To Love is to Act

 

In Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Church in Corinth, he tells the congregation of three important virtues that must be prevalent among them if they are to experience unity, fulfilling lives, and genuine love. He tells them of faith, hope, and love.

Unlike the fairy tale pie-in-the-sky wishy washy type attributes that the world portrays these three as having, the Bible lets us know that all three are not static and passive in nature but very active.

James the Just says that faith without works is dead, useless and without any substance. That’s because we need to act on the faith we’re claiming to possess, even if that means being still and knowing, or standing firm and remaining steadfast, or trusting and believing without seeing.

Faith is about patiently waiting and persevering, and being sure of an unknown future or outcome, it’s being obedient to the voice of God, confident that what God says He will do He will indeed do.

Paul says that hope is not hope if what we’re hoping for can be seen – that’s pointless.

Hope is having a confident dependence and expectation on God. It’s believing and trusting, patiently waiting, laying aside all other confidences, and depending completely on the unseen and the not as yet received.

Hope is not wishful thinking; it is steadfast assurance in the goodness and faithfulness of God to fulfill His promise.

Scripture tells us that of the three – faith, hope and love – the most important and the greatest is Love.

Love is the anchor, the clasp that holds the three together. Without Love in the mix, the other two are meaningless. Love is the essential ingredient that brings them together – it is the binding agent.

Most people believe that love is a feeling dependent on emotions and moods but according to 1 Corinthians 13, to love is to act.

I’m not saying that love cannot be felt, of course we can feel loved but the question here is how to love. Genuine love is demonstrated through action. Just as to demonstrate faith is to act and to demonstrate hope is to act.

To Love is to act in a particular way. It’s the way in which we treat each other. It is meeting others’ needs without expecting anything in return.

Love is being patient, showing kindness, being good-natured, accepting others as they are without judgment; it’s about forgiving, protecting, helping, trusting, acting selflessly, and not counting the cost.

Love is giving, for God so loved, that He gave.

God gave all for you because of His love for you.

God sacrificed the life of His only child so that you could live free.

God acted selflessly, giving up all the comfort of heaven to die the death you deserved, suffering the judgment meant for you – He took your place, taking on the burden of all your sins. He was innocent yet He hung on a cruel cross, crucified because He loves you.

Beloved, God loved and so He acted. So too, when you love you must act.

Amen†

Shelley Johnson “To Love is to Act” © 2016 revisited July 13, 2025