General News
19 October, 2025
In good faith
IN GOOD FAITH: ‘And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more in knowledge and depth of insight’ (Phillippians 1:9).
We’re all familiar with a bank statement, telling us how much money we’ve made or lost in the last year. But what would you think if you received a statement on your spiritual growth?
The Christian faith is founded upon God’s love for us. You may have heard it preached that we are ‘saved by grace.’ God’s grace is nothing more nor less than His undeserved love for us. If we take our faith seriously and grow in love for each other, then we will naturally grow in our faith as well.
The Greek word St. Paul uses for ‘love’ is agape. This is a selfless, self-giving sort of love that is not reserved for a certain group of people. And isn’t it hard to show that sort of love!
What St. Paul actually wrote was ‘And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more in knowledge and depth of insight’(Phil. 1:9). This is what sets earthly love and Christian love apart. Christian love comes from the knowledge of God, and we must remember that if our love for others is to grow then we must continue learning about God, because God is the source of love!
But we must be on guard against ourselves. We may know our Bibles from cover to cover and still be some of the most unloving people of all. We need to recognise that all that we know and all that we are is a gift of God – and that includes our love for others! You see, because God is the source of love, He is also the definition of love!
When we are strong in God’s love for us, we can discern right from wrong. At the same time, when we remain in His Word, God will keep us humble and remind us that we are saved by His love for us in Jesus Christ, and not our own love for others. Through faith we’ll be able to produce the fruit that God wants – love, without falling into the trap of harsh judgementalism on one hand, or unrepentant sin on the other.
So ask yourselves – have you grown in faith, hope or love in the last year? Have you made an effort to know more and more about Christ, and to exercise His unconditional love towards others and yet differentiating between right and wrong? God wants us to love others, not to make us righteous, but because He has made us righteous, and the righteousness of Christ expresses itself in love.
God has invested in you. He has planted you and fed you with His grace and love in Christ Jesus, not so that you would remain the same for ever, not so that we will grow stale and cold, not so that we can be all ‘holier than thou’ and judgemental, but so that we may grow in faith towards Him, and in holy love towards others.
By Lucas Matuschka