Love is fulfillment of the law?

[paul1149]

Hope I can say this without an onslaught of insults...the primary difference I currently understand between the mosaic law and the law of Love is that of legalism which Jesus taught against and reprimanded the religious leaders for. That said, our Love for God should be both steeped in grace and obedience or it isn't Love at all. Our obedience should be in the power of the indwelling HS or it isn't obedience at all but rather it is the legalism of the law.

Hope that makes sense what I am saying and praying it is not twisted, manipulated and otherwise used to insult of start a fight.

I think it was well said, so simple a child could understand it, which is how it is supposed to be. My go-to passage on this is 2Cor 3. The letter kills, but the spirit gives life.

 

[PeaceJoyLove]

In Romans 13:10 Paul says:

"Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."

If love is fulfillment of law then why did Jesus tell us to keep the law in John 14:15?

"If you love me, keep my commands."

and again in Matthew 5:17-19:

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."


Also, if Jesus fulfilled the law why do we need love to fulfill the law and why would Jesus say "keep the law"? If we are no longer under the law like Paul says in Romans 6:14? I'm confused.

From Matthew 22 -
Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

1 John 4:8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
and let us not forget "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
The very first command - "Thou shalt not eat..." is where it all started...

 

[Halbhh]

Hmm?

So you are misrepresenting my attempt to study the scripture to show myself approved, as Paul tells Timothy, as "Reducing the import of his words?"

That seems less than generous.

In fact it is attacking a straw man also known as a logical extension fallacy.

I gave the context.

Paul gives us a clear limit to keeping the law in Galatians 3, pointing to Jesus fulfillment of same and describing our attempts to do the same as ignorant, foolish, and bewitched!

See the book of Hebrews for a more developed reading.

Finally you give the universal cult methodology for hearing from the Lord, "My sheep hear my voice." Common to both Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons.

I highly recommend the Fee and Douglas approach of exegesis as opposed to the postmodern, "At first glance without any study of context or original texts, or understanding of customs of author and audience, or knowledge of the original language, if I were to transfer the text to an English modern context it would mean ...X, y, z... By the way the Holy Spirit gave me an inner witness that my lack of trying and disdain for the revelation of the Holy Spirit that inspired the original author to communicate to the original audience is NOT valuable."

Seems a little incoherent.

People most often misunderstand each other, even most of the time, but I did realize the issue you raise and edit quickly above, and now just again, to be sure it doesn't seem different than I meant (sorry if it seemed about you, or about any one person -- it's about what we all need). While we are humbled to be told things we already know, this happens a lot, and on the internet we have to forgive others over and over. I'm hoping to always be delighted to be told what I already know, and am making progress. But because some portion of people will get confused by complex and lengthy wordings and the convoluted ways people explain Paul's letters to Jewish converts and the Law, some (not necessarily you or me!) will wonder: Do Christ's commands apply to us? It's a question that many people actually do have. The answer is not long or complex then, it's simply: yes, they do. We can both rejoice together in His words, and follow Him.

Hebrews is such a wonderful book, with that beautiful chapter 11 reviewing faith in the Old Testament. Love it so much. Thanks for reminding me of one of my favorite parts of the epistles!

 

[Soyeong]

Good post. So, when Jesus said "keep my commandments" he meant the two greatest commandments and not the 10 commandments?

Jesus spoke about more laws than just the two greatest commands in Matthew 5 alone, in case there is any doubt about what he referring to in verse 14, in John 14:23-24, Jesus said that his teachings were not his own, but that of the Father. Jesus also said that he came only to do the Father's will (John 6:38), so he did not depart from what the Father had commanded. In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus summarized all of the commands as being about how to love God and our neighbor and then said that all the rest of the commands hang on those two, so all of the other commands are examples of how to correctly obey the greatest two commands, or are commentary on them that paint a picture of what it looks like to correctly obey them. For example, the first five of the 10 Commandments are in regard to how to love our creators, while the last five are in regard to how to love our neighbor, and all of the rest of the commands can be divided into these two categories, but really love our neighbor also a way that we can express our love for God.

 

[Soyeong]

I think it was well said, so simple a child could understand it, which is how it is supposed to be. My go-to passage on this is 2Cor 3. The letter kills, but the spirit gives life.

Do you think that God commanded the Law in order to bring death to His children and put us under a curse? In Deuteronomy 30:15-20, God said that obedience to the Law brings life and a blessing, in Proverbs 3:18, the Law is described as a tree of life for all who take hold of her, and in Matthew 19:17, Jesus said that if you want to enter into life, then obey the commandments, yet Galatians 3:21 says that if a Law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law.

The key to reconciling these verses is understanding that Abraham was justified by faith and by the same faith he was careful to obey all of God's commands, so faith is the key ingredient. It is faith that brings life and faith that brings obedience, but it is not obedience itself that brings life. Outward obedience apart from faith according to the letter brings death just as assuredly as disobedience, but obedience to the Law by faith according to the Spirit brings life, and the Spirit has the role of leading us to obey God's Law (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

 

[Uber Genius]

Do Christ's commands apply to us? It's a question that many people actually do have. The answer is not long or complex then, it's simply: yes, they do. We can both rejoice together in His words, and follow Him.

My point is words have meaning in Hebrew or Greek as they do in our culture. Context means a lot. Words form sentences, sentences for paragraphs, paragraphs carry meaning.


Jesus commands:

“For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” — Matthew 5:18-19

“It is easier for Heaven and Earth to pass away than for the smallest part of the letter of the law to become invalid.” (Luke 16:17)

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest part or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.” (Matthew 5:17)

The law commands:

You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the LORD. Anyone who works on that day must be put to death. (NLT) — Exodus 35:2

Anyone who dishonors father or mother must be put to death. Such a person is guilty of a capital offense. (NLT) — Leviticus 20:9

One who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall be put to death; the whole congregation shall stone the blasphemer. Aliens as well as citizens, when they blaspheme the Name, shall be put to death. (NRSV) — Leviticus 24:16

If any man takes a wife, and goes in to her, and detests her, and charges her with shameful conduct, and brings a bad name on her, and says, ‘I took this woman, and when I came to her I found she was not a virgin,’ … and evidences of virginity are not found for the young woman, then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones … (NKJV) — Deuteronomy 22:13-14,20-21

Premise 1 - Following Jesus' commands are simple

Premise 2 - Jesus commanded us to keep the law

The law calls us to kill by stoning, blasphemers, those who dishonor parents, those who violate the sabbath, and women found to have committed fornication.

My question is how is your throwing arm?

Do you warm up before you stone someone? Or do you trust that God will protect your shoulder or elbow from a throwing injury?

 

[Monna]

There is yet another way of looking at it.
If you read the 10 commandments as given in Exodus 20, there are 2 positive ones (do...) and 8 negative ones (do not....).
The two positive ones are:
- Remember the sabbath to keep it holy
- Honour your mother and your father.

When the rich young man came to Jesus to ask if he was righteous enough, he claimed to have kept the whole law. Jesus did not dispute him. When the rich man asked what more he should do, Jesus said - sell everything and give to the poor, then come and follow me.

You can keep the 10 commandments strictly speaking and not show any love. "Do not steal." At one level this is easy. Don't steal. But refusing to do something wrong, is not equivalent to doing something good or right. Leaving other people's stuff alone fills the literal requirement of the law, but the spirit of the law (as expressed through Jesus "second" law), exercised in love would go far beyond - giving generously out of compassion and love.

The pharisees were experts in keeping the letter of the law. But as 1 Cor 13 points out, even giving money to the poor or supporting innumerable charities, if done without love doesn't cut the grade. You could be doing it for show, to make yourself feel and look good, you could be doing it (today) to reduce your taxes, or to achieve some hidden agenda.

If you want to fulfill the law's intention (keeping a good relationship with God and your fellow human being) you can only do it in a true spirit of love.

It's easy to make a list of prohibitions. And live by them. You hand over all responsibility for "right" living to the author of the "forbidden" list, you take no responsibility yourself - and therefore you cannot grow to become the full human being you were meant to be(come). If you try to live by love, you are immediately faced with an incredible array of possibilities - far greater than the prohibition list. But it also imposes a need to think and to act responsibly. Do you "give a man a fish for the day?" (and make him dependent on you - giving you power and control over his and his family's future) or do you "teach him to fish" and make him less dependent on you and more able to meet his own and his family's needs with dignity and personal growth? For those of us who see beggars on the street daily, this is a constant dilema. But there are zillions of other situations we have to face, of a similar nature. If you live this way, you must take responsibility for your decisions and your behaviour, and this is one of the chief ingredients in personal growth and maturity.

Fulfilling the law is not about avoiding doing wrong and ending up doing nothing. It is going out a living a "true" life, an active life of love, that starts with God and continues with the neighbours, near and far. Do I live this way? No, unfortunately not, and I can't do it on my own when I try. But with Christ directing my life - trying to see people as he sees them, listening to them to know "where" they are in their spiritual journey, and to the Spirit to guard my attitudes and tongue, sometimes He does things through me, that I cannot do myself.

 

[Soyeong]

My point is words have meaning in Hebrew or Greek as they do in our culture. Context means a lot. Words form sentences, sentences for paragraphs, paragraphs carry meaning.


Jesus commands:

“For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” — Matthew 5:18-19

“It is easier for Heaven and Earth to pass away than for the smallest part of the letter of the law to become invalid.” (Luke 16:17)

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest part or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.” (Matthew 5:17)

The law commands:

You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the LORD. Anyone who works on that day must be put to death. (NLT) — Exodus 35:2

Anyone who dishonors father or mother must be put to death. Such a person is guilty of a capital offense. (NLT) — Leviticus 20:9

One who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall be put to death; the whole congregation shall stone the blasphemer. Aliens as well as citizens, when they blaspheme the Name, shall be put to death. (NRSV) — Leviticus 24:16

If any man takes a wife, and goes in to her, and detests her, and charges her with shameful conduct, and brings a bad name on her, and says, ‘I took this woman, and when I came to her I found she was not a virgin,’ … and evidences of virginity are not found for the young woman, then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones … (NKJV) — Deuteronomy 22:13-14,20-21

Premise 1 - Following Jesus' commands are simple

Premise 2 - Jesus commanded us to keep the law

The law calls us to kill by stoning, blasphemers, those who dishonor parents, those who violate the sabbath, and women found to have committed fornication.

My question is how is your throwing arm?

Do you warm up before you stone someone? Or do you trust that God will protect your shoulder or elbow from a throwing injury?

Do you think that God made a mistake in giving those commands and that we shouldn't trust God to guide us in how to rightly act?

Jews do not have a history of stoning someone every time the Law prescribes it, but rather they often imposed a fine instead. The harshness of the penalty was to show the seriousness of the offense to God, while the lesser penalty that was given was to show the mercy of God. God shows His mercy to us by giving us a chance to repent and turn from our ways back to obedience to God's ways. In Matthew 23:23, Jesus said that justice, mercy, and faith are weightier matters of the Law, so if those attributes of God are not reflected in the way that we obey it, then we are not obeying it correctly.

God's Law was intended to be followed as part of a theocratic nation, so it then becomes an issue of how to live when we are not part of a theocratic nation where we do not have jurisdiction. There is also the issue that Christ gave himself to redeem to pay the penalty of the sins of the world and whether it would be appropriate to enforce a penalty that has already been paid. In any case, God did not give the Law to condemn his children and put us under a curse, but to teach us how to walk in His ways, to rightly live in accordance with His attributes by reflecting them to the world: justice, mercy, faithfulness, holiness, righteousness, goodness, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control.

 

[disciple1]

In Romans 13:10 Paul says:

"Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."

If love is fulfillment of law then why did Jesus tell us to keep the law in John 14:15?

"If you love me, keep my commands."

and again in Matthew 5:17-19:

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."


Also, if Jesus fulfilled the law why do we need love to fulfill the law and why would Jesus say "keep the law"? If we are no longer under the law like Paul says in Romans 6:14? I'm confused.

Jesus's message was hidden, to the people he talked to, even in the bible it's hidden, few people search it out.

 

[Halbhh]

My point is words have meaning in Hebrew or Greek as they do in our culture. Context means a lot. Words form sentences, sentences for paragraphs, paragraphs carry meaning.


Jesus commands:

“For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” — Matthew 5:18-19

“It is easier for Heaven and Earth to pass away than for the smallest part of the letter of the law to become invalid.” (Luke 16:17)

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest part or the smallest part of a letter will pass from the law, until all things have taken place.” (Matthew 5:17)

The law commands:

You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the LORD. Anyone who works on that day must be put to death. (NLT) — Exodus 35:2

Anyone who dishonors father or mother must be put to death. Such a person is guilty of a capital offense. (NLT) — Leviticus 20:9

One who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall be put to death; the whole congregation shall stone the blasphemer. Aliens as well as citizens, when they blaspheme the Name, shall be put to death. (NRSV) — Leviticus 24:16

If any man takes a wife, and goes in to her, and detests her, and charges her with shameful conduct, and brings a bad name on her, and says, ‘I took this woman, and when I came to her I found she was not a virgin,’ … and evidences of virginity are not found for the young woman, then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones … (NKJV) — Deuteronomy 22:13-14,20-21

Premise 1 - Following Jesus' commands are simple

Premise 2 - Jesus commanded us to keep the law

The law calls us to kill by stoning, blasphemers, those who dishonor parents, those who violate the sabbath, and women found to have committed fornication.

My question is how is your throwing arm?

Do you warm up before you stone someone? Or do you trust that God will protect your shoulder or elbow from a throwing injury?

By fulfilling the law (and often correcting the Pharisees also), and such as John ch 8, we see parts of the New Covenant -- " in spirit and in truth"'.

The real spirit of the law, now. It's like "if you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice'..."

It's now like Rom 3, v31.

Romans is such a long argument to Jewish converts, but in some other epistles, it gets more clear what Paul is saying in fewer verses. Such as happens in Galatians (and every epistle at some point), starting in Galatians chapter 5 verse 13, and continuing into chapter 6.

Maybe Paul's best and most brief summary of the relationship of faith and works is in just 3 verses in Ephesians -- the full grace doctrine, chapter 2, verses 8-10.

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Many times people don't realize there is a 3rd verse, because someone quoted to them a cut-short version.

So, how to do verse 10, with that beautiful wording which is also a bit mysterious. It's in all his epistles -- do this, don't do that, lists. But the most key way to do as Christ says in Matthew 7:24-27 correctly that I know of is in John chapter 15, verses 1-17. It's by dwelling in Him, His words, remaining with Him, in our minds, looking to Him, remembering/listening to His words, we can then follow Him and bear fruit, and not go into the fire of verses 2 and 7. Through Him, this is how we bear fruit. It's the way to understand Ephesians 2:10.

 

[Soyeong]

There is yet another way of looking at it.
If you read the 10 commandments as given in Exodus 20, there are 2 positive ones (do...) and 8 negative ones (do not....).
The two positive ones are:
- Remember the sabbath to keep it holy
- Honour your mother and your father.

When the rich young man came to Jesus to ask if he was righteous enough, he claimed to have kept the whole law. Jesus did not dispute him. When the rich man asked what more he should do, Jesus said - sell everything and give to the poor, then come and follow me.

You can keep the 10 commandments strictly speaking and not show any love. "Do not steal." At one level this is easy. Don't steal. But refusing to do something wrong, is not equivalent to doing something good or right. Leaving other people's stuff alone fills the literal requirement of the law, but the spirit of the law (as expressed through Jesus "second" law), exercised in love would go far beyond - giving generously out of compassion and love.

The pharisees were experts in keeping the letter of the law. But as 1 Cor 13 points out, even giving money to the poor or supporting innumerable charities, if done without love doesn't cut the grade. You could be doing it for show, to make yourself feel and look good, you could be doing it (today) to reduce your taxes, or to achieve some hidden agenda.

If you want to fulfill the law's intention (keeping a good relationship with God and your fellow human being) you can only do it in a true spirit of love.

It's easy to make a list of prohibitions. And live by them. You hand over all responsibility for "right" living to the author of the "forbidden" list, you take no responsibility yourself - and therefore you cannot grow to become the full human being you were meant to be(come). If you try to live by love, you are immediately faced with an incredible array of possibilities - far greater than the prohibition list. But it also imposes a need to think and to act responsibly. Do you "give a man a fish for the day?" (and make him dependent on you - giving you power and control over his and his family's future) or do you "teach him to fish" and make him less dependent on you and more able to meet his own and his family's needs with dignity and personal growth? For those of us who see beggars on the street daily, this is a constant dilema. But there are zillions of other situations we have to face, of a similar nature. If you live this way, you must take responsibility for your decisions and your behaviour, and this is one of the chief ingredients in personal growth and maturity.

Fulfilling the law is not about avoiding doing wrong and ending up doing nothing. It is going out a living a "true" life, an active life of love, that starts with God and continues with the neighbours, near and far. Do I live this way? No, unfortunately not, and I can't do it on my own when I try. But with Christ directing my life - trying to see people as he sees them, listening to them to know "where" they are in their spiritual journey, and to the Spirit to guard my attitudes and tongue, sometimes He does things through me, that I cannot do myself.

I think God's Law were also originally intended to also be taken as commands to do the reverse:

Ten Commandments in Reverse - CredoHouse - Making Theology Accessible

 

[Neostarwcc]

I think God's Law were also originally intended to also be taken as commands to do the reverse:

Ten Commandments in Reverse - CredoHouse - Making Theology Accessible

Interesting.

 

[1213]

That is true. It does make sense that that's what Paul meant. But, if we are no longer under the law But are under grace why did Jesus say to keep the law? Is there something I'm missing?

I understand that the difference is that when person is under the law, he is forced to obey it, person must do so and it is not freely done. Or in other words it is like, if you don’t do this, then something bad happens.

People who freely do what the law says, are not under it, it is not a burden for them. And when person loves others, he lives by the law, because he doesn’t want to harm anyone. Then the good acts come because person understands it is good and because he cares of others.

When person is under the law, he does the right things because he has to, not because he wants to do good. And I think there is the difference between righteous and unrighteous person. Righteous person understands what is good and right and wants to do so. And that is the reason why I think Bible promise eternal life for righteous:


These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
Mat. 25:46

 

[Ron Gurley]

OP: " "LOVE" is "fulfillment" of the "Law"?...
Those 3 underlined terms need to be defined and clarified. Discussions need to be focused on the NT view of the OT Mosaic "Law".

Romans 13NASB)...Paul gives instructions for believers to follow
1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities.
8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another;
for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
9 For this, (a selection from the 10 Commandments, The Mosaic Law SEE: Exodus 20)
“You shall not commit adultery,
You shall not murder,
You shall not steal,
You shall not covet,”
and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying,
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (#Big 2)
10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor;
therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
13 Let us behave properly as in the day,
not in carousing and drunkenness,
not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality,
not in strife and jealousy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

love...Greek 26...agapē...I.affection, good will,..BENEVOLENCE, brotherly love (GOD-LIKE GRACE of giving?)

is the fulfillment...Greek 4138...plērōma...B.completeness or fulness of time
B.in the NT, the body of believers, as that which is filled with the presence, power, agency, riches of God and of Christ

of the law...Greek 3551...nomos...
i.a law or rule producing a state approved of God
a.by the observance of which is approved of God
ii.a precept or injunction
iii.the rule of action prescribed by reason
B.of the Mosaic Law, and referring, acc. to the context. either to the volume of the law or to its contents
C.the Christian religion: the law demanding faith, the moral instruction given by Christ, esp. the precept concerning love.

Paul was a very learned Jew. He points out that 1. LOVE GOD + 2. LOVE NEIGHBOR AS SELF summarizes all other specific precepts of the Mosaic "BIG 10" Law. SEE:

The Mosaic Law: Its Function and Purpose in the New Testament

"AGAPE" LOVE is not an option to be exercised by Mankind. Love is COMMANDED throughout the Bible.

LOVE COMMANDED!!

a. #1 = Love God + #2 = Love Neighbor AS SELF...the BIG TWO IN ORDER!...Luke 10: 25-29: Matthew 22: 37-40; Mark 12:30
b. Love "ONE ANOTHER" (believers) as I have loved you...John 13:34-35; John 15; 1 John 4
c. Love Enemies..Sermon on the Mount...the HARD ONE...Matthew 5: 43-48
d. ABIDE in God's Love..1 John; John 15
e. If you Love me, FOLLOW/ (serve) me...Matthew 16: 24-27; Luke 14:25-33; John 12:26
f. If you Love me, KEEP PRECEPTS, OBEY, TRUST etc...and ...Get the "good news" out!..Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15

The GOLDEN RULE "to treat others as I want to be treated" (Matt. 7:12)...good MAN-to-MAN ADVICE...not a COMMAND!

Matthew 7:12 (all NASB)
“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you,
for this IS (summarizes?) the Law and the Prophets

#1: LOVE GOD

Matthew 22:37-40
And He (Jesus) said to him (lawyer) ,
A. “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
This is the great and foremost commandment.
B The second is like it,
‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
On these two commandments DEPEND (derive?) the whole (Mosiac) Law and the (OT) Prophets.”

Jesus the God-Man FULFILLED the MOSAIC "Law" and the Prophets.

Matthew 5:17
“Do not think that I came to abolish the (Mosaic) "Law" or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.

Luke 24:44
Now He said to them,
“These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

#2: LOVE NEIGHBOR as SELF

Luke 10:25-37...extracts: Parable of the Good Samaritan
And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying,
“Teacher, what shall I (me, MYSELF) DO to INHERIT eternal life?”...
29 But wishing to justify himself, he (lawyer( said to Jesus, “And who is my NEIGHBOR?”
30 Jesus replied and said...("Parable of the The Good Samaritan")
36 Which of these three do you think PROVED to be a NEIGHBOR to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?”
37 And he said, “The one who showed MERCY (Love/Grace) toward him.”
Then Jesus said to him, (YOU) “Go and do the same.”

Where are the words "love" or "works"?
It is a LESSON on how Man should treat Man...even a stranger.The lawyer wrongly thought he had to DO something to INHERIT God's Grace.

Matthew 19: 16-26...Jesus encounters The Rich Young Ruler's heart (SEE ALSO: Mark 10:17 etc; Luke 18:18 )
16 And someone (The Rich Young Ruler) came to Him (Jesus) and said,
“Teacher, what GOOD THING (works) shall I (myself) DO that I may OBTAIN "eternal (spiritual) life"?”
17And He said to him,
“Why are you asking Me about WHAT is good? There is only One WHO is good;
but if YOU wish to enter into (eternal SPIRITUAL) life", keep the (10?) commandments.”
Then he said to Him, “Which ones?”
And Jesus said, (#1 is LOVE GOD...SEE: Deuteronomy 6:5 ; Luke 10:27)...(Jesus' selections from the Mosaic "Law")
“You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness;
Honor your father and mother; and You shall LOVE your NEIGHBOR as yourself.”
The young man said to Him, “All these things I have KEPT; (the Mosaic Law) what am I still lacking?”
21 Jesus said to him,
“If you wish to be COMPLETE (in works), (YOU) go and sell your possessions and give to the poor,
and YOU will have treasure in heaven;
and COME, FOLLOW Me.”
But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.

And Jesus said to His DISCIPLES,
“Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel (rope?) to go through the eye of a needle,
than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Choose WHICH to serve: God or wealth...Matthew 6:24)
When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said,
“Then who can be SAVED?” (from death unto "eternal SPIRITUAL life")
And looking at them Jesus said to them,
“With people (man's works) this is impossible,
but with God all things are possible.”
(God draws/calls and offers Grace through the gift of Spirit-led FAITH / BELIEF)

#2b: SELF

Genesis 1:26
Then God (plural=elohim) said,
“Let Us make man in Our (SPIRITUAL) image,
according to Our (CHARACTER) likeness

Genesis 5:2
He created them male and female, and
He blessed them and
named them Man (MANKIND) in the day when they were created.

Psalm 139:14...I will give thanks to You,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.

Psalm 139:13...For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.

Ephesians 4:16
from whom the whole body,
being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

#3: Love "ONE ANOTHER" (believers) as I have loved you

John 13:34-35.."one another" (Greek = allelon) = mutual,reciprocal,beneficial love among believers
A new commandment I give to you, that
you love "one another", even as I have loved you,
that you also love "one another".
By this all men will know that you are My disciples,(followers,pupils) if you have love for "one another".”

John 15:12,17 [Disciples’ Relation to Each Other]
“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you....
This I command you, that you love one another.

Romans 12:10
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love;
give preference to one another in honor;

Romans 13:8
Owe nothing to anyone except to love "one another"; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

Galatians 5:13
For you were called to freedom, brethren;
only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve "one another".

Ephesians 4:2
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
showing tolerance for "one another" in love,

#4: LOVE ENEMIES

Matthew 5:43-48...Jesus' Sermon on the Mount to crowds
43 “You have heard that it was said,
‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 But I say to you,
love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven;(believers)for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47 If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
48 Therefore you are to be (TRY to be!) perfect (mature), as your (EXAMPLE: your) heavenly Father is perfect.(holy and omnibenevolent)

 

[Neostarwcc]

OP: " "LOVE" is "fulfillment" of the "Law"?...
Those 3 underlined terms need to be defined and clarified. Discussions need to be focused on the NT view of the OT Mosaic "Law".

Romans 13NASB)...Paul gives instructions for believers to follow
1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities.
8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another;
for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
9 For this, (a selection from the 10 Commandments, The Mosaic Law SEE: Exodus 20)
“You shall not commit adultery,
You shall not murder,
You shall not steal,
You shall not covet,”
and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying,
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (#Big 2)
10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor;
therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
13 Let us behave properly as in the day,
not in carousing and drunkenness,
not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality,
not in strife and jealousy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

love...Greek 26...agapē...I.affection, good will,..BENEVOLENCE, brotherly love (GOD-LIKE GRACE of giving?)

is the fulfillment...Greek 4138...plērōma...B.completeness or fulness of time
B.in the NT, the body of believers, as that which is filled with the presence, power, agency, riches of God and of Christ

of the law...Greek 3551...nomos...
i.a law or rule producing a state approved of God
a.by the observance of which is approved of God
ii.a precept or injunction
iii.the rule of action prescribed by reason
B.of the Mosaic Law, and referring, acc. to the context. either to the volume of the law or to its contents
C.the Christian religion: the law demanding faith, the moral instruction given by Christ, esp. the precept concerning love.

Paul was a very learned Jew. He points out that 1. LOVE GOD + 2. LOVE NEIGHBOR AS SELF summarizes all other specific precepts of the Mosaic "BIG 10" Law. SEE:

The Mosaic Law: Its Function and Purpose in the New Testament

"AGAPE" LOVE is not an option to be exercised by Mankind. Love is COMMANDED throughout the Bible.

LOVE COMMANDED!!

a. #1 = Love God + #2 = Love Neighbor AS SELF...the BIG TWO IN ORDER!...Luke 10: 25-29: Matthew 22: 37-40; Mark 12:30
b. Love "ONE ANOTHER" (believers) as I have loved you...John 13:34-35; John 15; 1 John 4
c. Love Enemies..Sermon on the Mount...the HARD ONE...Matthew 5: 43-48
d. ABIDE in God's Love..1 John; John 15
e. If you Love me, FOLLOW/ (serve) me...Matthew 16: 24-27; Luke 14:25-33; John 12:26
f. If you Love me, KEEP PRECEPTS, OBEY, TRUST etc...and ...Get the "good news" out!..Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15

The GOLDEN RULE "to treat others as I want to be treated" (Matt. 7:12)...good MAN-to-MAN ADVICE...not a COMMAND!

Matthew 7:12 (all NASB)
“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you,
for this IS (summarizes?) the Law and the Prophets

#1: LOVE GOD

Matthew 22:37-40
And He (Jesus) said to him (lawyer) ,
A. “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
This is the great and foremost commandment.
B The second is like it,
‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
On these two commandments DEPEND (derive?) the whole (Mosiac) Law and the (OT) Prophets.”

Jesus the God-Man FULFILLED the MOSAIC "Law" and the Prophets.

Matthew 5:17
“Do not think that I came to abolish the (Mosaic) "Law" or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.

Luke 24:44
Now He said to them,
“These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

#2: LOVE NEIGHBOR as SELF

Luke 10:25-37...extracts: Parable of the Good Samaritan
And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying,
“Teacher, what shall I (me, MYSELF) DO to INHERIT eternal life?”...
29 But wishing to justify himself, he (lawyer( said to Jesus, “And who is my NEIGHBOR?”
30 Jesus replied and said...("Parable of the The Good Samaritan")
36 Which of these three do you think PROVED to be a NEIGHBOR to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?”
37 And he said, “The one who showed MERCY (Love/Grace) toward him.”
Then Jesus said to him, (YOU) “Go and do the same.”

Where are the words "love" or "works"?
It is a LESSON on how Man should treat Man...even a stranger.The lawyer wrongly thought he had to DO something to INHERIT God's Grace.

Matthew 19: 16-26...Jesus encounters The Rich Young Ruler's heart (SEE ALSO: Mark 10:17 etc; Luke 18:18 )
16 And someone (The Rich Young Ruler) came to Him (Jesus) and said,
“Teacher, what GOOD THING (works) shall I (myself) DO that I may OBTAIN "eternal (spiritual) life"?”
17And He said to him,
“Why are you asking Me about WHAT is good? There is only One WHO is good;
but if YOU wish to enter into (eternal SPIRITUAL) life", keep the (10?) commandments.”
Then he said to Him, “Which ones?”
And Jesus said, (#1 is LOVE GOD...SEE: Deuteronomy 6:5 ; Luke 10:27)...(Jesus' selections from the Mosaic "Law")
“You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness;
Honor your father and mother; and You shall LOVE your NEIGHBOR as yourself.”
The young man said to Him, “All these things I have KEPT; (the Mosaic Law) what am I still lacking?”
21 Jesus said to him,
“If you wish to be COMPLETE (in works), (YOU) go and sell your possessions and give to the poor,
and YOU will have treasure in heaven;
and COME, FOLLOW Me.”
But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.

And Jesus said to His DISCIPLES,
“Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel (rope?) to go through the eye of a needle,
than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Choose WHICH to serve: God or wealth...Matthew 6:24)
When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said,
“Then who can be SAVED?” (from death unto "eternal SPIRITUAL life")
And looking at them Jesus said to them,
“With people (man's works) this is impossible,
but with God all things are possible.”
(God draws/calls and offers Grace through the gift of Spirit-led FAITH / BELIEF)

#2b: SELF

Genesis 1:26
Then God (plural=elohim) said,
“Let Us make man in Our (SPIRITUAL) image,
according to Our (CHARACTER) likeness

Genesis 5:2
He created them male and female, and
He blessed them and
named them Man (MANKIND) in the day when they were created.

Psalm 139:14...I will give thanks to You,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.

Psalm 139:13...For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.

Ephesians 4:16
from whom the whole body,
being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

#3: Love "ONE ANOTHER" (believers) as I have loved you

John 13:34-35.."one another" (Greek = allelon) = mutual,reciprocal,beneficial love among believers
A new commandment I give to you, that
you love "one another", even as I have loved you,
that you also love "one another".
By this all men will know that you are My disciples,(followers,pupils) if you have love for "one another".”

John 15:12,17 [Disciples’ Relation to Each Other]
“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you....
This I command you, that you love one another.

Romans 12:10
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love;
give preference to one another in honor;

Romans 13:8
Owe nothing to anyone except to love "one another"; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

Galatians 5:13
For you were called to freedom, brethren;
only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve "one another".

Ephesians 4:2
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
showing tolerance for "one another" in love,

#4: LOVE ENEMIES

Matthew 5:43-48...Jesus' Sermon on the Mount to crowds
43 “You have heard that it was said,
‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 But I say to you,
love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven;(believers)for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47 If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
48 Therefore you are to be (TRY to be!) perfect (mature), as your (EXAMPLE: your) heavenly Father is perfect.(holy and omnibenevolent)

Thank you for the post. That answered all of my questions! Thank you.

 

[Ron Gurley]

Q1: ..."why would Jesus say "keep the (MOSAIC) Law"?
A1: He did NOT.

Jesus many times conditions His precepts with a conditional "IF".

John 14:15...Jesus' BIG "IF's"
“IF you love Me, you will keep My commandments.(PRECEPTS: LOVE COMMANDED!)

His precepts: Such as: "FOLLOW" + "OBEY" + "TRUST" + be in the WILL OF GOD + "LOVE "one another" + ETC

John 13:35
By this all men will know that you are My disciples, IF you have love for "one another".”

John 14:23...Jesus answered and said to him,
“IF anyone loves Me, he will keep My word;
and My Father will love him,
and We will come to him and make Our abode (DWELLING) with him.

John 15:10
IF you keep My commandments, you will abide (DWELL) in My love;
just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

Romans 13:9
For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,”
and IF there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying,
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (LOVE GOD + LOVE NEIGHBOR AS SELF)

 

[Ron Gurley]

Jesus fulfilled the "Mosaic Law" only AFTER His miraculous birth, sinless life, completed ministry, unjust death, resurrection, appearances, and ascension.

Luke 24:44...The resurrected Jesus to His followers
Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

Matthew 24:35
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

 

[Devin P]

In Romans 13:10 Paul says:

"Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."

If love is fulfillment of law then why did Jesus tell us to keep the law in John 14:15?

"If you love me, keep my commands."

and again in Matthew 5:17-19:

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."


Also, if Jesus fulfilled the law why do we need love to fulfill the law and why would Jesus say "keep the law"? If we are no longer under the law like Paul says in Romans 6:14? I'm confused.

Love is a fulfillment of the law, because if you love God, you will fulfill the law. If you love men, you will fulfill the law.

God told us to keep the sabbath on the 7th day. Is it hard? It can be, but if you love God, you will find a way.

God told us not to steal, or cheat, or kill. Is it hard? Sometimes, but if you love your neighbors, stealing from them won't even cross your mind.

So it is a fulfilling of the law, but, people today take that to then do that which is hatred of God by not obeying Him. They talk about being free of sin, but sin is only ever described as the transgression of the law, or Torah. So, since they disregard the Torah, not many today fulfill the law, because they ignore it. Too much focus is on the wrong things. Will keeping Torah save you? No, but if you love God, and God says, keep my commandments to show that you love me, yet 95% of christianity today breaks the sabbath every week, is that loving God? No.

If they were to keep the sabbath on the correct day, then they'd be loving God, and not the traditions and doctrines of men. So, if you were to obey God, that's how you show love to Him. If you see and keep the weightier things of the laws, then you'll inherently love your brothers, because if you read the Torah, that's really the obvious intent of the laws. There's one in Exodus, that goes along the lines of

"If you see your enemies ass fallen under it's burden, you shall help it up, and back to it's owner, you shall not leave it there to it's burden."

Obviously, you can definitely see that the intention of that, is kindness to those you don't get along with, and even to those that hate you, but the problem was, the Jews that sought to kill Jesus, passed down man-made laws and doctrines as to what they felt the Torah meant. The Torah always welcomed anyone to become Israel, always. But, men (judah particularly) made it so no one could join Israel. The law, was always about love, but very few people saw that. Moses, Abraham, David, etc.

In short. Yes. Love will fulfill the law. But love for God, is obedience. Love for your brothers, is not only a love for them, but in most cases, it's a love for God. He commands that we love our neighbors, and they don't always make it easy, but God tells us to do it, so we are to do it. They are how they are for a reason, God knows, trust and love them anyway. It's hard, but prayer, and scriptures will help us do it.

 

[Neogaia777]

1 Corinthians 13...

Biblical Godly Love to do perfectly is not as easy as it seems...

God Bless!

 

[toLiJC]

In Romans 13:10 Paul says:

"Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."

If love is fulfillment of law then why did Jesus tell us to keep the law in John 14:15?

"If you love me, keep my commands."

and again in Matthew 5:17-19:

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven."


Also, if Jesus fulfilled the law why do we need love to fulfill the law and why would Jesus say "keep the law"? If we are no longer under the law like Paul says in Romans 6:14? I'm confused.

love is full when there is no causation/infliction of evil/harm to/on the neighbor/cohabitant, and because there has also been a possibility of hidden/mysterious causation/infliction of evil/harm, namely, above all, (through) spiritual unrighteousness/lawlessness/wickedness, which actually is the original and very sin, i.e. the sin of the sins, the evil of evils, the cause of the causes, the iniquity of iniquities, vanity of vanities, etc., the spiritual/religious people have, first of all, (had) to be careful not to commit such an iniquity - this is the reason why the first four of the Ten Commandments are purely spiritual; for example, they say the religious worshipers should not have any other god, lord(christ) or spirit besides the true One (Exodus 20:3, 1 John 5:21), and that is because the "darkness" seeks (a way) to manifest (itself) in the world, and one of the main ways for it to do that is by manifesting in the form of another, misleading god called "satan" - remember how satan seduced eve and adam into "eating" from the forbidden "tree" - he spoke to her/them and acted as if he were a God, and unfortunately they obeyed him; and, in similarity to the true God and His Kingdom, satan is also a spirit and his kingdom (of sin) —, first of all, spiritual, and the spiritual is the most invisible/imperceptible thing, moreover, it is (at) the base of everything that is in the universe; so, the religious worshipers could love their neighbor/cohabitant perfectly enough if they follow/comply with the Holy Commandments of God when practicing the faith, because besides the visible and understandable things there are also spiritual things hidden/invisible or difficult to perceive, which is why there is Scripture - a written record in which these things are described, albeit in a specific spiritual language (in fact, difficult to understand for most humans)...

so, love and the keeping of the Holy Commandments of God are closely related in the faith

Blessings