Faith Working Through Love

Galatians 5:2-6

2 Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. 3 And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. 4 You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.

Paul was not opposed to circumcision. His opposition was to those who attempted to obtain their righteousness through being circumcised and keeping the other commandments of the law. The redemption Christ purchased did not profit them. They looked to their own ability to keep the law for their righteousness rather than looking to Jesus. By seeking to be justified by the law they alienated themselves from Christ and fell from grace. Falling from grace does not mean they have lost their salvation. It means they have abandoned grace for legalism, and by doing so, they have made faith ineffective. On the contrary, those who seek to be justified by faith are waiting hopefully for their righteousness to be made complete through the work of the Spirit. Therefore, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters for those who are justified by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. The difference between righteous deeds done as an act of legalism compared to righteous deeds done in faith is the former are done out of obligation and the latter are motivated by love.

It is not as though the legalist has no faith. The Pharisees were legalists, but they also had tremendous faith in God. They attempted to relate to the Lord through keeping the law rather than being motivated by love. If you do not allow your love for God and love for others to guide your actions, you can still do what is right. The problem is you are doing it out of duty. You may appear righteous externally by doing what is right, but your heart is still corrupt. When you respond to the Lord in faith, your perspective completely changes. You realize He has given you what you never could have earned through your own feeble attempts to keep the law. The gift of salvation by grace provokes you to love the Lord and others. Such a change of heart pleases the Lord and is necessary for salvation. The result is your faith produces good works that are motivated by love. It is not enough to just have faith because faith without works is dead. Neither will it suffice to just do good works. Good works that are not motivated by love are empty and do not bear any lasting fruit. True salvation will be evident when your faith can be seen working through love.