THE WILL TO LOVE - Vital Christianity

72LOVE’S TRUE TEST Part IJohn 14:15,21,24“Love is the only meaning of the law: therefore obedience to the law canonly be an echo or response to God’s love”–G. C. Berkouwer“The final test of love. . .is not sweet emotions, not willingness to sacrifice,not zeal, but obedience to the commandment of Christ.” 1–A. W. TozerWhen Martian Luther rediscovered the basic truth, “the just shall live by faith”—salvation by faith alone—he found himself released from the burden of a conscience weigheddown by sin from which no efforts of his own could have freed him. Out of this there came theReformation with its recognition of the grace and mercy of God to which alone man owes hissalvation.Martin Luther stood immovable on the affirmation, “The just shall live by faith,” and thistruth became the corner-stone of the Reformation.We Christians rejoice in the fact that we are saved by faith, not works; that it is the puregrace of God through faith on our part which makes us whole.A MISINTERPRETATIONHowever, since the Reformation, people have misinterpreted faith to be a mereaffirmation of words, and grace to be a gift without corresponding obligations. What validity canthere be in a profession of faith that is not confirmed by obedience to the will of God? Obedienceis faith in action.Saul, king of Israel, disobeyed God by saving some of the spoils of a victory even thoughhe had been commanded to destroy everything. His excuse was that he had preserved the best ofthe flocks to be used for a sacrifice to God. But Samuel, the priest, replied:“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying thevoice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better thanthe fat of rams” (1 Sa 15:22).Many Christians cover up disobedience under the false front of so-called “Spiritualactivity.” They fool themselves by deliberately disobeying God and engaging in frantic work forthe church of some other Christian cause, thinking their duplicity will go unnoticed by God.Faith becomes saving faith when validated by obedience, and saving grace is God’s freegift only to those who do God’s will.