Where Faith Dwells, Love Excels (1 John 4:15-16)

“Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:15-16)

Behind every confession of Jesus Christ lies an act of faith whereby believers “call upon the name of the Lord” and are saved (Acts 2:21). This faith tethers the soul on earth to the Christ in heaven with the same force and vitality of branches to a vine. The Christ seated in heavenly places dwells in the humble hearts of man “through faith” (Eph 3:17). Faith binds the festal sacrifice as with cords to the horns of the altar (Ps. 118:27). Faith is the empty hands which receive the righteousness of Christ, where the King of Righteousness dwells in the heart declared righteous.

Where faith dwells, love excels. Where there is an imputation of Christ’s righteousness, there is an implantation of Christ’s character. The pattern of Scripture is simple: “faith working through love.” If the God of love dwells with us, should not love flow out of us? Love must be the defining characteristic of the Christian and of Christ’s church. When the world of sin and Satan stand united in evil, do not Christians have a greater cause to stand united in love? Where the world is united around external trifles, Christians stand united by an internal “faith working through love.” In the days which we find love to be impossible, when bitterness and anger seem as unassailable foes, we must cling to the faith behind our confession. For where faith dwells, love excels. If we want more love, let us have more faith.