Sometimes, Christian, even preachers, throw out phrases, sayings, or words without explaining what they mean. When Christians have conversations with people about faith or the Bible, we should make sure that we help people understand what we’re talking about. For example, the phrase “the law of love,” which is used by some preachers and religious groups, can refer to the essence of God’s law in the Bible, but it can also be used in ways that confuse people.
Law and love may mean different things to different people. In fact, some people see law and love as opposed to each other. But they’re not opposing ideas in the Bible. Jesus and the apostle Paul both say that love fulfills the law of God. In Romans 13:8, Paul he writes, “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one 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 covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Paul quotes Leviticus 19:18 here—“You shall love your neighbor as yourself”—which shows that love has always been the fulfillment of God’s law.
In Romans 13:10, Paul writes, “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” So when we talk about the law of God—the way God wants us to live—it’s summarized by love. Love for God and loving our neighbor as we love ourselves is what obeying God’s law is all about.
When we tell people about law and love in the Bible, we should explain that they are very closely connected to each other. The phrase “the law of love,” gets at this close relationship. When Jesus spoke to his disciples in the upper room before he was arrested and crucified, he said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34). Sometimes, when people talk about the law of God, they’ll point to these words Jesus spoke in the upper room with his disciples in John chapter 13.
The essence of God’s law is his love. But we have to define law and love biblically, because many people in our culture today want to redefine love. But the Bible says clearly that when we love God and other people, we’re fulfilling the law.
Of course, we all fall short, and so we need grace and forgiveness every day.
This article is part of our Frequently Asked Questions series. Listen to Pastor Adriel answer this question on Core Radio here.
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