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k4c

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Love, as seen in the emotion, is a dime a dozen in the eyes of God but godly love, as defined by God, is precious in His sight.

Love, by itself, is just an emotion and can be guided and directed by things unapproved of by God. The Law of God defines godly love at it's basic level and the Spirit of God directs us according to love and truth. Every sin and crime committed in the world has its root in God's Law. The center of sin is (I). When we truly love, as God defines love, we will find ourselves keeping the commandments because the spirit or purpose of the commandments is to define godly love.

Romans 13:8-10 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery,'' "You shall not murder,'' "You shall not steal,'' "You shall not bear false witness,'' "You shall not covet,'' and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'' Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
 
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Stewartnz

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"Love is the fulfilling of the law." Some people understand this to mean that love is a substitute for the law. But we take it to mean that love is the fulfilling, the doing, of the law.

The same idea comes up in Galatians 6:2.
"Bear you one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

But will anyone say that 'bearing another person's burden' is a substitute for the law of Christ? It sounds strange, and yet this is the reasoning used by many professed Christians.

If love is the fulfilling [the substitute] for the law, then bearing one another's burdens is the fulfilling [the substitute] for the law of Christ.
 
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k4c

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Excellent point...

The Law of God is two sided. One side points out sin and brings condemnation and the other side defines godly love. Our relationship with Jesus determines which side we see.
 
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EastCoastRemnant

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Stewartnz said:
k4c, would you say it is correct to say that love is "better" than law?

The moral standard applied, is better than a knowledge of the standard?
Click to expand...

Love is the Law and the Law is love...
 
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k4c

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Stewartnz said:
k4c, would you say it is correct to say that love is "better" than law?

The moral standard applied, is better than a knowledge of the standard?
Click to expand...

It's important to have love first, then let that love grow and be defined as we understand more of what true godly love is.

The Law not only defines sin but it also defines godly love.

When we sin the Law points it out and brings condemnation but when we love in accordance with the Law, the Law has no condemning power.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Now it's important to understand that we must love in accordance with God's Law or that love will bring condemnation. For example: I love my girlfriend with all my heart but does this love I have for her allow me to have sex with her without condemnation from the Law?
 
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