To live by faith, first learn to love

This current series of devotionals is woven together by a thread inscribed with the words, by faith. Those of us privileged to write these devotionals are considering the deep value of faith.

In order to rightly understand what that 1 Corinthians 13:2 says, it is important to read the full paragraph in which this text appears. In Today’s New International Version, the full paragraph reads:

If I speak in human or angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body ⌈to hardship⌉ that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1–3).

Paul is writing to a very gifted church in Corinth that is also a bit full of itself. They claim (correctly so) to have gifts such as oratorical skills and knowledge and faith and financial means, and the list could go on. Such a setting can make it easy to grow complacent about others and satisfied with oneself. Paul knew that despite all their giftedness, they didn’t possess what he calls “the more excellent way,” the way of love.

When we read the above passage against that backdrop, we realize Paul is writing to a gifted community lacking in love.

Whether we think about it consciously or not, the truth is simple: when love is missing, all the other gifts don’t really matter all that much. Not even the gift of faith. In fact, without love, the other gifts can be a source of irritation.

Think about it.

In this paragraph, Paul zeroes in (mainly) on three gifts: speech, faith, and financial means. And he says that even gifts like these, without love, are worthless. Notice the first words of each of these three verses:

“If I speak…” (v. 1)

“If I have…” (v. 2)

“If I give…” (v. 3)

Each of these sets of words is followed up with what happens if these gifts are implemented without love:

Only noise (v. 1)

“I am nothing” (v. 2)

“I gain nothing” (v. 3)

Clearly, then, the relationship between the beginnings and the endings of each of these verses leads to the following conclusions:

Without love, all my words are useless.

Without love, all my faith is meaningless.

Without love, all my giving is pointless.

Simply put: it doesn’t matter how beautifully I speak or how much faith I claim or how many offerings I give if love isn’t what motivates me.

With that in mind, we come back to our theme: by faith. As important as faith is in living the spiritual life, what undergirds real, authentic faith is love. Because to live by faith is to live with faith in someone. And in the case of Scripture, that someone is Jesus—the same Jesus who spoke consistently of a God of immeasurable, immense, incomprehensible love.

I cannot think of a more important lesson for many of us to learn than the lesson that to truly live by faith means that we must first learn to love.

—Randy Roberts, DMin, LMFT, is vice president for spiritual life and mission at Loma Linda University Health.