Wednesday: Love Is the Fulfillment of the Law
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 26th of March 2025
The relationship between love and law cannot be overstated. Indeed, according to Scripture, to love is to fulfill the law.
In Romans 13:8-10, Paul teaches that “he who loves another has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8, NKJV). After listing many of the last six of the Ten Commandments, Paul declares that these are “all summed up in this saying, namely, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ ” (Romans 13:9, NKJV). Indeed, Paul teaches explicitly, “Love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10, NKJV). Again, in Galatians 5:14, Paul explains, “All the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ ” (Galatians 5:14, NKJV). But what kind of love is that which fulfills the law? What does such love look like?
Read Matthew 23:23-24. What are the “weightier matters of the law”? Read Deuteronomy 5:12-15 and Isaiah 58:13-14. How do these passages demonstrate the relationship between the law (particularly the Sabbath commandment) and God’s concern for justice and deliverance?
Image © Review & Herald Publishing from GoodSalt.com
Jesus identifies the “weightier matters of the law” as “justice and mercy and faith.” And in relation to one law in particular—the Sabbath—we can see in Scripture that the Sabbath itself is integrally connected with deliverance and justice.
In Deuteronomy 5:1-33, the Sabbath commandment is grounded in relation to God’s deliverance of Israel from slavery. That is, the Sabbath is not only a memorial of creation but also a memorial of deliverance from slavery and oppression. And in the context about turning from one’s own pleasure to call the Sabbath a delight by taking delight in the Lord (Isaiah 58:13-14), the emphasis is on works of love and justice for others—doing good, feeding the hungry, housing the homeless (see Isaiah 58:3-10).
Given all of these teachings (and many others), those who wish to fulfill the law through love should be concerned not only about sins of commission but also about sins of omission. Love as the fulfillment of the law involves not merely keeping the law in the sense of refraining from committing sins but also consists of actively doing good—doing the works of love that faithfully advance justice and mercy. Being faithful to God is more than just not violating the letter of the law.
(13)
I know that I have used this illustration many times and some people may think old age is catching up with me. On the other hand, this topic has come up many times too so maybe someone else is getting old too.
As you probably know I grew up on a dairy farm in New Zealand where the contented Jersy cows feasted on rich pastures of ryegrass and clover and produced beautiful creamy milk. Each paddock was surrounded by a barbed wire fence. The "cow law" was to keep inside the fence. Most cows were quite happy to keep inside the fence and either ate grass, or lay contentedly in the shade chewing the cud. Some cows tried the fence. They saw some shiny grass outside the fence and would reach for it. All they could think about was that the fence was keeping them from what they wanted. We knew what they were up to because when we collected the cows for milking, they would sometimes be on the wrong side of the fence.
Fences are great, but they only keep the good cows in. The good cows probably do not even know the fence is there.
It is not a perfect illustration but sometimes Christianity focuses on the fences, reiterating what we should not do. Christianity should be about doing rather than "not doing". Like our cow paddock, inside the fence, there is a rich pasture of love to feast on and grow. Focussing on the fence tends to destroy our vision of the good things that God has prepared for us.
I reiterate with a verse I have used earlier this week:
The Christian paddock is full of rich food!
Love and law are inseparable in Scripture, with love being the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:8-10, Galatians 5:14). Jesus highlights that the “weightier matters of the law” are justice, mercy, and faith (Matthew 23:23-24). The Sabbath, as seen in Deuteronomy 5:12-15, is not only a memorial of creation but also a symbol of deliverance and justice. Isaiah 58:13-14 emphasizes that true Sabbath observance involves acts of love and service, such as feeding the hungry and helping the needy.
Fulfilling the law through love goes beyond avoiding wrongdoing—it requires actively doing good and promoting justice. True faithfulness to God is not just about avoiding sin but about living a life of love, mercy, and righteous action.
Part of Jesus’s farewell discourse with His disciples was a heartfelt appeal before His crucifixion, “If you love me keep my commandments” (John 14: 15). Jesus was not compelling His disciples to keep the commandments, but He was appealing for obedience based on love. He was simply telling them, “If you have a relationship (love) with me, keep my commandments”. It is out of love that we have for God that we keep His commandments. Jesus was making a critical point that obedience to God’s law is a manifestation of genuine love. We fail to keep God’s laws because there is no God’s love in our hearts. "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not burdensome."(1 John 5:3).
It is important to note that Jesus’s statement, “If you love me keep my commandments”, it is a heart felt appeal by Jesus to His disciples to reflect the character of God in all their dealings. Keeping God’s law is living by the moral foundation which binds our relationship with Him and with our fellow human beings. This is a higher calling. We have been called to be children of obedience (Matthew 5:16).
In the statement, “If you love me keep my commandments”, Jesus was telling His followers to exhibit the mark of true discipleship. Loving God (including fellow human beings) and keeping His commandments are reflectors of true discipleship. "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35). It is impossible to love one another if we fail to keep God’s laws.
While salvation is a gift of grace through faith ((Ephesians 2:8-9), obedience is the fruit of the Holy Spirit which demonstrates a transformed life. Children of obedience are children born of the spirit. Keeping God’s law is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit working in us and preparing us for eternal life.
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people” – Jeremiah 31:33 (NIV).
Growing up as a Seventh-day Adventist child, I always felt that the church had too many don't do this and don't do that. However, when we examine God's law, we see that it has more don't's than do's. How do we get around this in giving bible studies to a non Christian?
Hello Melvin! Great question. As a Bibleworker, I always present God's laws as signs of his love. He never prohibits anything that is good for us, but only that which can harm us. His "don'ts" are like a safety barrier at the edge of the Grand Canyon. They are designed to keep us from harm. Can we disregard them and suffer the consequences? Certainly, just like people cross over the safty railings at the Grand Canyon to get a closer look, or take an amazing "selfie", but unfortunately some loose their footing, or trip, or backup too far, and plunge to their death. The prohibitions are designed by God to enhance our lives, not make them boring. They will only be seen that way if we have a relationship with Jesus. Otherwise, rules without a relationship will lead to rebellion against them. Thanks for the excellent question.
Thanks Tim.
The lesson writer states, “Being faithful to God is more than just not violating the letter of the law.” If that’s true, then why, after 2,000 years of knowing God’s Law and striving to follow its precepts, has the Christian world not experienced a fundamental shift toward righteousness on a personal level?
If ‘Love is the fulfillment of the Law’, why does the Christian community still struggles to love their neighbor? Could it be that many in positions of leadership within the Christian movement have, in effect, replaced the Pharisees and scribes — teaching only partial truths while neglecting the weightier matters: how to live/apply God’s Justice, Mercy, and Faith in our daily lives?
I’m not aware of any particular denomination that emphasizes understanding the spiritual impact of the Law on the believer’s born-again nature. Most teachings focus on outward obedience to the letter of the Law – do this, don’t do that -, overlooking the deeper Truth that: God’s Spirit of ‘loving compassion’ expressed in the Law needs to become the Cornerstone to build/construct/measure our life by.
To help with that, our heavenly Father, in addition to the Law, choose to give us His Son, Jesus Christ, to reveal what His spiritual 'Law' looks like when applied to our daily life. He is the Cornerstone upon which all things are measured, becoming the Revealer of the Spirit of God’s Law, unveiling the mysterious work of God’s relationship with humanity.
Could it be that our reluctance to consistently maintaine and express love toward each other flows from not fully grasping the spiritual application/meaning - the life-sustaining importance - which God's Love toward us demonstrates?
From the Beginning, God called man to love Him rightly. The Old Testament is filled with guidance to that effect: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” - Deut. 6:5. This leads us to understand how the Love of and for God ought to be expressed: “doing what is good — to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God - Micah 6:8.
Brigitte, I tend to think that mankind in general is moving away from God to the point of people doing what is right in their own eyes, even within Christianity. Christianity isn't what I do or struggle to become, but letting Christ live his life through me.
These quotations from Ellen White capture the essence of Christianity.
"By nature the heart is evil, and “who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.” Job 14:4. No human invention can find a remedy for the sinning soul.... The fountain of the heart must be purified before the streams can become pure. He who is trying to reach heaven by his own works in keeping the law is attempting an impossibility. There is no safety for one who has merely a legal religion, a form of godliness. The Christian's life is not a modification or improvement of the old, but a transformation of nature. There is a death to self and sin, and a new life altogether. This change can be brought about only by the effectual working of the Holy Spirit."
83The Desire of Ages, 172.
"It is the Spirit that makes effectual what has been wrought out by the world's Redeemer. It is by the Spirit that the heart is made pure. Through the Spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature. Christ has given His Spirit as a divine power to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil, and to impress His own character upon His church."
84The Desire of Ages, 671.
"Like the wind, which is invisible, yet the effects of which are plainly seen and felt, is the Spirit of God in its work upon the human heart. That regenerating power, which no human eye can see, begets a new life in the soul; it creates a new being in the image of God." 85Steps to Christ, 57.
"The thoughtless and wayward become serious. The hardened repent of their sins, and the faithless believe. The gambler, the drunkard, the licentious, become steady, sober, and pure. The rebellious and obstinate become meek and Christlike. When we see these changes in the character, we may be assured that the converting power of God has transformed the entire man."
86Evangelism, 288.
"He who looks to Christ in simple, childlike faith is made a partaker of the divine nature through the agency of the Holy Spirit."
87The Review and Herald, November 29, 1892.
From The Faith I Live By - Page 55
Bridget; I would suggest that you could possibly check out come and reason ministries here is a link:
https://comeandreason.com/
The Law of God is a simple and short part of God's infinite love for us. It keeps us on the right path, given the fact that we own a degenerative mind.
Last week we touched on the weightier matters of the law, in its relationship to the two more important commandments which are the foundation for the ten commandments. If we love God and our neighbor, we will conform to the ten commandments. We have them written in our hearts as Christians. The many stories of helping others last week are examples of being satisfied by what we have, in spite of the greener grass down the road. The 2nd verse of one of my favorite songs tells us how we stay within the fence, if you will, or how we keep our car on our own side of the road if you will. Which is the opposite side we are trained here to stay to the right in our U.S. of A.
Verse 2
Don't cling to the
world and its treasure
This earth will soon pass away
Oh, give Him your love without measure,
He's calling you today!
In our walk on this earth are we clinging to life as we know it, walking aimlessly, or do we have a goal in life? I would hope the latter. The latter makes staying on the mark of love and justice fulfilled much easier, and rest more restful, being in Christ.
Matthew 25:40
Philippians 3:14.
Romans 6:11
1 Peter 5:14.
1 Corinthians 15:19.