Our faith is tested my friends, love, in the deepest meaning of the word, is not tested, it either remains intact and unswerving because of our faith, or it never existed in the first place.
When the Lord said to Peter three times, “Lovest thou me?” (John 21:17) He was asking him if his faith was firmly placed within Him, if nothing could shake it, if there was anything left in him that doubted.
This love my friends does not exist without faith.
All of your heart, mind, strength and soul cannot love the Lord our God without unswerving faith in Him. No man can love their neighbor as themselves unless it is in faith, that it is the love of God we are expressing.
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Heb. 11:6)
Not, “without love it is impossible.”
“Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68)
Not, “thou hast the words of love.”
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17)
Not, “love cometh by hearing.”
Most who say they love God are expressing a love no different than a love for their child, their dog or their vehicle, for the love we have for the Lord Jesus Christ is only because of the faith that He has blessed us with. This love is an offspring of our faith, it flows from us because of our faith, this faith that cannot be altered produces love that can never be quenched.
To those of you that believe you can lose your salvation, I say this, that would mean that you have lost your love for the Savior as well, and that would also mean your faith was never real in the first place.
