Is Love Required For Initial Salvation?

Gal 5:6 reads “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.” So once we have the proper kind of faith, that faith must begin to work “by love” (Gal 5:6) to complete (James 2:22) our initial salvation (unless you think one is saved via an incomplete faith), and should continue the rest of our life toward the goal of eternal salvation. When the book of Galatians and Acts chapter 15 talk about circumcision, the issue is whether or not one has to be circumcised to “be saved” (Acts 15:1), so when Gal 5:6 is talking about how circumcision does not avail but faith working by love does, it is asserting the necessity of faith working by love to salvation. All three attributes must be there for one to be saved. Love has to be the motivation for saving obedience – so say both Gal 5:6 and John 14:15 (“If ye love me, keep my commandments”).

James 1:12b also shows the necessary link between love and receiving the crown of life when it says “he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” I am pretty sure we would all agree the “crown of life” and going to heaven are synonymous, and so the teaching of the verse would be – a sinner cannot go to heaven without loving the Lord. Am I right?

John 14:21 reads “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” In one sense God loves everybody unconditionally (John 3:16), that is, He wants what’s best for everybody and sent His son so they could be saved eternally. But in another sense, God only loves those that love Him, meaning He only gives salvation to those who love Jesus by keeping his commandments. This is clearly taught by John 14:21 and 23 (“Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”). So God is not going to love anybody in the sense of giving them salvation from sin if they don’t love Jesus. Doesn’t John 14 make that abundantly clear?

I Cor 16:22 reads “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.” The word “anathema” means “a person or thing accursed or consigned to condemnation …” (dictionary.com). So if a sinner can believe and be baptized and be saved without loving Jesus, that would mean a person who dies “consigned to condemnation” (because he doesn’t love the Lord yet) is going to be saved. Does that even make sense?

For your further consideration: the following article is my attempt at an exhaustive list of what a sinner must do to be saved initially: https://bibledebates.wordpress.com/2012/11/09/what-must-i-do-to-be-saved/

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