Faith doesn’t operate in isolation. It needs love to function the way God designed it.
Paul makes this crystal clear in Galatians 5:6: “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.” The only thing that counts is faith working by love. Not faith alone. Not love alone. Faith working by love.
Why Faith Needs Love to Work
Faith is like your hand reaching out to receive from God. But if your heart is cold, selfish, or disconnected from love, your hand stays clenched. You might say all the right words about believing, but you’re not actually open to receive what God wants to give you.
Love opens your heart to trust God completely. When you truly love God, you trust His character. You believe He’s good, that He cares about you, that His promises are real. That trust is faith operating the way it should.
Fear is faith’s biggest enemy. 1 John 4:18 says “There is no fear in love. But perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” Fear closes your hand. Fear makes you doubt. Fear keeps you from stepping out in trust. But when you’re rooted in God’s love for you – when you really know He loves you – that fear loses its grip.
Faith Working By Love Changes Everything
Faith working by love looks completely different than faith trying to operate alone. When faith works through love, it changes how you relate to God and others.
You trust God’s heart, not just His power. You’re not just believing God can do something – you’re believing He wants to because He loves you. That’s a game-changer when you’re praying or facing something impossible.
Your faith produces action that serves others. James 2:17 tells you “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” But what kind of works? Works motivated by love. You’re not trying to earn anything – you’re responding to God’s love by loving others. Your faith moves you to serve, give, forgive, and sacrifice because that’s what love does.
You stay grounded when feelings fluctuate. Your emotions will lie to you. You’ll have days you don’t “feel” close to God. But if your faith is rooted in the reality of His love (not your feelings about His love), you stay steady. Romans 8:38-39 promises that nothing can separate you from God’s love in Christ. Nothing. That truth anchors your faith when circumstances scream otherwise.
How This Works in Your Daily Walk
Before you try to exercise faith about anything – before you pray for healing, provision, guidance, whatever – first remind yourself of God’s love for you. Go back to the cross. Remember that He didn’t spare His own Son but gave Him up for you (Romans 8:32). If He loved you that much, you can trust Him completely with whatever you’re facing right now.
Then faith flows naturally. It’s not you straining to believe. It’s you responding to a God you know loves me. That changes everything about how you pray, how you read Scripture, how you face challenges.
You can’t separate faith from love and expect it to work right. They’re designed to function together. Faith reaches out. Love makes that reaching genuine, trusting, and effective.
The more you grow in experiencing God’s love for you, the more your faith will grow naturally. And the more your faith is rooted in love, the more it will express itself in ways that actually matter – in loving God back and loving others with His love flowing through you.
That’s the faith that counts. That’s the faith that moves mountains. Not because you’re trying harder to believe, but because you’re loving and being loved by the God who can do anything.