Sabbath: Love Is the Fulfillment of the Law

Daily Lesson for Sabbath 22nd of March 2025

Image © Pacific Press

Read for This Week’s Study: Exodus 20:1-17; Romans 6:1-3; Romans 7:7-12; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Matthew 23:23-24; James 2:1-9.

Memory Text:

“Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8, NKJV).

While they were dealing with a problematic member, someone on the church board said to the pastor, “We can’t make decisions based on compassion.” We can’t? The pastor wondered what this person’s understanding of God and of God’s law must have been. Compassion certainly needs to be central in how we deal with people, especially erring ones. Compassion is part and parcel of love, and as Romans 13:8 tells us, to love one’s neighbor is to fulfill the law.

If love is indeed the fulfillment of the law, then we should be careful not to think of law in a way that is separate from love or to think of love in a way that is disconnected from law. In Scripture, love and law go together. The divine Lawgiver is love, and accordingly, God’s law is the law of love. It is, as Ellen G. White put it, the transcript of God’s character. (See Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 305.)

God’s law is not a set of abstract principles but commands and instructions intended for our flourishing. God’s law is, in its totality, an expression of love as God Himself expresses it.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, March 29.

Sunday–>

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We are coming to the end of our study on “God’s Love and Justice”, and it is time to consider what we have learned. Has it been an academic pursuit of spiritual knowledge so we can more eloquently describe the nature of the Godhead? Or is it a springboard for action in a world that is in desperate need of love and justice?
This little episode from a favourite Australian author gives us something to think about as we start this week’s final study on this topic.

[In a little bush chapel in the throes of a harsh Australian drought, Peter M’Laughan, the preacher for the day, ended the service saying.] “We will now sing” — he glanced at Clara Southwick at the harmonium — “we will now sing ‘Shall We Gather at the River?’” We all knew that hymn; it was an old favourite round there, and Clara Southwick played it well in spite of the harmonium.
And Peter sang—the first and last time I ever heard him sing. I never had an ear for music; but I never before nor since heard a man’s voice that stirred me as Peter M‘Laughlan’s. We stood like emus, listening to him all through one verse, then we pulled ourselves together.

"Shall we gather at the River,
Where bright angels’ feet have trod—"

The only rivers round there were barren creeks, the best of them only strings of muddy waterholes, and across the ridge, on the sheep-runs, the creeks were dry gutters, with baked banks and beds, and perhaps a mudhole every mile or so, and dead beasts rotting and stinking every few yards.

"Gather with the saints at the River,
That flows by the throne of God."

Peter’s voice trembled and broke. He caught his breath, and his eyes filled. But he smiled then—he stood smiling at us through his tears.

"The beautiful, the beautiful River,
That flows by the throne of God."

Outside I saw women kiss each other who had been at daggers drawn ever since I could remember, and men shake hands silently who had hated each other for years. Every family wanted Peter to come home to tea, but he went across to Ross’s, and afterwards down to Kurtz’s place, and bled and inoculated six cows or so in a new way, and after tea he rode off over the gap to see his friend. Henry Lawson, “Shall We Gather at the River”

We have been comfortably sitting on the veranda of our houses of worship, discussing the great themes of the Bible, but the time has come, to break down walls, heal wounds, dispel hatred, and counter the injustices we see around us. If we have experienced “the river” we must share it with others.

Happy Sabbath viewing: More Bird Photos

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Comments

Sabbath: Love Is the Fulfillment of the Law — 10 Comments

Maurice Ashton on March 21, 2025 at 10:14 am said:

We are coming to the end of our study on “God’s Love and Justice”, and it is time to consider what we have learned. Has it been an academic pursuit of spiritual knowledge so we can more eloquently describe the nature of the Godhead? Or is it a springboard for action in a world that is in desperate need of love and justice?
This little episode from a favourite Australian author gives us something to think about as we start this week’s final study on this topic.

[In a little bush chapel in the throes of a harsh Australian drought, Peter M’Laughan, the preacher for the day, ended the service saying.] “We will now sing” — he glanced at Clara Southwick at the harmonium — “we will now sing ‘Shall We Gather at the River?’” We all knew that hymn; it was an old favourite round there, and Clara Southwick played it well in spite of the harmonium.
And Peter sang—the first and last time I ever heard him sing. I never had an ear for music; but I never before nor since heard a man’s voice that stirred me as Peter M‘Laughlan’s. We stood like emus, listening to him all through one verse, then we pulled ourselves together.

"Shall we gather at the River,
Where bright angels’ feet have trod—"

The only rivers round there were barren creeks, the best of them only strings of muddy waterholes, and across the ridge, on the sheep-runs, the creeks were dry gutters, with baked banks and beds, and perhaps a mudhole every mile or so, and dead beasts rotting and stinking every few yards.

"Gather with the saints at the River,
That flows by the throne of God."

Peter’s voice trembled and broke. He caught his breath, and his eyes filled. But he smiled then—he stood smiling at us through his tears.

"The beautiful, the beautiful River,
That flows by the throne of God."

Outside I saw women kiss each other who had been at daggers drawn ever since I could remember, and men shake hands silently who had hated each other for years. Every family wanted Peter to come home to tea, but he went across to Ross’s, and afterwards down to Kurtz’s place, and bled and inoculated six cows or so in a new way, and after tea he rode off over the gap to see his friend. Henry Lawson, “Shall We Gather at the River”

We have been comfortably sitting on the veranda of our houses of worship, discussing the great themes of the Bible, but the time has come, to break down walls, heal wounds, dispel hatred, and counter the injustices we see around us. If we have experienced “the river” we must share it with others.

Happy Sabbath viewing: More Bird Photos

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Omwenga Mwambi on March 21, 2025 at 12:06 pm said:

If all citizens of a country were to exercise love in all their actions, there would be no need to have the police department or courts. Governments would save lots of money to be used elsewhere to improve public services. Therefore, the best strategy to eradicate crime and improve the quality of living globally is for all the world governments to join hands to preach love. Love is the answer to all social, economic, and political problems under the sun.

"If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal" - 1 Corinthians 13:1 (NLT).

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Wayne Vassell on March 22, 2025 at 6:56 am said:

My prayer for us all, as we close out this quarter's study, is to get to know the God of Love more closely. He demonstrated His love toward us all.

It is time to follow His example and demonstrate love to those around us. The world sure does need it!!!!!

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Brigitte Humphery on March 22, 2025 at 10:53 am said:

A new God reveals Himself to His chosen people, the children of Israel — His name is God Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth and all that is within. How can we recognize Him?

Then, He spoke through Moses and Aaron, but not directly to the people; now, we can hear Him clearly.
Then, He provided them with His Laws written on stone tablets; now, He writes His Law/Love unto our heart.
Then, His Law was given to shape a people set apart to show His Glory; now, we declare Him by His Son's Name Jesus Christ throughout the world.

The spiritual journey was long and fraught with danger. Yet, God remained faithful to His promise: to send them their Messiah. Though when He came, they could not recognize Him. Why? Obedience to the letter of the Law had overtaken the Spirit of the Law, becoming a stumbling block to them. Now, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, each one who loves God is able to hear His counsel personally — written on their own heart.

Paul put it plainly – Rom.7:7-12: “I would not have known sin except through the law”, affirming that the law is holy. Now, in this age of righteousness by faith, all receiving the Gift of the Holy Spirit are able to live by the Spirit of the Law - by loving God with all their heart as they treat their neighbors with humble kindness — extending God’s Justice, Mercy, and Grace to all.

Living in a world oppressed by spiritual darkness, humility and true love for one another cannot be one-time acts. They need to become the defining marks of the believer's new nature — a continuous way of being. We are called to be the Light of God’s Love and Grace — “But if you show partiality, you commit sin” - James 2:9. After all, God's Love void of our actions is no love at all.

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- Connie Sutherland on March 23, 2025 at 7:52 am said:
  
  Thank you for your comparison of then and now. Your entire comment is the gospel simply explained.
  
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Br.Rukundo.joseph on March 22, 2025 at 11:47 am said:

As God's children we ought to know that all In all the love of God constrains in every thing that we do.lnadditton,as we're closing this quarter we should love to express Jesus' love to everyone in the world.lwish My fellow members across the world anice week inour lord's name, amen

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John Herscher on March 22, 2025 at 4:40 pm said:

Indeed, love is the fulfillment of the law. We touched on that fact last week when we discussed the two important commandments that are the foundation of the ten commandments. Foundation what are you talking about? Very simple, I know some of you think it is not that simple. Here it is anyway. If you love being in company with the Creator of the universe, you will conform to the principles of His kingdom. Conform, you may say, yes conform, or obey if you prefer.

Here is a down to earth illustration. If you love baseball, and make every effort to get on a high-school team and prove your worth. You find 1st hand that you conform to the coaches wishes. The scout see's this character of yours, as a team player. You know the rest of the story.

Love for God is not the same as love for baseball, yet it has its similarities. God is our Coach He wants the best for us in a kingdom which from the start of our love relationship seems foreign. We stick with our Coach in trials and tribulation, as a team player we become acquainted with winning. We become accustom to being in it for the long-hall, staying with our Master we realize, it is the only way of winning. We want salvation, from the beginning it was a selfish love, as we grew closer to Him, the love we possessed became unconditional. Yes, I can picture us standing on the earth and Christ says come home, come home my child, yes for a thousand years, beyond the Orion as we see it with the naked eye, into the Orion Nebulous. No, I did not dream about my picture, I read about it. Absolutely, I believe it is nearly supper time, on the sea of glass as pictured in Revelation 4:6. The exact time I don't know. Yet I do know, it is not if it will happen, rather it is, when it will happen. That information God has kept from us so that we will not wait to the last second to be ready, of which time it will be too late.
Matthew 24:36.
Matthew 24:44.
Matthew 25:30.

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JC Zielak on March 24, 2025 at 2:27 am said:

Fortunately or not, we all need and are submitted by laws. Physical or moral, we all live under proven laws. The rest is theory.

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John Shula on March 25, 2025 at 9:56 pm said:

Love is the fulfilment of the Law. This week's theme sums up the whole scriptures.
When our fore fathers sinned, out of love GOD gave us his only son to bridge the gap and the law came as a reminder, to check ourselves if we are moving in the right direction.
Blessed week to all.

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Jones Akokwu Jacob on March 29, 2025 at 1:24 am said:

Pure love demonstration.

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