"Law? its all about LOVE" - Romans 13:8-10 the Message (with text from MSG & KJV).
How does a Seventh-day Adventist defend such a title?
Please note, Paul is not saying that the Ten Commandments are done away with. He is not saying that Love has replaced God's Law, for in Romans 3:31 KJV Paul writes, "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law." Or, as expressed in the Message (MSG) "But by shifting our focus from what we do to what God does, don’t we cancel out all our careful keeping of the rules and ways God commanded? Not at all. What happens, in fact, is that by putting that entire way of life in its proper place, we confirm it." Romans 3:31.
Romans 8:4 says, "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." The goal is the same in the New as in the Old Testament; complete conformity to the will of GOD. The difference is in the understanding.
Perfect obedience does require our cooperation but the "performance" is the work of God's Spirit in the believer's life as God is allowed to have His way, and transform us into the likeness of His Son.
Paul says love "fulfils" the Law of God (Romans 13:8).
Synonyms for "fulfil" include, succeed in · attain · realize · consummate · satisfy · manage · bring off.
Some preachers say, "fulfil, means to fill to the full". David wrote in Psalm 23 "my cup overflows". It is something like that. Without love the Law is strict, cold, and condemning; its standard unattainable.
The concept of LOVE without law can be defined in any way you want, but true love is always more than just beautiful feelings.
In verse 9 of Romans chapter 13 Paul summarises 5 of the 6 commandments that define our relationships with each other (Paul omits the 5th, "Honour thy father and thy mother" Exodus 20:12, and the Message also omits the 9th "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour" Exodus 20:16). N.B. the first 4 commandments relate to our relationship with GOD.
When the love of Christ abides in the heart, the life of that person will be in harmony with the Ten Commandments. So why the title, "Law? its all about LOVE"? These words are directed to anyone who seeks to be accepted of GOD based on his/her performance. A works-based Christianity will bear the fruit of anxiety and uncertainty as to one's salvation.
Ephesians 2:10 KJV says, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them". This is speaking of the fruit, seen in the life, of someone who lives in the sunlight of Christ's love, and reflects that love to the world.
In summary, true love has many expressions, but none of them would include violating the principles of those precepts written by God's own hand. Solomon wrote, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." Ecclesiastes 12:13.
But are we not under the New Covenant? Ezekiel 11:19, Jeremiah 31:33 and Hebrews 8:10 all say the same thing. "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:" Hebrews 8:10 KJV. In the New Covenant God's Law is written in our hearts, written in love and lived out in love.
The title will hopefully lead someone to question, and find my understanding, as expressed here.
Paul Penno has just published this wonderful explanation of GOD's Law, Sabbath School Lesson # 3 | "The Law as Teacher" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5mXt-rh4fg This is worth listening to!
Romans 13:8-10 the Message (MSG)
8 Don’t run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along.
9 The law code - don’t sleep with another person’s spouse, don’t take someone’s life, don’t take what isn’t yours, don’t always be wanting what you don’t have, and any other “don’t” you can think of - finally adds up to this: Love other people as well as you do yourself.
10 You can’t go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love."
Romans 13:8-10 King James (KJV)
"8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law."