6506 Faith without love is dead....

March 20, 1956: Book 70

Living faith alone opens the kingdom of heaven for you.... And only a few people have this living faith, because it requires a life of love. You first must understand the term 'faith': You can certainly affirm a doctrine in order not to contradict it, you can even inwardly believe this doctrine to be possible, but the firm conviction is not yet within you, and then it is not a living faith either, the faith which helps you to be saved.... And thus faith in Jesus Christ and His act of Salvation can only be addressed as 'faith' when the human being is inwardly fully convinced that God Himself came to earth in Jesus in order to suffer and die for people, in order to redeem people's sinfulness, thus to redeem them.... And this inner conviction will only be in the human being when love is also in him.... when he shows love towards God and the human being, thus having awakened faith within himself through this love. Precisely this difference between a living faith and a formal faith is so tremendously important because Jesus Christ Himself said: "He who believes in Me shall live for ever..." With these words, however, He never meant a shallow formal faith, the acceptance of a teaching without contradiction, but also without inner conviction. For the right faith in Jesus Christ brings about a change in the way of life, a self-transformation into love, and love brightens the spirit which now gives the human being such a clear knowledge about the divine Redeemer Jesus Christ that no doubt, no indifference, and no dead faith will find room in him anymore, but everything will gain life and a relationship will be established between the human being and the divine Saviour and Father from eternity which will also guarantee entry into the kingdom of light after the body's passing away.... A dead faith can never replace love, which alone is valued in the spiritual kingdom.... And thus no person can acquire the kingdom of heaven who lacks love either. When Jesus Christ promises life to people who believe in Him, He presupposes love, which is what makes faith come to life in the first place, for Jesus did not speak of a dead faith, because all His words were only truth and life and His words never concealed a false meaning.... a meaning which people made up for themselves as it suited them.... Jesus spoke only of living faith.... But what people often call by the word 'faith' are rather empty phrases, they are acquired terms, ceremonies that have become a habit, which Jesus Christ does not allow to suffice Himself in order to make people happy with eternal life.... Yet it is already a considerable advantage for the soul if it is not an opponent of Jesus Christ, if it did not openly reject Him on earth, for then its thoughts can at least be directed towards the One Who can open the gates for it if it turns to Him in complete trust.... even though it can take endless periods of time until it sends this living call to Him.... But it will only attain 'life' in the kingdom of the beyond through loving activity, which it can then exercise on unhappy souls who, like itself, are dead in spirit. A life in the spiritual kingdom requires love, and where love is already practised on earth faith in Jesus Christ is also a living one, and this faith is therefore the guarantee for 'life in eternity'.... as Jesus Himself promised....

Amen

This proclamation is used in the following themebook:

Themebook	Title	Download
164	Jesus Promises - "He Who Believes In Me Will Live Forever!"	ePub   PDF   Kindle

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