Blameless in holiness

And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. – 1 Thessalonians 3.12-13

Love may be even more important than we normally think. In the context of abounding love Paul adds ‘that He may establish your heart blameless in holiness.' That looks like we we can’t be established in holiness unless we are abounding in love. 

I am not really sure how abounding in love ties in to holiness but there it is. 

I think it may be that love is the basis of all the rest. It is love that establishes us in the faith and when we are established in love, not because we have a list of rules and expectations that we have to fulfill, because love for God and love for others is what will bring us to the point where we are blameless in holiness. 

God is love. As we learn to love we become more like God. And as we become more like God we are established in love and holiness.  There can be no holiness if there is not love. We cannot be blameless without love. If our hearts are not established in love we can't progress any further.

There is at least some truth the the little phrase from a popular song. Love, Christ-centred love, does indeed change everything.