Love as a Remedy for Guilt

The Concise Oxford English Dictionary describes the word "guilt" as:

a feeling of having done wrong or failed in an obligation. An obligation, according to the same dictionary, means: an act or course of action to which a person is morally or legally bound.

Love is motivation to action: we need love in order to fulfil the things that are required of us. Without love we are unable to do the things we are meant to do. If we fail to do what we are morally or legally bound to do, we end-up with a sense of guilt; or as the dictionary puts it: a feeling of having done wrong or failed in an obligation.

But if we are made aware of what love is from the Bible, and the fact that it must be received from God, we can be set free from guilt. A proper knowledge of what love is, sets us free from trying to do what love is, and does, in our own effort. A failure to walk in love can be attributed, at least in part, to a failure to understand that God is love (see 1 John 4:16) and that only God is good (see Matthew 19:17). Love is not something we do, but moreover, something that we receive.

An understanding of righteousness also sets us free from a sense of guilt. Righteousness means that we are accepted by God as we are without condemnation.

The Old Testament asserted that we had to try to adhere to God’s perfect standards – something that mankind could never do. The sacrifice of Christ paved the way for the New Testament which, for those who believe, makes God our Father and we His children.

In the same manner as an earthly father-son relationship, our Father in Heaven is longsuffering towards us and accepts us as we are, knowing that we grow in His grace as we learn more about Jesus.

As we transition our thinking from an Old Testament perspective to the New – the way we see God changes: we no longer see God as a harsh taskmaster, keen to punish the most minor slip-up. Now we see God as being our loving Heavenly fathe - kind, gentle and loving towards us, eager to see us grow and develop, only punishing us in order to correct us.

A major part of this development is the knowledge of what love is and that it is not akin to sheer willpower alone. As soon as you begin to really understand a particular aspect of God’s love by studying the Word, you gain a sense of relief as you realise that it is something that you can never achieve in your own effort.

The Bible says in 1 John 5:3 that His commandments are not burdensome. In Matthew 11:30, Jesus Himself said, My yoke is easy and My burden is light. If love was something that we could do ourselves, then it would be burdensome. But love is something that we receive from God, and as such, it is not burdensome.The knowledge of love brings a relief to those people who feel utterly weighed-down by the demands of religion and other people.

The knowledge of love, what it is and its true Source - exposes self-righteousness for what it is and debunks the kind of religion pioneered by the Pharisees, scribes and chief priests of Jesus’ time. The knowledge of love exposes fraudsters and highlights self-righteousness for the sham that it is.

Hope Versus Dread, Fear and Despair

Hope is the opposite of despair. The Concise Oxford English Dictionary says that despair means: The complete loss or absence of hope.

The word despair only appears once in the King James Version of the Bible. Although the Greek word used is also translated as despaired in another verse of the New Testament.

According to Strong’s Dictionary of Greek Words, the Greek word exaporeomai translated despair and despaired in the King James Version, means:

Middle voice from G1537 and G639; to be utterly at a loss, that is, despond: - (in) despair.

According to Thayer’s Greek Definitions, this Greek word means:

1) to be utterly at loss, be utterly destitute of measures or resources, to renounce all hope, be in despair

Joseph Thayer uses the term to renounce all hope in his description of despair. So despair is the opposite of hope. It stands to reason that if a person has this hope aspect of love in their life, they will be unable to succumb to despair.

Despair comes when a person seems to have no other option than to trust in their own limited ability, other people, or the circumstances of life. Despair is always the result of an absence of God or simply not being made perfect in love.

The word dread is closely related to the word despair; the Concise Oxford English Dictionary describes the word dread as: great fear or apprehension. Dread is fear and often manifests itself as a vague sense of foreboding – as if something bad is going to happen, although you do not quite know what.

This is the total opposite of the Biblical concept of hope, which is the Greek word elpizō (G1679) (verb) or elpis (G1680) (noun). Hope is the expectation of good, whereas, fear is the expectation of bad. Fear or dread, just like hope can be either vague and generic or it can be specific.

Fear is caused by an absence of love, and therefore, is separation from God. Fear is the result of spiritual death. Fear, therefore, can be seen as encompassing a whole range of negative attributes, such as anger, bitterness, pride, envy and so on. More specifically though, fear is usually a negative expectancy of a future event. Fear is a projection of past, negative experiences into the future. I would therefore say that fear, the strictest sense of the word, is despair.

We see despair in action in story of the disciples in the boat during a storm at sea in Matthew 8. Jesus put a demand on His disciples for love that would rise above despair. Jesus knew precisely how they would respond. But the fact that He acted as if they should have been calm, suggests that through Him it is possible to maintain peace even when it seems that your life is in danger. Obviously, something supernatural is required here. See John 14:26-27.

If the disciples had the peace that Jesus promised in John 14:27 – they would not have reacted the way they did; it would have been impossible for them to do so, because John 4:18 says that perfect love casts out fear.

If fear is despair or dread and if hope is the attribute of love that is the closest equal opposite of despair or dread, then we could read John 4:18 as:
There is no despair in hope; but perfect hope casts out despair, because despair involves torment. But he who despairs has not been made perfect in hope. We could also read that verse, substituting the word "fear" with "dread".

It seems rather difficult for the mind to grasp spiritual concepts such as love. Only the recreated spirit of man can receive the things of God as the Holy Spirit reveals them. Too many Christians are still living according to a works mentality: they take the responsibility of love upon themselves without knowing how to access it.

When a believer develops knowledge of what love really is and that it only comes from God, it sets him free from the burden of having to live right by his own strength and his own understanding. A works mentality spurns God’s love and welcomes guilt.

Faith Works by Trust and Hope

I am convinced that faith will not work without love, because faith requires the two vital ingredients of love that we have just studied: belief (or trust) and hope. According to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, the word hope means:

1 A feeling of expectation and desire. A cause or source of hope. Grounds for hoping.
2 Archaic: a feeling of trust.

Again, we are directed towards trust, as hope is a feeling of trust in archaic terms. The modern sense of hope is an expectation and desire. We often say thing like, “I hope things will go well at my job interview next week.” Kenneth E. Hagin and E.W. Kenyon have both written about the difference between faith and hope. Hope says, “I’ll have the promise someday.” Whereas, faith says, “I have it now.”

Faith and Love Are Interdependant

The Theologian John Gill suggests that faith and love are interdependant, as his description of 1 Thessalonians 5:8, in John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible, includes the following statement:

Faith may answer to the former, and love to the latter: these two graces go together, faith works by love, and love always accompanies faith; as there can be no true faith where there is no love, so there is no true love where faith is wanting.

We know that faith works by love because of what Galatians 5:6 says. But we also know that faith or trust is an aspect of love, because of what 1 Corinthians 13:7 says. I believe that all the components of love are interdependent: you cannot be kind to someone, for instance, unless you are longsuffering towards them; neither can you believe God for a miracle if you do not forgive a person, and therefore, are not longsuffering towards them.

Faith Works By Love

We know from Galatians 5:6 that faith works by love.

6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
Galatians 5:6 KJV

When people say that faith works by love, they often mean in respect to the necessity of walking in love in order for faith to work.

Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary says the following about faith working by love in Galatians 5:6:

faith which worketh by love — Greek, “working by love.” This corresponds to “a new creature” (Galatians 6:15), as its definition. Thus in Galatians 5:5, Galatians 5:6, we have the three, “faith,” “hope,” and “love.” The Greek expresses, “Which effectually worketh”; which exhibits its energy by love (so 1 Thessalonians 2:13). Love is not joined with faith in justifying, but is the principle of the works which follow after justification by faith. Let not legalists, upholding circumcision, think that the essence of the law is set at naught by the doctrine of justification by faith only. Nay, “all the law is fulfilled in one word - love,” which is the principle on which “faith worketh” (Galatians 5:14). Let them, therefore, seek this “faith,” which will enable them truly to fulfil the law. Again, let not those who pride themselves on uncircumcision think that, because the law does not justify, they are free to walk after “the flesh” (Galatians 5:13). Let them, then, seek that “love” which is inseparable from true faith (James 2:8, James 2:12-22). Love is utterly opposed to the enmities which prevailed among the Galatians (Galatians 5:15, Galatians 5:20). The Spirit (Galatians 5:5) is a Spirit of “faith” and “love” (compare Romans 14:17; 1 Corinthians 7:19).

Conclusion

The faith that we are to seek is, first and foremost, knowing that we are the righteousness of God in Christ. (See 2 Cor. 5:21). We are justified by faith, apart from works of the law. (See Gal. 2:16). We also have the argument that we are justified by works and not by faith only. (See James 2:24). Perhaps we will expound on James’ argument in more detail, in the light of grace, in another post.

I believe that the Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary on Galatians 5:6, is seeking to bring these arguments into balance. However, I would say that our justification by faith is a complete work and that we are never to become disillusioned by our behaviour or performance, to the point of doubting our own justification by faith.

What I believe James is saying here is that if we are justified by faith, that power will naturally manifest itself in our lives. Love is the power behind faith, so that when we have faith, we experienced the fruit of everything that the Bible says love is.

What Is Faith?

The Greek word pistis (G4102) appears a total of 244 times in the King James Version of the Bible. It is translated as faith 239 times and assurance, belief, believe, believeth and fidelity 1 time.

According to Strong’s Dictionary of Greek Words, the Greek word pistis (G4102) translated faith in the King James Version, means:

From G3982; persuasion, that is, credence; moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly constancy in such profession; by extension the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself: - assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity.

According to Thayer’s Greek Definitions, this Greek word means:

1) conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it
1a) relating to God
1a1) the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ
1b) relating to Christ
1b1) a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God
1c) the religious beliefs of Christians
1d) belief with the predominate idea of trust (or confidence) whether in God or in Christ, springing from faith in the same
2) fidelity, faithfulness
2a) the character of one who can be relied on

Faith, therefore, is the conviction or persuasion that something is true. Again, we see the connection between belief (or faith) and trust. Joseph Thayer makes this link in his description of the Greek word for faith:

1d) belief with the predominate idea of trust (or confidence) whether in God or in Christ, springing from faith in the same

The Fruit of the Spirit and the Flesh

Faith is one of the fruits of the Sprit listed by Paul in Galatians 5:22. There are many Christians who agree that the fruit of the Spirit are all aspects of love.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Galatians 5:22-26

Crucifixion of the Flesh

Look at the sequence by which Paul presents the components of this text - it makes perfect sense. Paul lists the qualities that the Holy Spirit brings to our re-created Spirit in verses 22 and 23. He then goes on in verse 24 to say that the only way you can truly belong to Christ and to experience His presence in your life – is to deal with the flesh nature.

One way of seeing this is that this crucifixion of the flesh is something that we must do. This effort is open to interpretation: some would say that we have to control our conduct; some would say that we must guard our heart and maintain good attitudes and motives.

Whilst others would say that verse 24 is past tense, “have crucified the flesh”. We can link this to what we read in Romans 6:3-4. We were buried with Him through baptism into death. If we died with Him, so to speak, then we are Christ’s and we have crucified the flesh – because Jesus crucified our flesh for us.

The Living Bible renders verse 24 in the following way: Those who belong to Christ have nailed their natural evil desires to his cross and crucified them there.

The key to a wonderful Christian life is to be surrendered to the Holy Spirit and follow His direction in everything that you do. The Living Bible expresses this wonderfully in verse 25: If we are living now by the Holy Spirit's power, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives.

The Contemporary English Version puts it this way: God's Spirit has given us life, and so we should follow the Spirit. To live in the Spirit means that as believers in Christ we have been born again, made alive together with Christ and the Holy Spirit lives in us. If we have the Holy Spirit in us now, we should live a life that expresses this truth, not just a mere sentiment. This is not a commandment, as such; this is a promise – hallelujah!

John Wesley’s Explanatory Notes says, regarding verse 25:
If we live by the Spirit - If we are indeed raised from the dead, and are alive to God, by the operation of his Spirit. Let us walk by the Spirit - Let us follow his guidance, in all our tempers, thoughts, words, and actions.

Faith is a Fruit

This wonderful Spirit-filled and Spirit-led life that Paul describes is dependant on faith. But before we all go beating ourselves up because we feel we have not got enough faith, consider this: faith is a fruit of the spirit – it is a gift from God.
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary connects the word faith in Galatians 5:22 to “believes all things” in 1 Corinthians 13:7, as well as to a general trustfulness:
faith — “faithfulness”; opposed to “heresies” [Bengel]. Alford refers to 1 Corinthians 13:7, “Believeth all things”: faith in the widest sense, toward God and man. “Trustfulness” [Conybeare and Howson].

Faith Comes By Hearing…

Contrary to what Word of Faith teaches: faith does not come from making continual , scriptural confessions. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God being preached. (Rom. 10:17). Of course, we cannot develop faith by merely being given rules, or even formulas and principles – we need to be told who we are in Christ – what He has already done for us.