(Read Galatians 5:6)
One of my childhood buddies had been urging me to attend a 72-hour Men’s retreat focused on prayer, small groups, self-reflection, and intense meditation on God’s word. I rebuffed his invites for three years. After watching the impact of a youth version of a similar event on my son, I felt God’s strong calling to finally go!
I’m outgoing. According to my wife, I can talk to anyone, including inanimate objects. So, I wasn’t too concerned with conversation or getting to know the other men on the retreat. It was the orchestrated socialization that had me a little on edge. The first few hours included fellowship time, guests, and a volunteer praise band playing in the background. We watched a bad faith-based movie after it was time for visitors to leave. I went to bed expecting little from the weekend.
The following day, I was met with an inspiring worship service. The Pastor talked about faith, grace, and love. I could feel the skeptical layers shedding off me in real-time. God has always worked on me this way. He finds (or creates) an opening that leads me to a greater life of faith. Sometimes, I see it coming miles away; sometimes, the most transformational things happen out of thin air. In this instance, it was more subtle. The first crack was the scripture reading and theme of the weekend…
As far as our relationship to Christ Jesus is concerned, it doesn’t matter whether we are circumcised or not. But what matters is a faith that expresses itself through love.
Galatians 5:6
Paul’s letter to the Galatians addressed a conflict within the early Christian community regarding the necessity of following Jewish customs, specifically circumcision, for salvation. Some believed that Gentile converts needed to adhere to the Mosaic Law to be true followers of Christ. Paul vehemently argued that faith in Jesus Christ is the only requirement for salvation. Standing with Paul, I would also argue about the point of the cross and whether we’re justified by things we do and adhere to. Paul pointed out that it’s impossible to fully trust in Jesus by faith while at the same time trusting in our ability to fulfill the letters of the law.
Our faith in Christ should be the motivating factor about how we live, not anything else. If we are part of Christ by our faith, we are accepted, no matter our actions, religious practices, or attempts at being good. Paul dismissed the importance of rituals in the new covenant established by Christ. He asserted that external rituals or ethnic identities do not determine one’s standing before God — only “faith working through love.” Galatians 5:6 highlights what truly matters in the Christian life: active faith and expressed through love. This faith is not a mere intellectual assent but a living, dynamic trust in God that manifests in loving actions toward others. Love becomes the evidence and expression of genuine faith.
The scripture taught that you aren’t better if you are circumcised or uncircumcised. You’re not worse, either. You’re not better if you have perfect attendance at church, never curse, tithe, and read the Bible two hours a day. As great as these attributes are, Paul taught that they have no power to help us grow spiritually. They alone don’t make us right with Christ. John MacArthur wrote, “Nothing that is either done or not done in the flesh, not even religious ceremony, makes any difference in one’s relationship to God.” If our faith doesn’t have love, it’s not genuine faith. In the natural world, a mother will do anything within her power for her young. Parents will go broke, give up everything, and even lay down their lives for their children. That’s love! Will those parents do the same things for their neighbor’s children? More importantly, will they sacrifice everything for children they don’t know or for people who have opposed them, attacked them, and hated them?
And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:2
In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul illustrated a divine perspective on the importance of love over gifts and works. We can show the most amazing acts of faith, but if they’re not powered by love through the Holy Spirit, they’re just acts. Despite having impressive spiritual gifts and abilities, Paul asserted that these accomplishments are meaningless without love. The absence of love nullifies any value of the gifts, thereby reducing the individual to “nothing.” The version of love used in Galatians and 1 Corinthians is the highest form. Agape (ἀγάπης), in the New Testament, was used to describe the fatherly love of God for humans, as well as the human reciprocal love for God. Only Agape love contained in faith and trust in Jesus defines us as God’s children.
As I left the morning worship service and headed towards our first prayer group meeting, I felt a transformation bubbling up. The weekend retreat changed from something I wasn’t sure about to something with eternal assuredness. This Agape love I had heard about for the first time unfolded in front of me over the next few days. Men poured out their deepest secrets to break the chains that tied them. We prayed over each other, sang, and devoted time to silent meditation. There was no denying God’s perfect, all-encompassing love through the weekend. After a meal and prayer, our group spontaneously kneeled down to wash our leader’s feet. It was incredible. No one said anything. It was unscripted. It was our unstoppable faith expressed in love.
Agape love isn’t a private devotional. Faith through love wasn’t created to be kept to itself. Love is not merely one aspect of the Christian life but its foundation and defining characteristic. The true value of a Christian’s life and ministry is measured by love. Talents, knowledge, and faith are significant, but they derive their true worth from being rooted in love. This is where all-or-nothing churches lose sight. Too many liberal churches compromise on essential Christian doctrines, such as the authority of Scripture, the divinity of Christ, and salvation through Jesus alone. In contrast, conservative churches overemphasize legalism and exclusivity. It’s not our works that save us; it’s the works through the Holy Spirit.
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;
2 Corinthians 5:14
I didn’t get this at first. What did Paul mean, we all died? Then, it became clear to me. Paul reminds us that Christ died to pay for all our sins, so spiritually speaking, true believers also died with Him when He was on the cross. Substitutionary atonement. He died in our place. While reading this, a passage not as old as Scripture came to mind, “Tous pour un, un pour tous” — All for One and One for all. Before it was used in French literature by Alexander Dumas in The Three Musketeers, Shakespeare used the Latin version in a poem. Switzerland adopted the motto “Unus pro omnibus, omnes pro uno” (One for all, all for one) as its unofficial national motto in the 19th century.
There is no better example of the supreme expression of God’s love than what Jesus did for us on the cross. “One for all.” When I think of the cross, I think of authentic, irreplaceable sacrifice. No one or nothing else could have realigned us with God. The cross was the ultimate sign of faith expressed in love. After three days of intense worship and prayer, I knew I had grown closer with my brothers that weekend. I learned to love people I didn’t know before and who I would probably never see again. It wasn’t kindness in and of itself but faith expressed in love. The retreat concluded with a large ceremony of attendees, sponsors, staff, and families. I knew three of the hundred or so people there. We had not prepared anything for our testimony, but it was spectacular! We were there for each other. We were there for Him. Love filled the room! “All for One.”
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
1 John 4:8
Key Application:
- Prioritize Faith and Love. Focus on nurturing your faith in Christ and expressing that faith through acts of love. Don’t check boxes; check in on others.
- Invest in building relationships characterized by genuine love and care. Listen to others, offer support, and build deep, meaningful connections. Let love be the foundation of your relationships.
- Concentrate on inner transformation through faith rather than just external conformity.
Spend time in prayer, Bible study, and spiritual disciplines that cultivate a heart aligned with God’s will. Let the transformation of your heart by the Holy Spirit be evident in how you love and serve others.