The Sign of the Church, Faith and Love

Faith and Love

(Ephesians 1:15-16)

Paul heard news about the believers in the church of Ephesus and was relieved. This was because they had faith and love.

1. Faith That Honors Jesus as Lord
Their faith did not merely honor Jesus as Savior, but as their Master. Many people today claim they believe in Jesus, but they see Him only as a means of salvation and do not acknowledge His sovereignty. Acknowledging His authority requires us to submit to His rule. No matter how much time passes, if a person only acknowledges Jesus as Savior, when the time comes, the love they first had will eventually die out. In contrast, people who believe Jesus as their Savior certainly regard Him as Master who rules over them, and people who honor Him as Master this way will be saved.

2. Indiscriminate Love
Their love was an indiscriminate love for other believers. Mankind is without this love, as it only comes from God. This love actually testifies that we received the grace of God’s redemption, and it is proof of the grace we received. Even if people talk about faith – those who refuse to love either prove that they are unworthy of receiving God’s grace, show they do not believe in the love of His redemption, or show that they did not understand what redemption they received from the start.

3. Power to Preserve the Church
The power to preserve the church is by keeping the Lord’s command, “Love each other”. This command is not enforced, but if you are somebody who acknowledges Christ’s sovereignty, you should be determined to keep it. Faith that honors the Lord and love for other believers are directly connected to Christ’s redemption. If faith is without these, it has no strength to protect us from disaster. Let’s stop the devil from invading by acknowledging Christ’s sovereignty and obeying the command of love. Let’s make sure that our church is filled with Christ’s hope.

Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim