Faith and Love

[mbkjpreacher]

FAITH WHICH WORKETH BY LOVE 

For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
(Galatians 5:6 KJV)
 

My question, when does a person respond in love to God's love.  Before faith or after salvation?  

We love him, because he first loved us.
(1 John 4:19 KJV)
 

Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
(Romans 2:4 KJV)

 

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
(Romans 5:8 KJV)
 

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
(John 3:19-20 KJV)

The Bible says, we love Him because He first loved us.  But how can sinners love God when according to the Bible, they love darkness and hate the light.  It is understood that they love sin and hate God.  Would the conviction of the Holy Spirit concerning the fact of sin in the life of a person, its consequence, and the love of God bring men to a change of mind from loving sin to hatred of it to loving God?   Or if loving God only happens after salvation, how would the statement in Galatians 5: 6 which says, FAITH WHICH WORKETH BY LOVE be true?   It is common when a woman falls inlove with a man that she trusts him.   Is it true that faith and love are partners?  That faith works by love, and that it is when a sinner understands about God's love and Christ's sacrifice that he responds in love (changes his mind from loving sin to loving God) and trust in Jesus as Savior?