It's the good kind of answer. Jesus said, If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love. thus associating being in God's loving [grace] is linked to keeping Jesus' commandments. And 1 John 4:7-21 explains how love works in human experience and the link between human love and God's love. 1 John is dealing with saving faith's characteristics. Therefore quoting our Lord Jesus Christ and saint John the theologian risks conflating faith with works because faith without works is dead as saint James indicates when he writes, faith without works is dead (James 2:26)
To say "faith without works is dead" clearly differentiates between faith and works, even if there is a connection. They are not the same thing. Faith without works is dead because justification leads to good works. Not because justification is by works. A faith that has no works is simply the same kind of mere belief that devils have.
Furthermore, the commandments at question are:
1Jn 3:23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
The first commandment is literally "faith"! And after faith, we are commanded to love. This is no works-righteousness pattern here. First, this is that same faith which justifies without the works of the law:
Rom 4:4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Rom 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Rom 4:6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
Next, this same "love" is naturally included in that which God works in the believer:
Php_2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
And it gets better. This same faith and love in other parts of scripture are even given to us, we who were unwilling and unloving:
Eph_2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Since you are Catholic, from Augustine's commentary on it. He basically summarizes my entire position at the same time too:
"And he says that a man is justified by faith and not by works, because faith itself is first given, from which may be obtained other things which are specially characterized as works, in which a man may live righteously. For he himself also says, "By grace you are saved through faith; and this not of yourselves; but it is the gift of God," Ephesians 2:8 —that is to say, "And in saying 'through faith,' even faith itself is not of yourselves, but is God's gift." "Not of works," he says, "lest any man should be lifted up." (Augustine, On the Predestination of the Saints Ch. 12)
Thus there is nothing that we can do to earn our salvation-- not even our faith and love-- because all these things are given to us who did not merit them, nor are they maintained by our merits, but everything is given gratuitously. Our good works, our love, our faith, our perseverance, all of these things are gifts to wretched sinners.
Re: Romans 4:4-- Works of the law, yes, and?
My assumption is that you will next say "He means not following the Jewish law." But Paul in chapter 3 lists the following things, all of which are clearly refer to the moral and universal law:
None are righteous
No one understands or seeks God
No one does anything good
All are liars with poison in our lips, full of cursing and bitterness
All are swift to shed blood,
All have destruction and misery in their ways, and know not the way of peace
And none have any fear of God.
Paul concludes after going through this list, none of which can be said to stem from mere circumcision or whatnot, or any of the relics of the Mosaic law:
"Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
(Rom 3:19-20)
Thus Paul is not merely denying the necessity of following the Jewish rituals and other such things--- but speaks of the entirety of the moral law of its inability to be kept or to save, but only to instruct in our own sinfulness and guilt.
