Reconciling Friends: Love & Law

Love is the Fulfillment, not Abandonment, of Law

Enemies are opposing parties. Friends, while they may be different, have shared interest. Often taught throughout the world every Sunday is that the Law and Love are not friends but enemies. All we really have to do to dispel this is consider their relationship in biblical terms. Unfulfilled Law is not loving. Love is the fulfillment, not abandonment, of law. Some want to teach works salvation, some want teach love without any association of boundary but God teaches that love fulfills something, and that something is Law. Love meeting the fulfillment of the Law demonstrates the Law is not at odds with Love (Gal. 3:21), it just does not complete itself. Love does no harm to its neighbor and it fulfills the Law concerning enemies:

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. “You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.”
Exodus 20:16-17

“If you meet your enemy's ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him.”
Exodus 23:4-5

Where did we ever get the idea of this false dichotomy of love vs law? Although that could be responded to it is better, for now, to undo this thinking. Is God’s justice at odds with his mercy? Is there injustice with God? We know the answer to that all too easily but when the discussion on the screen concerns law and love many tend to see irreconcilable enemies clashing at the cross finally settling their dispute. Indeed they do meet at the cross but not as this reasoning suggests. Consider this: why did many a Jew seek to have works justify him? Because he properly understood the Law? or because he did not understand it? Because he did not understand it. “What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone” (Rom. 9:30–32). In stumbling at the Law they stumbled at Christ. “For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” (John 5:46–47). In proclaiming the message of righteousness by faith we might assume that Paul would quote from the Psalms or one the Prophets but he does something astounding, he quotes Moses. And not from just anywhere. Not only does Paul quote Genesis concerning Abraham’s faith but he quotes from the Law to speak of the righteousness based on faith.

“For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved"

Rom. 10:5–10 

Well, there you have it. Paul, in his own words, quotes from the Law concerning righteousness based on faith and says, “that is, the word of faith we proclaim.” In other words, what Moses said is what Paul said. Indeed the revelation is greater in the New than the Old but God never intended for the Law to be understood as anything else than what Paul tells us here. 

The Grace of the Law 

But what does this mean for us? “Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law” (Romans 3:31). How is this so? Because the Law is spiritual (Rom. 7:14) and we are to judge all matters spiritually (1 Cor. 2:13–15). Why then do we think we can discern matters that require spiritual insight without the Law of God? It is not the Spiritual man that does not submit to the Law of God but the natural man. Stop looking at the law as if you are still a natural man! If all you think of the Law is condemnation are you not looking at the Law naturally and not spiritually? If you are in Christ the Law has no power to condemn you! Let it be for your good as God intends. “Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble” (Ps. 119:165). “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple” (Ps. 19:7). Oh the liberty one finds in God’s Law! Are you tired of the vexation in your spirit seeking to discern truth over matters of life, finances, social issues, marriage, education, property rights, national security, government, raising children, the military, currency, economics, and more? Then do not walk in the council of the ungodly nor sit in the seat of scoffers. And do not think of your own spirituality and ‘in-tune-ness’ with the Spirit to be superior to God’s own inspired, just, holy, spiritual, and good Law. “Put false ways far from me and graciously teach me your law!” (Ps. 119:29). Graciously teach me your law. Where did we ever get the idea that grace and law were enemies?