13. An Internal Acknowledgment of Truth, Namely Faith, Is Possible Only in People Motivated by Charity
We said above what faith is. We will now say what charity is. In its first origin charity is an affection for goodness; and because goodness loves truth, it produces an affection for truth, and through that affection an acknowledgment of truth, which is faith. Through this progression the affection for goodness finds expression and becomes charity.
This is the progression of charity from its origin, that is, from an affection for goodness, through faith, which is an acknowledgment of truth, to its end, which is charity. The end being the act.
It is apparent from this how love, namely an affection for goodness, produces faith, which is the same as an acknowledgment of truth, and through that faith produces charity, which is the same as an act of love through faith.
