It is the substance of an active, living faith. Empty and without the illumination of Grace inspired faith is the soul of a person who is outwardly righteous, but lacks love, and its primary expression, mercy. A person may be externally pious, and have all of the words of truth in their minds and on their lips, but if they lack a loving, merciful heart, they cannot help but fall into prideful selfrighteousness. They will perniciously judge others, and will gain no benefits from their knowledge and spiritual discipline. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing.
Love never faileth.
But to keep from judging others, from measuring and criticizing them, and from then harboring ill will in our hearts toward them for the faults we think we see in them, this takes true humility and honest love. The sin of judging others is fed by our pride and unwillingness to see our own faults, but first it is born of a cold, loveless heart. In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man 7 we see that the rich man, although his over indulgence was a shameful sin, was condemned not for this, but because he had no love or compassion for Lazarus whom he saw at the gate of his home. His lack of love for Lazarus was a manifestation of his lack of love of God, and his separation from Him, which continued after his death. Therefore, remember that everyone without exception is vitally important, because they bear the image of God, who created them, and so loves them that He gave Himself for them.