23 Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 23 is the salutation of Ephesians.
23 Peace to the brethren,
“Peace” has to do with harmony among Christians in Ephesus. “Peace” is emphatic in the Greek text. “Brethren” are Christians who should operate in unity with each other.
and love with faith,
It is one thing to love but it is another to love with faith (1:15). It is necessary to couple our faith with love. Christians need to associate love with faith.
Ga 5: 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
from God the Father
Love and faithfulness come from both the Father and the Lord Jesus.
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul united the Father and the Son as both worthy of worship. Both are the source of these blessings.
PRINCIPLE:
Genuine faith shows itself by loving others.
APPLICATION:
Genuine faith shows itself in love. It is not passive and inactive. Faith does not need the law to move it toward love. Love energizes faith. God’s love is a great motivating power. Faith burns the fuel of God’s love.
External religion cannot displace dynamic faith; however, love energizes dynamic faith. We should not think that grace is passive and does not produce anything. It produces dynamic results because it is supernatural.
Christians who work and struggle in hope that somehow they will gain merit with God ultimately end in futility. They never arrive at or achieve their aim because they cannot live up to perfection. Religious rites cannot produce spirituality, for only God can take us to perfection. However, God’s love working in our faith will produce what we need. God does the providing. God’s love provides what we do not earn or deserve.
