Sunday: The Law of Love
Daily Lesson for Sunday 23rd of March 2025
God’s law does not consist of abstract principles; instead, God’s law is an expression of relationship. This can be seen explicitly in the Ten Commandments. The basic principles of the Ten Commandments were in place already in the Garden of Eden, the principles of love that were to govern the relationship between God and people and between people themselves.
The Ten Commandments
When the Ten Commandments proclaimed in Exodus 20:1-26 were afterward written in stone, they were given to Israel in the context of the covenant relationship. The commandments were written down after the Lord already had delivered the people from Egypt, and the commandments were based on God’s love and on His promises to the nation (see Exodus 6:7-8 and Leviticus 26:12). One can see in the two divisions of the Ten Commandments that they are aimed at the flourishing of a human relationship with God and of relationships with one another.
Read Exodus 20:1-17. How do these verses reveal the two principles, those of love for God and of love for others?
The first four commandments deal with people’s relationships with God, and the last six with people’s relationships among themselves. Our relationship both to God and to other people must be regulated by the principles of God’s law.
These two parts of the law correspond directly to what Jesus identified as the two greatest commandments—“ ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart” ’ ” (Matthew 22:37, NKJV; compare with Deuteronomy 6:5) and “ ‘ “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” ’ ” (Matthew 22:39, NKJV; compare with Leviticus 19:18).
The first four commandments are the ways in which we are to love God with all of our being, and the last six are ways we are to love one another as ourselves. Jesus makes it explicit that these two great love commandments are integrally related to the law. “ ‘On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets’ ” (Matthew 22:40, NKJV).
The entirety of God’s law, then, is grounded in God’s love. God’s love and law are inseparable. We often hear people say, We don’t need to keep the law, we just need to love God and to love others. Why does that idea not make sense?
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How could we express love to God, or love to others, if we are violating any one of the Ten Commandments? |
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A lot of our discussion on this forum sounds like a brain exercise. We write words, discuss semantics, dissect phrases, provide analogies, and invoke AI ghost-writers to find better ways of talking about God's love. In the end we have several thousand comments, lots of "amens", and a horizon of probably 700 readers who in a couple of weeks will have forgotten what we have said.
Love is not a mental exercise. In the context of a sin affected world (that's the only bit of the battle we can see and experience) God's love and indeed existence has been called into question. For the two millennia of the Christian era, much of Christianity has been characterised by self-seeking power-politics; the very antithesis of God's love. The proof that the secular world needs from believers today is that God loves them. And that is only going to happen if we show love to them.
I know I have repeated this many times:
... but if we cannot get this bit right, we are not really spreading the Gospel.
Avondale University had its "Festival of Faith" this last week. I was unable to attend the service yesterday but I heard that during the week, the students worked with the local community on projects. The church service yesterday went overtime as students excitedly reported on their experience. Their faith is getting exercised in the right place
That is faith in action; not a talkfest of devotional phrases but love acting in the place where it counts.
Ellen White lived in Cooranbong and during that time wrote "The Desire of Ages". She was also known for going around the district and helping destitute timbercutters and subsistence farmers. She lived an example of unselfish love in what was then a remote bush village in Australia. I am thankful that some of that example has filtered down to the students of Avondale 125 years later.
God's love is practical!
Love is the kingpin that holds God’s law (the Ten Commandments) together. Love is the underlying purpose of God’s law. The law of love existed before Adam and Eve fell into sin. It was to govern all of God’s creation. Even angels in heaven comply with this law. Lucifer repelled against this law (Ezekiel 28:15-16, 1 John 3:4). After sin entered the world, the law of love became even more profoundly essential. The law of love has enormous practical significance in this life here on earth.
1. The observance of the law of love leads to fair actions and avoids doing deeds that are harmful to others. An employer who values the law of love treats his employees fairly, pays fair wages, and provides a respectful workplace. The law of love promotes ethical decision-making. "Love does no harm to a neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10).
2. The observance of the law of love promotes peace and harmony. At the center of all human relationships is love. Love is patient, kind, respectful, and humble. We need all these to foster peace and harmony in the world today. "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" (Proverbs 15:1).
3. Observance of the law of love strengthens relationships. Family and marriage relationships are built on the principles of love (kindness, patience, forgiveness, respect, reconciliation, empathy, and friendship). "Bear with each other and forgive one another... And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." (Colossians 3:13-14).
4. Observance of the law of love encourages service to mankind. Those who value the law of love are moved to acts of kindness and serving others. The law of love promotes generosity, selflessness, compassion, and sacrifice.
5. The observance of the law of love promotes emotional and mental well-being. Loving and being loved brings a sense of emotional security which reduces stress, anxiety, and depression. This law promotes reconciliation, joy, and hope. "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." (Proverbs 17:22)
6. The observance of the law of love builds societies that are more just, inclusive, and stable (Micah 6:8).
By living in accordance with the law of love, we not only demonstrate the will of God in our lives but also contribute to a more compassionate, just, fairer, peaceful, and caring world.
"Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life." (Revelation 22:14)
Today I read the Outlook. It is our union paper in the mid- west. The article that caught my eye, is titled "The Bible and The Bible Only", by our president of the MId-America Union, Elder Gary Thurber. I was expecting by the title that he would be talking about what Ellen White said on the topic. To my pleasant surprise he did not. Rather he told of a personal story emphasizing the fact that we should not be judgmental of fringe beliefs of our fellow members. "Let us be kind, gentle to those who might have a different point of view than we do." He also gave the history, and explanation of our 28 beliefs as a whole, and a scholarly foundation of our beliefs importance in holding us as Seventh-day Adventist together. If you are in the MId-America Union, I trust you will pick up your Outlook Magazine for April and read the article. You will be blessed.
How does this apply to The Law of Love. Sounds like to me that our leaders love us. In reciprocation we love them. Does the law of love require reciprocal love. I do believe so.
Christian apologist Josh McDowell coined the phrase, "rules without a relationship, lead to rebellion." It's true! The "rules" don't confine a relationship they actually set the boundaries of appropriate interaction between man and man, and man and God. They safeguard and protect the relationship. However, if that is the only thing defining the relationship, then rebellion or breaking of the rules is bound to happen. The reason that Adam & Eve disobeyed is because they didn't love God enough to simply obey. The enemy played on Eve's naivety and caused her to question God's motive for prohibiting the eating of the forbidden fruit. We need to get to the point of, "God said it, I believe it, that settles it." Why do we believe it? Because we know that God loves us, and we in return love him because of his great love.
Jesus said in John 14:15, "If you love me, keep my commandments." Notice what he didn't say. He didn't say, "If you want to go to heaven, keep my commandments. " Neither did he say, "if you don't want to go to hell, keep my commandments. " Love must be the motivating factor as it is the only factor that will empower a person to willingly obey.
I don't stay faithful to my wife because the commandment says do not commit adultery. No, I am faithful to my wife because I love her, not because of how much it will cost me if I don't remain faithful. No, my love for her and hers for me empowers me because I wouldn't want to hurt her for that reason.
That same motivation should drive our desire to obey God's "rules." In fact, when it does, when we have a New Covenant experience with God, we will delight to keep his commandments. Then, they will no longer be rules or commandments. They will become promises of God. Because we love God with all our hearts, we will not have other God's before him, etcetera. Because we love our neighbor as ourselves (we really do love ourselves, often more than anyone else, even God), we will not want to do anything that would harm or violate them, any more than we would want it done to us. Romans 13:8-10 so perfectly sums it up.
"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 & John 3:16 shows the depth of God’s love for humanity. Love awakens love, and therefore "we love because he first loved us." 1 John 4:19 Friends, this is why we should want God's law of love written on our hearts.
It's all about love, it always was, and will be. No one will be saved because they were afraid of hell, but because they loved God, and they loved him enough to obey him. It's really the furthest thing from legalism. Legalism is doing the right thing for the wrong reason. It's all about love!