Faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 1 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope,

² To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

³ As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, ⁴ nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. ⁵ But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. ⁶ For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, ⁷ wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.

⁸ But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, ⁹ realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers ¹⁰ and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, ¹¹ according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.

¹² I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, ¹³ even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; ¹⁴ and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. ¹⁵ It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. ¹⁶ Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. ¹⁷ Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹⁸ This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, ¹⁹ keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.

In today’s text Paul shares a part of his testimony, what Christ did for him. He says:    I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.     That is the power of the gospel, the power to accomplish what Jesus came to do, to redeem sinners, to change them so radically that they change from blasphemer and persecutor to sons and daughters, servants of God. Notice what Paul says:   the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. Earlier in the text he says:   But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.      It is faith and love, working together which is the basis of our salvation and should also be the basis of our ministry and relationship with others. Our salvation is only possible because of God’s love.    “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)     God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) 1 John 4:19-20 says:    We love, because He first loved us.  If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.      Our love is a response to the love of God. Our love is a response to the cross of Christ. We can neither love God, nor others if we do not do it in response to the cross.  Jesus says:  “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment.  The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)  Everything we do and everything we believe depends on love. It is the basis, the foundation upon which everything else depends and is built.

Here is a key though about that love. The love we have for God and the love we have for others is a response to God’s love for us. It is a response to the cross of Christ. Our love then is conditional on our salvation and:   by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)       So our salvation is God’s love and grace working together with our faith in Christ. Ephesians 2 continues in verse 10 saying:  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.     Our response to God’s love, demonstrated in the cross of Christ, is in doing the good works which God has prepared for us. Our love is a response to the demonstration of God’s love, through faith. Our faith then is demonstrated as we love God and others doing the works of God.

In James 2:14-25 we read about this faith and works together, demonstrating God’s love:    What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.  But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?  Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?  You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God.  You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone… just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

There are many who know scripture well, who believe who Jesus is yet if their faith, their belief is not expressed in love, then it is dead faith. On the other hand if we love and do good works, but do it without first being ourselves changed by faith in Christ, redeemed, reconciled and restored to God and His purpose, then our works are not the works of a son or daughter, they are not kingdom works but rather they are earthly works.

What are the works of faith we are to do?   Jesus says: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” (John 14:12-15)   Through faith, through believing in Christ we can do all that Jesus did. In Matthew 17:20 Jesus says:   “Truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”  

In response to God’s great love demonstrated in the cross of Christ, our faith, not great sized faith, but rather faith in the one who is great enables us to do great works, nothing will be impossible, even loving greatly.

Thank You heavenly Father for the demonstration of love, the cross of Christ. In faith, in response to Your love, I desire to do the works You have prepared for me. Through the Holy Spirit I can do works of love and great works, like Jesus did. I pray that:  Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.