Love's Role in Salvation

Without Love….none of us will see God.  So, brag all you want about how much faith you have. According to Paul, there is Faith, Hope and Love. The greatest of these is Love. When we look at this list, one should wonder if Love, being greater than Faith, is a necessary component to Salvation. I think it goes without saying, that without Faith one’s salvation is questionable at the very least.  We shall see in a bit, that not only is Love greater than Faith, it is by which we have our confidence before God.  I realize one may argue that it is by the cross we have our confidence.  Yes, the sacrifice of the cross is the debt paid, but many are perishing in spite of the cross. We have Faith and we may have the Hope or Expectation, but we see examples in the scriptures of those who apparently had both yet are denied entry.  We can brag about how much Faith we have. We can brag about our Hope or Expectation of coming eternal life, but we cannot brag about our Love.  Pride and Love cannot co-exist.

Starting at the very basics:
1. People are either saved or not saved.
2. People can believe they are saved or believe they are not saved.
3. People can believe they are saved and actually be saved.
4. People can believe they are saved and actually NOT be saved.
5. People can be sure they are saved.
6. People can be unsure they are saved.

Some popular responses from well meaning Christians to the person who is not saved are …”Have faith…”, “Trust in Jesus…”, “Turn your life over to Him… “, “Acknowledge Him as your personal Lord and Savior…”, “Confess Him as your personal Lord and Savior…”, “Repent and be baptized …”
Some popular responses from well meaning Christians to the person who has done all this but wonders about his salvation …”Do not doubt…”, ”This is Satan talking to you trying to get you to doubt…”   Refer back to #4. If one doubts their salvation, is it because they doubt God’s ability to save or is it because the Spirit is urging them to walk according to Jesus and they know deep inside that they aren’t? Somehow they sense that they are not His servant.

Why is it some view that it is the Spirit convicting a person who has never ‘confessed’, but when the person who THINKS he has ‘confessed’ and is unsure, wanting to be sure … it is Satan talking to him?  What if…he actually ISN’T saved and this is the Spirit convicting him, prompting him to confess the truth whatever that be. Ironically, these same people say we aren’t to judge whether a person is lost, yet we are quick to judge a person saved.  I would think it is more dangerous for the person to tell him they are saved when in fact they aren’t.  Would not this be judgment too?

Is there a way to KNOW FOR SURE?

Let me first challenge the notion of ‘confessing with the mouth.’  Biblically we are to confess our belief and His Lordship. Biblically we can do nothing to earn our salvation. So, the ACT of confessing with our lips theoretically should have no impact on God’s mercy. We cannot earn our salvation or through works merit good standing with God.

If ‘confession’ does play some part in our justification or salvation, then there must be more to this confessing than the mere formality of uttering a pre-written, rehearsed speech or phrase. First, there must be truth in a confession for the confession to mean what it is … a confession.  I can say just about anything, confess to murder, confess to a profession such as doctor or lawyer, profess my faith, confess that I believe a philosophy of life or political view, but if the evidence (faith as translated from the Greek) does not support the confession, or if one’s works (behavior) do not evidence his profession, then he is found to be a liar and the truth is not in him (to quote Paul). If I say stealing is wrong, then I’d better not steal.
We are used to saying we love something or someone, but when push comes to shove, we often bail then minimize our offense or lack of integrity to any number of excuses. How many times have we said, “I love you sweetheart,” then a hour later we are in a fight?  How many husbands out there say how much they love their wives, but first thing when they come home is to ask, “What’s for supper?”  Bottom line is we often say things we don’t really mean. What is unsettling is that we may not be aware our words are shallow and when tested, they would fail.

For centuries, innocent people have confessed to crimes under threat of torture for the quick release from the inquisitor's tools by means of a speedy death.  Likewise, people have confessed to good deeds for the promise of a good name or favorable public opinion. With our lips we can both bless and curse. So, it is not difficult to understand why God doesn’t or man shouldn’t place much stock in lip service. In fact, the scriptures are littered with examples.

Proverbs 12:22 (NIV) ²²    The LORD detests lying lips,     but he delights in men who are truthful. Proverbs 26:24 - 28 (NIV) ²⁴    A malicious man disguises himself with his lips,     but in his heart he harbors deceit. ²⁵    Though his speech is charming, do not believe him,     for seven abominations fill his heart. ²⁶    His malice may be concealed by deception,     but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly. ²⁷    If a man digs a pit, he will fall into it;     if a man rolls a stone, it will roll back on him. ²⁸    A lying tongue hates those it hurts,     and a flattering mouth works ruin. Isaiah 29:13 (NIV) ¹³The Lord says:     “These people come near to me with their mouth     and honor me with their lips,     but their hearts are far from me.     Their worship of me     is made up only of rules taught by men. Matthew 15:8 - 9 (NIV) ⁸    “‘These people honor me with their lips,     but their hearts are far from me. ⁹    They worship me in vain;     their teachings are but rules taught by men.’”

Luke 22:31 - 34 (NASB) ³¹“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat;  ³²but I have prayed for you, that your faith (evidence - proof) may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again (returned to your senses), strengthen your brothers.”  ³³But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!”  ³⁴And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”

This last example is a perfect illustration of the psychology of man’s deception. Pride can get in the way of a good confession.  We may even ‘accept Jesus’ for recognition or from peer pressure. Peter illustrates the point. I am sure he was adamant, truly believing he would go to death before betrayal or denial. Here is the test. Later when faced with threat, Peter bailed. Likewise, we bail everyday and what is sad, we justify this retreat by a feigned confession of weakness. In truth, we love the sin more than Jesus. In truth, we are not under His Lordship, but we are contending with it. In truth, sin still reigns in our lives and we are still slaves to it. When we fail this test, rather than admitting our destiny of eternal conflict with God, we assure ourselves that our weakness is overlooked and that God will forgive us. Keep in mind that Satan used  similar logic.  He quoted scripture and told Jesus that He would send His angels to protect Him. Read the rest of the story…

Matthew 4:5 - 7 (NASB) ⁵Then the devil took^* Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,  ⁶and said^* to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,     ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and     ‘On their hands they will bear You up,     So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’” ⁷Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

According to the thinking of some popular evangelists and if Jesus is put under the same microscope, He didn't have enough faith that the Father would protect Him. Are we not in a way putting God to the test when we so casually excuse our wanton lusts in the guise of leaning on God’s grace or putting trust in our faith?
Real Love removes all deception, but understanding love is difficult. Part of the difficulty is cultural. Our understanding of love is blurred by emotion, desires and motives. Songs have been written about love, but are often descriptive more of animal instincts such as lust and revenge rather than the Biblical definitions of love, thereby supporting the misdirected and misinterpreted feelings wrongly associated with love.  

* tangent time *  These same evangelists talk about taking a 'leap of faith' ... well ... the above scripture is the only example of this 'leap of faith'. I won't go into a lengthy diatribe about this word 'faith'. Just let it suffice for now to say this word 'faith' has been polluted, corrupted, twisted, raped, molested and beaten out of its original meaning since organized religion circa 250 AD took over and filtered the scripture from the people, telling them 'just trust' the learned men, the religious experts. Sound suspiciously like the rhetoric of the Jewish leaders of Jesus day. This empty philosophy has replicated into various virulent forms of denominations playing on the 'easy road' to salvation.  * end of tangent *

Falling in love…
Falling in love sounds like one begins to love out of a mishap, a man and woman lose control on a slippery surface and collide. Love is no accident. Love is deliberate to the same degree as lust is deliberate. People do not just fall in love, neither do they just fall out of love. Any relationship that fails, fails because love was never there. I am responsible for my love.
“We just don’t love each other anymore…the passion has gone out of it.”

“… it’s important to remember that the very concept of ‘romantic love,’ which is so celebrated in movies, songs and cheap paperbacks, was virtually unknown to the ancients.”1
“Love and romance are not necessarily bed fellows. Authors such as Byron, Shelley and Keats…passionately argued that it was a crime against oneself to marry for any reason other than ‘love’ (which was defined largely by feeling and emotion)…” 2  

Love is not an emotion, but neither is it devoid of emotion, passion or desire. Love could be better understood as the motivator of good behavior. I want to stress this connection between love and behavior, because love is not seen until it is manifested in behavior. That behavior reveals the motive of the inner man. I will expand on this later. 

What others say about love…

“When you make a commitment to a relationship, you invest your attention and energy in it more profoundly because you now experience ownership of that relationship.”  --- Barbara de Angelis

“You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” --- Dr. Seuss

“Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs. Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers eyes. Being vexed, a sea nourished with lovers tears. What is it else? A madness most discreet, a choking gall and a preserving sweet.” --- William Shakespeare

“To say the truth, reason and love keep little company together now-a-days.” --- William Shakespeare

This last one is sadly true.  Scriptural love is NEVER absent of reason.

“I adore him… I have never been so happy. I have real love.” --- Princess Diana of Wales 

“Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. you only need a heart full of grace. a soul generated by love.” --- Martin Luther King

“If Jack's in love, he's no judge of Jill's beauty.” --- Benjamin Franklin

“But love is blind, and lovers cannot see What petty follies they themselves commit.” --- William Shakespeare

“You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly.” --- Sam Keen

“Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don't know how to replenish it's source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of witherings, of tarnishings.” --- Anais Nin

As you can see, many people have many different views of love. Even these people miss the subtly.  Little wonder there is confusion. As we continue, hopefully we will see that some of these quotes come very close to what the Bible says about real love. Martin Luther King and Sam Keen are the best because as we shall see, love is important not only in salvation, but it is the driving force behind the works and services which are pleasing to God. Barbara de Angelis associates love with ownership. Investment and commitment are good qualities, but not if a relationship is the target out of a motivation of ownership. Love does not seek it’s own.  Ownership implies one’s own self interests. Love seeks the best interest of others. Love is ALWAYS reasonable, contrary to William Shakespeare. Love is more than sighs, not even close to madness, often greaves, never blind and never dies as Anais Nin so states …period. 
What the Bible says about love…
Love never fails…NEVER.

1 Corinthians 13:4 - 8 (NASB) ⁴Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,  ⁵does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, ⁶does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;  ⁷bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ⁸Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. 

1 John 4:15 - 20 (NASB) ¹⁵Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.  ¹⁶We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.  ¹⁷By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.  ¹⁸There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.  ¹⁹We love, because He first loved us.  ²⁰If 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. 

How love is connected to salvation…

First of all, we can’t take credit for loving God.  We love, because He first loved us. Had it not been for the Father’s first steps toward this sinful world thorough Jesus, we would never know God and would never have a reason to love God. Had it not been for His efforts through the Word we would never know God intimately. God’s love is instrumental in the salvation plan. If God didn’t love us, He would have abandoned us long ago.

What is the reason for this salvation/reconciliation if our love is not of some credit or merit? It isn’t really about credit or merit, but relationship. Love adds dimension to a relationship. In love my focus is upon the object of my affections. If I love someone because they make me feel good, then it is likely my feelings are the focus and if those feelings should evaporate because of the heat of everyday life, then that love is also going to evaporate. One’s beauty, intelligence, money, public notoriety or charm have all been reasons people have fallen in love. When that focus is challenged, their love disappears. In truth, they never loved the person and never had a relationship other than physical.

Relationships are never one sided. Love can be, however. Relationships can be of a legal nature, physical nature and a spiritual nature. Husbands have a legal relationship with their wives at the very least, sons have a legal as well as a physical relationship with their fathers (they are related), business partners have a legal relationship to the company and with each other. Now regarding marriage, a man marries, thereby forming a legal relationship with his wife. She later develops a disease which hinders all physical, mental and emotional communications between she and her husband. She is physically and mentally incapable of showing any affections or fostering any physical or mental relationship. They still have a legal relationship and this will never change until she dies or he legally breaks the marriage. This relationship is still a relationship in legal terms. Even though she is a vegetable, the legal relationship between he and her still exists and is not one sided. He cannot be legally married to her without her prior knowledge. She may not be able to physical acknowledge him and a physical relationship be impossible, but this does not negate the contractual agreement between the two.

God and man are physically related in the sense that God created us and this will always be. Like a father has a physical DNA relationship with his son which will never change, God is Creator and we are the created. We can also have a legal relationship with God, performing duties, rites, liturgy and following lists of rules. We can acknowledge Him as God, verbalize His authority and yet be void of any affections for Him. This leads us to another type of relationship, a spiritual relationship with God.

Spiritual relationships, like legal relationships are never one sided. To be a legal partner, one must have a partner. To be related physically (DNA) to one’s offspring, one must have offspring. Whether they are dead or alive is irrelevant. Both legal and physical relationships are mutual.  It is the same with the spiritual relationships.  If I have a spiritual relationship with my wife, she must have a spirit.  I cannot have a spiritual relationship with a dead women.
 
In our example of the husband and his invalid wife, we see a legal relationship, but no spiritual relationship. Also we see his love for her, but we do not see her love in return. This is how Love can be one sided but a relationship not be. God loves us. We may not love Him in return, but we are always loved by Him. Love can be one sided.

I can have a legal relationship with God, obey rules, rites, verbalize my faith, confess His Lordship and still lack a spiritual relationship with Him. The question remains, what is the point of salvation if there is no spiritual relationship between God and myself. Yes we could continue to obey rules and regulations, but all these things are temporary. 

1 Corinthians 13:8 - 11 (NIV) ⁸Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.  ⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part,  ¹⁰but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.  ¹¹When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 

There are a couple of key ideas found in this verse. One, that which is imperfect will disappear.  The law was imperfect in the sense it could not justify. The law was incomplete for if it had to be fulfilled then it was only a beginning to what was to be greater. The second, as a child needs a tutor and restrictions, so to we learned through a tutor and was lead to Christ. When we mature, the tutor is no longer needed and we continue to walk as men by the Spirit and not carrying out the desires of the flesh.

I have complied a short list of verses which I think will help establish the understanding of 1 Corinthians 13:10 

Matthew 5:17 - 19 (NASB) ¹⁷“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.  ¹⁸“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.  ¹⁹“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 7:12 (NASB) ¹²“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 22:36 - 40 (NASB) ³⁶“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”  ³⁷And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  ³⁸“This is the great and foremost commandment.  ³⁹“The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  ⁴⁰“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Luke 10:25 - 29 (NASB) ²⁵And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”  ²⁶And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?”  ²⁷And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”  ²⁸And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.”  ²⁹But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Galatians 2:15 - 17 (NASB) ¹⁵“We are Jews by nature and not sinners from among the Gentiles;  ¹⁶nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.  ¹⁷“But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be! 

Galatians 3:23 - 26 (NASB) ²³But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed.  ²⁴Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.  ²⁵But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.  ²⁶For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 

Galatians 5:16 - 18 (NASB) ¹⁶But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.  ¹⁷For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.  ¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.

Hebrews 7:18 - 19 (NASB) ¹⁸For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness  ¹⁹(for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.  Hebrews 8:7 (NASB) ⁷For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second. 

There is some confusion among Christian circles that because the Law saves no one that we are somehow exempt from obeying the Law. Well, we don’t have sacrifices anymore (or do we), one Sacrifice, Jesus, once for all. However, this setting aside of the Law does not give us license to murder, steal, lie, cheat, fornicate, break oaths, etc. We are saved by GRACE through faith (the evidence).  BOTH grace and faith (the evidence) are gifts. I cannot believe in the truth until the truth is revealed. God revealed the truth both in nature and though His Word. He left his fingerprints all over the crime scene. Our faith (evidence) comes by hearing the word. BOTH are gifts from God.  I cannot take credit for the evidence (faith) He chose to leave behind. IF I claim I have faith (evidence) then I am OBLIGATED like law enforcement or mandated reports such as doctors, teachers and counselors to act on it accordingly. Faith or evidence by itself is useless unless we act on it. This part is very important. James makes it clear. (More on this a little later, I’ve jumped the gun a bit.)

James 1:22 (NASB) ²²But prove (γίνομαι) yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 

James 2:18 - 21 (NASB) ¹⁸But 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.”  ¹⁹You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe (verb form of faith), and shudder.  ²⁰But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?  ²¹Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 

We see in these verses a great many things related to law, faith and love. Paul places love above faith in 1 Corinthians. If we are justified by faith and love is greater than faith, I move that love is the very reason we are saved.  Eternity in the presence of God, without love for Him would be pointless. In fact, to be in the Presence of God without love for Him, would be Hell. James point out with the use of the Greek word γίνομαι, translated here as “prove”, more accurately “cause to be”, “generate” or “be known as” yourselves doers of the word and not merely hearers who delude themselves. Moreover, we cannot forget what James says about the demons and their behavior.  They believe (verb form of faith) and shudder. James implies in his letter that faith by itself is not enough, for if just the presence of faith, justifies, then the demons are justified, because there is no doubt in their minds that God is Who He is. So, the differences must be that we can love God and they do not.  They have faith, but shudder in His Presence. They have the evidence and know without a doubt their destiny.

More on Love’s Role in Salvation in the next blog. 
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1. Sacred Marriage, Gary Thomas, Zondervan,  p.13.
2. Sacred Marriage. Gary Thomas, Zondervan.  p.14.