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Master Life
Lesson Eight
The Law And Love
If grace and the law are not opposites but loving partners, what about the law and love? Do they work together or against each other?
"If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself,' you do well." [James 2:8, NKJV]
What Is Love?
When we ask, "What is love?" most Christians would instantly reply, "Read 1 Corinthians 13." In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul gives us an excellent summary of love and shows its results. If you love, you will be kind, patient, trusting.... But what is a practical, rubber-meets-the-road explanation of how to love daily and constantly?
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"Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." [Matt. 22:35-40, NKJV]
"Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, You shall not covet', and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.' Love does no harm to a neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law." [Rom. 13:8-10, NKJV]
Did you see what Jesus and Paul said? "Love is the fulfillment of the law." If we love God and love our neighbour, we have kept the entire Law! Or, to put it the other way around, the entire Law explains how we are to love God and love our neighbour. The Law is God's instruction manual on what He calls Love! The Law is very practical [that's why we don't like it].
The Law is God's definition of Love. It will not fit the world's definition of Love. It may not even fit our definition, but God's definition is the only one that counts. With the Law, we cannot evade our responsibilities with vague definitions or changeable emotions. We must deal with the issues of Love as given in the Bible head-on.
Marriage is an excellent example. When two people get married, they pledge their commitment to love each other. Is that love based on the whims of emotions? Is it based on individual definitions? If the marriage is to last, love must mean something deeper. It must be [on a conscious or unconscious level] based on a commitment to the laws of marriage. That is Love.
What is going to happen if both partners are not committed to the laws governing marriage? The marriage is likely to fall apart sooner or later. As soon as one partner thinks he or she would be better off by themselves or with someone else, off they go. When the responsibilities get too heavy or the bills get too high, one of them abandons ship. In a marriage not built on the laws of marriage, there may be affection and enjoyment, but there cannot be Biblical Love.
Let's look at a couple of examples of Love from the Law.
"You shall not hate your brother in your heart; but you shall surely rebuke your neighbour, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take revenge or bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord." [Lev. 19:17-19, Amp.]
Who are we talking about? This selection of Scripture is referring to the brother, neighbour, and the "son of your people." In a New Testament context, we would say it regards fellow Christians [in the Old Testament context, it meant other Israelites].
How does this law teach us to love other Christians? First, we are forbidden to hate them, even in the deepest corner of our hearts. Nothing is hidden from God, and if we harbour hatred, He will surely see it. How does the New Testament support this application?
"He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brothers abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But He who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes." [1 John 2:9-11, NKJV]
The New Testament does not mince words. If we hate our brother, contrary to the Law, then we are not in God's light at all! That's pretty strong confirmation.
Second, if we see a Christian breaking the Law, we are to rebuke him. In other words, we are to go and [gently if possible] tell him he is breaking the Law, proving it from Scripture if necessary. [We need to be open in case we are the ones who are wrong, and we should always operate in a spirit of love and not condemnation.] Leviticus teaches that if we see the sin and do not warn him, we ourselves have sinned.
We're right back to the old question that Cain asked God in Genesis 4:9: "Am I my brother's keeper?" God's answer was, in effect, "Yes, you are."
How does the New Testament handle this?
"Moreover, if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother." [Matt. 18:15, NKJV]
When the offence is against us personally, this is where we begin. If he refuses to repent and work out a solution according to Biblical Law, then the situation escalates Biblically unto some conclusion is reached. The matter is not left to hang in the air. A resolution must be reached, even if it goes to the ultimate church penalty - excommunication.
Yes, but what if I witness a fellow Christian sin and it isn't against me personally?
"Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins." [James 5:19-20, NKJV]
"Even if a man should be detected in some sin, my brothers, the spiritual ones among you should quietly set him back on the right path, not with any feeling of superiority but being yourselves on guard against temptation. Carry each other's burdens and so live out the law of Christ." [Gal. 6:1-2, Phillips]
Again, the New Testament confirms the Old Testament definitions of Love. [And what is this about the Law of Christ if Christ did away with the Law? More on that when we get to what Jesus and the Apostles taught on the Law.]
Third, we are forbidden to take revenge or hold a grudge against another Christian. Our dealings and relationships with each other must be out of good conscience. We belong to God. When the civil government fails in its duty of justice, it is up to God to see justice done. We are not to react out of personal grudges or desires for revenge.
"Don't pay back a bad turn to anyone. See that your public behaviour is above criticism. As far as your responsibility goes, live at peace with everyone. Never take vengeance into your own hands, my dear friends; stand back and let God punish if He will. For it is written 'vengeance belongeth unto me: I will recompense, saith the Lord.' And it is also written: 'if thine enemy hunger feed him; if he thirst, give him to drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.' Don't allow yourself to be overpowered by evil. Take the offensive - overpower evil with good!" [Rom. 12:17-21, Phillips]
God will see justice done; we are to leave it in His hands. And yet again, we have New Testament confirmation of our Old Testament Law. Do you see how the New Testament is actually built on the principles of Old Testament Law, and that Law explains Love?
Fourth, and finally, we are commanded [yes, commanded] to love each other as we love ourselves. Now, where have we heard that before?
"Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." [Matt. 7:12, NKJV]
The Law is confirmed again. The Law shows us how to love other Christians. If we have to love Christians by treating them lawfully, does that mean we can take advantage of non-Christians? Can we take advantage of them because they are not saved? What does Love in the Law have to say about this?
"And if a stranger dwells temporarily with you in your land, you shall not suppress and mistreat him. But the stranger who dwells with you shall be to you as one born among you; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God." [Lev. 19:33-34, Amp.]
Do we have the right to oppress the stranger [to the covenant], the non-Christian? No. We are to treat them fairly and as justly as we are commanded to treat Christians. The Law never allows us to abuse anyone. The Law is Love and Love is the Law.
Why does God, through the Law, command us to love the stranger to the covenant? The reason is simple. At one time, we were all strangers to the covenant, and not one Christian can honestly say he deserves to be a Christian. Because the stranger is where we once were, we are to love him in hope that one day he will be where we are by the grace of God.
Also, we see that in a Christian country, a person is entitled to justice under the Law regardless of whether he is a citizen or a Christian. Love is not partial but fair and just. Ancient societies were just the opposite. If you were not a citizen, you had no or very little protection under their laws. You were at the mercy of the citizens.
The same was true of slavery in America, England, and Canada before it was abolished. The slaves had no protection under the law. Their master was their highest law. A truly Biblical system would have prevented this, for it teaches that all men stand equal before the Law. And again, isn't that Love?
Now let's look at something Jesus said and see if it supports what we have said about Love and the Law.
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you." [Matt. 5:43-44, NKJV]
What does Jesus mean by loving our enemies? Seriously. Think about it. Are we supposed to have warm, wonderful feelings for people who have grievously hurt us? Are we supposed to work up or pray for these emotions? Have we failed if we don't have them?
If Love is merely an emotion, then the answer to all those questions would have to be yes. We have, however, seen that Love is not primarily an emotion. It is the fulfillment of the Law. When I love my enemy, then I am keeping the Law in regard to my enemy. I refuse to treat him unlawfully or with injustice just because he may have treated me that way.
The Old Testament Law gives us examples of loving our enemy in the way Jesus was talking about. Here is one example:
"If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it." [Ex. 23:4-5, NKJV]
Loving our enemy is helping him protect himself or his property from danger and loss, regardless of how we feel about him. In the above case, if we help our enemy, we have kept both the Law and the command of Christ, even if we don't have the emotion of Love. Without the Law, we cannot love according to God's definitions and requirements.
"Love works no ill to the neighbour, and love means keeping or fulfilling the law in relationship to other men. Love is the law-abiding thought, word, and act. Where there is no law, there is also no love. Adulterous persons do not love their spouses, although they may claim to do so; they may enjoy their wives or husbands, as well as their lovers, but love is the keeping of the law." [R.J. Rushdoony]
GOD'S LOVE MATH
1. Love equals Law
2. Law is not equal to lawlessness; therefore,
3. Love is not equal to lawlessness.
If you like math, you might like the above illustration. Basically, no word, thought, or action which is against the Law of God can ever be in genuine Love.
Some people might object by saying, "I've read some of the Laws of God, and they don't seem very loving to me."
That statement reveals a humanistic base to their thinking. We have already shown that the Law is God's definition of Love. Therefore, if the Law doesn't seem very loving to me, then it is not the Law but my view of Love that needs changing. We have to return to the bottom line of all existence: Life is given by God and must be lived according to His terms and definitions. It is my job to align my beliefs and actions with what God says is true, not to try to fit everything into my limited, often mistaken, views.
In the next lesson, we will look at the Law and Judgment.
Master Life Assignments
Note: These assignments are written from the assumption that the student has completed the Feed Yourself Course. https://www.free-bible-study-lessons.com/study-the-Bible.html Some of the assignments may not make sense if you have not taken that course.
1. Read James 2:14-26 and think about how it might apply to Law and Love.
2. Memorize Matt. 7:12.
Return to the Lessons.
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