Lets take a look at the word "love" from the perspective of the creator. The original language God's word was written in was in Hebrew. So to get the best understanding of what God is saying, it's helpful to know a little Hebrew. First off, the Hebrew word for love is "Ahava," (אַהֲבָה) If you break this word down in Hebrew you will see that the root word of this word means "give."
So here you have it, love is ALWAYS connected to giving. Of course in reverse and looking at this purely from a linguistic point of view, you can see that giving is not always connected to loving. It's interesting to note though how the word love can not even exist without giving, because true love requires giving.
Now the word "faith" in Hebrew is the broken down in a very similar way. In fact, in Hebrew, faith is an action word. "Faith" cannot exist without action. Without action, faith ceases from being faith! In fact, this word in Hebrew actually translates closer to the word "persistence" than a firm belief in something. (Faith is more like getting through a workout, not just simply knowing what a one rep max is.)This is why in James 2:14-17, James is so pressed on expressing the idea that faith without works is dead. In Hebrew this concept makes total sense, especially linguistically! If you read these passages, James is showing how pointless it would be to preach the Gospel to a stranger, without addressing an obvious physical need. (We are to Give) True faith requires love, which of course requires GIVING.
This is such an obvious concept, but of course I have had the long arguments with people who cling so tightly to the westernized concept "By Faith alone" (which is great) but of course we must understand what faith actually is, before we can stand on it. I agree, we are saved on faith, but keep in mind that faith is defined as being more than knowing a fact. Simply knowing this knowledge, does not redeem. It is a step, but not the complete process. In short, love requires giving, but giving does not always require love. Faith requires action but action doesn't always require faith.
So here you have it, love is ALWAYS connected to giving. Of course in reverse and looking at this purely from a linguistic point of view, you can see that giving is not always connected to loving. It's interesting to note though how the word love can not even exist without giving, because true love requires giving.
Now the word "faith" in Hebrew is the broken down in a very similar way. In fact, in Hebrew, faith is an action word. "Faith" cannot exist without action. Without action, faith ceases from being faith! In fact, this word in Hebrew actually translates closer to the word "persistence" than a firm belief in something. (Faith is more like getting through a workout, not just simply knowing what a one rep max is.)This is why in James 2:14-17, James is so pressed on expressing the idea that faith without works is dead. In Hebrew this concept makes total sense, especially linguistically! If you read these passages, James is showing how pointless it would be to preach the Gospel to a stranger, without addressing an obvious physical need. (We are to Give) True faith requires love, which of course requires GIVING.
This is such an obvious concept, but of course I have had the long arguments with people who cling so tightly to the westernized concept "By Faith alone" (which is great) but of course we must understand what faith actually is, before we can stand on it. I agree, we are saved on faith, but keep in mind that faith is defined as being more than knowing a fact. Simply knowing this knowledge, does not redeem. It is a step, but not the complete process. In short, love requires giving, but giving does not always require love. Faith requires action but action doesn't always require faith.