It’s usually an argument about faith. Must we cross all the T’s and dot all the I’s for salvation? Paul makes it clear that we can’t earn our way, and that faith in Christ saves us. But he also talks about a lot of things we should do. I usually say that we don’t do thing to be saved but because we are saved. James puts it more effectively when he says, “Faith without works is dead” (see James 2:14-22).
In other words, faith is a verb, not a noun. It’s an action, not a thing.
So we can miss seeing that love is also a verb. That’s the gist of the book of 1 Corinthians. It governs our unity. It guides how we treat each other. It changes the way we view our rights and our opportunities to serve.
Paul explains it, but John puts it succinctly.
Little children, let’s not love with words or speech but with action and truth. (1 John 3:18, CEB)
Peace.
(By the way, if you get some encouragement out of these missives, why not think of another person who would also, and take action. Share the resource.)