The most important aspects of faith

Faith only becomes true faith through love. Faith means loving trust. No less. Faith without love then becomes like a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. This most probably depicts something like instruments producing a loud noise upon which we can play melodies. Figuratively speaking, this formulation is used for a nice formulated or boastful talk which is actually meaningless. It consists only of an un-harmonized noise which gets on one's nerves and results in anything but love. Rather unloving consequences! To know all secrets would certainly be exciting (verse 2). Who wouldn't want to a total vision and recognise everything which is hidden? God knows everything, but that alone doesn't make Him what HE is and wants to be. To be almighty yet have no love would be fatal, an indescribable, unbearable burden and pure despair – absolute hopelessness. The devil has power without love! An almighty, all-knowing and all-present God without love, would be through and through a cynical, egotistical and atrocious tyrant. Our predicament as humans would be unimaginable. It is clear what is meant with regard to love. All power (regardless of its size) would be futile and meaningless without love. It would harm and not help us. But, love wants to accomplish exactly the opposite.

Love means: To desire the highest degree of well-being for others – and also actively partake in accomplishing it! Love, merely poured into a cold world, to err itself into some dark hole and into the abyss, and dissolve, is as meaningful and edifying as great wealth without the prospect of ever being able to buy anything. Love wants to gift. And when an almighty God, who is love, approaches us, what can we expect? How should we react? We need to answer this question for ourselves. To share your entire wealth (verse 3), thus to be over and above charitable is, superficially approached, a nice thing. However, combined with lovelessness it is useless and a wasted effort. Also, to offer yourself as an offer to others, without love would be a futile stupidity. The overall conclusion thus is, that love as God means and wants us to comprehend, demands truth, authenticity, commitment and honesty. This challenges us and simultaneously exposes the deficits we still have. We have seen that whosoever does not live in this manner, has not identified with God, has not understood and simply comprehended who we are dealing with and the inherent character of God's heart, namely LOVE!

Jörg Bauer