Galatians 5:6 - Faith without Love is Dead!
Galatians 5:6 (NIV) For in Christ Jesus
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any
value. The only thing that counts is faith
expressing itself through love.
Galatians 5:6 (AMP) For [if we are] in
Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor
uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith
activated and energized and expressed and working
through love.
COMMENTARY PEARLS
Nothing Matters Without Love
Have you ever wondered what matters to
God? The Bible tells us in Galatians 5:6: If
you are a follower of Christ Jesus all that
matters is your faith that makes you love others
(CEV). God says what matters in life is not your
accomplishments or your achievements or your fame or your
wealth. The only thing that matters is having a
faith that causes you to love other people. If you
miss that, you have missed the most important
thing in life.
Over the next couple of days, were
going to look at the most famous chapter in the
Bible on love, 1 Corinthians 13. When speakers
want to get your attention and want you to
remember something, they use repetition. They say
something over and over. In the first few verses of
this passage, Paul says the same thing five
different ways: The most important thing in life is
love.
Here are the first four reasons why.
1. If you dont live a life of love,
then nothing you say will matter.
If I could speak all the languages of
earth and of angels, but didnt love others, I
would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal
(1 Corinthians 13:1 NLT).
Were really impressed by great
speakers. We love eloquence and charisma. But God
says, I dont care how good of a communicator
you are. Are you living a life of love? If
youre not, then nothing you say will matter. Words
without love are just noise.
2. If you don't live a life of love,
nothing you know will matter.
I may have the gift of prophecy. I may
understand all the secret things of God and have all
knowledge But even with all these things, if I do
not have love, then I am nothing (1
Corinthians 13:2 NCV).
We live in a world where knowledge is
exploding. We are smarter than weve ever been. But
we still have the same problems: crime, abuse,
prejudice, violence. Why? Because the world doesnt
need more knowledge. It needs more love. You may
be a genius. But God says if you dont have
love in your life, all that you know is
worthless.
3. If you dont live a life of love,
nothing you believe will matter.
The Bible says, Even if I had the gift
of faith so that I could speak to a mountain
and make it move, I would still be worth nothing
at all without love (1 Corinthians 13:2
TLB). Theres a myth that being a follower of
Christ is just a matter of believing certain
truths. Nothing can be further from the truth!
Following Christ is about living a life of love. It
takes more than belief to please God.
4. If you dont live a life of love,
nothing you give will matter.
The next verse says, If I gave
everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my
body, I could boast about it; but if I didnt
love others, I would have gained nothing (1
Corinthians 13:3 NLT).
Love isnt always the motivation for
giving. Some people give just to get back or out of
guilt or for control or prestige. You can give for
a lot of wrong motives, but the Bible says if
youre not doing it out of love, none of your
giving counts.
The Bible is very clear about what
happens when you dont live a life of love.
Tomorrow well look at the last reason why you need
to focus on your faith that makes you love
others. [Daily Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
Life Is About Relationships, Not
Accomplishments
No matter what I say, what I believe,
and what I do, Im bankrupt without love (1
Corinthians 13:3 The Message).
We learned yesterday that the Bible is
very clear about what really matters in life:
If you are a follower of Christ Jesus all
that matters is your faith that makes you love
others (Galatians 5:6 CEV).
If you dont live a life of love, then
nothing you say will matter, nothing you know will
matter, nothing you believe will matter, and nothing
you give will matter.
Finally, if you dont live a life of
love, nothing you accomplish will matter.
You can rack up an incredible list of
personal achievements. You can get your picture on
the cover of Fortune magazine. You can win the
Nobel Peace Prize. You can have enormous
accomplishments, be entrepreneur of the year, build a
billion-dollar company, have incredibly great successes in
your field of endeavor. But the Bible says it
isnt worth much if you dont love. The Bible
says - God says - relationships are more
important than accomplishments.
Life is about relationships, not
accomplishments.
Its as simple as this: You can have
the eloquence of an orator, the knowledge of a
genius, the faith of a miracle worker, the
generosity of a philanthropist, or the achievements of
a superstar, but if you dont have love in
your heart, it is worth zero. It doesnt count.
The only thing that matters to God is this: Do
you love him, and do you love other people?
One day youre going to die, and
youre going to stand before God. When he evaluates
your life, hes not going to look at your bank
account or your list of accomplishments or your
grades. He wont care about all your sports
trophies. Hes not going to look at your
endorsements or your resume.
God is going to evaluate your life on one
basis: your relationships. Hes going to ask,
How much did you love me and other people?
Thats called the Great Commandment. Did you love
God with all your heart, and did you love your
neighbor as yourself?
Thats why Paul teaches us that what
matters most is our faith being expressed through
love (see Galatians 5:6). [Daily Devotional by
Rick Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2004/20041213-0856.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
The Last Day of Prophecy by Pastor Doug
Batchelor:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmGvdtMCf1aJTiC59-lPtuUMEq_uEn0BK
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
