Galatians 5:6
6 For [gar] in [en] Jesus [Iesous] Christ [Christos] neither [oute] circumcision
[peritome] availeth [ischuo] any thing [tis], nor [oute] uncircumcision [akrobustia];
but [alla] faith [pistis] which worketh [energeo] by [dia] love [agape]. KJV-Interlinear
6 For in Christ Jesus neither
circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love. NASB
Faith through love, is a phrase that most people simply
do not understand. Because for one
thing, they do not understand that faith is the result of the spiritual growth
process, and second, the definition of love, ‘agape,’ does not refer to the
emotional feelings, but rather to the content and principles of doctrine that
we learn within our daily bible study.
Human works, has been the subject thus far
throughout Galatians, and circumcision has been the example of doing or not
doing something, neither of which has anything to do with your spiritual life.
Thus far we have seen that anything that you can
do, renders it invalid as far as the spiritual life goes. If you can do something, then an unbeliever
can do it too.
Likewise, to pursue works, or any type of human
effort, ultimately makes you a slave to that effort. Which effort, produces nothing and therefore
leads to nothing, and thus traps you in a spiral going nowhere.
Faith, on the other hand, is the result of
spiritual growth. It is the result of
the learning process, wherein we study doctrine day after day, within the structure
of the daily study.
Love, ‘agape,’ is a reference to the principles, or
the nuts and bolts or the content of what is studied and therefore learned.
There are other words that describe the intimacy of
love, the feelings of friendship, the courtesy of acquaintances and so forth,
but all relationships are based ultimately upon the social structure of norms
and standards, that distinguishes right from wrong, truth from lie, the
fundamental fabric that guides the functions of society.
And in the spiritual realm, which is the highest
level of the function of relationships, bible doctrine is the foundation and
source of our relationship with God, and everything else.
It is the content of doctrine, which when learned, develops
into understanding, which leads to productivity, which leads to wisdom, which
culminates in a trust and confidence in God upon which faith ultimately rests.
Faith is not luck or a wish, but it based on the
substance of bible knowledge.
If your faith has no content, then your faith is
empty and useless.
The only way to develop legitimate faith and a
strong faith, is to pursue a daily study of the bible, and learn and learn and
keep on learning, every day of your life.
