Faith is essential in the Christian's life, as it is the foundation upon which love operates. The faith we need is the faith that works by and through love. Love is defined as obedience to God's commandments. Therefore, the gift of faith from God, rooted in His love for us, leads us to submit and return that love to Him through our actions. This living faith is demonstrated throughout Hebrews 11, where individuals acted on their faith, showing that true faith is not merely intellectual but actively produces works motivated by love.

Faith working through love is what is important, in contrast to any work by itself. Love, which God has shed abroad in our hearts by His spirit, must be joined with faith in God, which He has also given, and then used in a manner pleasing to God, not the self. This combination of love and faith turns a person from self-centered to God-centered, changing their reasons for and how they do things. It enables them to see circumstances and events from a godly perspective, and this requires a growing process of development.

Faith that works by love is crucial to understanding what God truly desires from us. This kind of faith goes beyond mere intellectual assent to actively engaging in love, which is fundamentally expressed through keeping God's commandments. It is a faith that is warm, kind, generous, and serving, drawing others in benevolence rather than being rigid and cold. This faith is consistent with the way Jesus Christ lived, emphasizing not just the keeping of the law but doing so with an attitude of love. The essence of Christianity, as encapsulated in this concept, involves turning our faith and repentance into actions of love, which are rooted in commandment keeping but extend far beyond it. This dynamic of faith working through love is what truly matters in our spiritual lives.