What Is True Faith?
(Galatians 2:20)

What is true faith without any falsehood? What kind of life we should live to be recognized as true Christian not only by ourselves but also by others?

1. False faith
- Faith without love is false faith. * (1 Co 13:1-3)
1) Language and religion
① Though we speak foreign languages fluently
② Or speak very reasonably like an angel
③ We are only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal if we do not have love
2) Though we have all knowledge and a remarkable faith, but do not have love, we are nothing.
3) Though we impress others by our relief efforts for and devotion to the poor, but do not have love, we gain nothing.
- The substance of faith is God and God is love. Therefore, God does not dwell in the hearts that have not the fragrance of love any longer.

2. The cross and love
1) The love of God ? He offered His Son Jesus as a sacrifice on the cross.
2) The love of Christ
① His love toward God ? Absolute faith and obedience
② His love toward humans - The suffering He bore in our stead
3) Our faith ? putting off our old self
① Sins, inequities, and the old self which fell enslave to the devil
- Nailing disobedience, unbelief, avarice, and slavery to the world to the cross
② Becoming the new self clothed with faith, obedience, gentleness, humility, righteousness, and holiness
4) How to become the new self
① Bear the death of Jesus on the cross and repent of our old selves.
② Embrace Jesus as the master of life, believe in and obey Him.
③ Be resolved to live in love and relay on the Holy Spirit ? do away with hatred and resentment on the cross.

3. Faith without the cross
1) Arrogant, self-centered, and greedy life
2) Being the master of life, one uses God.
3) Having no repentance, one just criticizes and judges others.
4) One does not have love but a legalist religion.
5) One uses religion as a tool for gaining success and pleasure.

4. The law or the practice of love?
1) A passenger who was robbed and bleeding ? abject situation of desperate humans
2) A priest and a Levite ? a religious person who knows religion but does not live with God
3) A good Samaritan ? God exists in love.

Priests, Levities, Pharisee, Sadducees, and teachers of the law were passionate and religious people in time of Jesus. But it is ironic that they turned away from and stood against Jesus who is God, the substance of their religion. We shall be careful not to lose God, the substance of our faith, becoming a hollowed Christian with religion only.