The Law of Love
From The HeartPublish date: 04/29/2007
And God spoke all these words, saying: 2 "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.3 "You shall have no other gods before Me.
4 "You shall not make for yourself a carved image -- any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
7 "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
8 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
13 "You shall not murder.
14 "You shall not commit adultery.
15 "You shall not steal.
16 "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."
Exodus 20:1-17 NKJV
There are many hundreds of commandments given to God's people from Exodus to Deuteronomy. All of them can be summed up in just ten main commandments, which can be fulfilled by doing just two things – loving God and loving your neighbor.
And one of their number, a lawyer, asked Him a question to test Him. 36 Teacher, which kind of commandment is great and important (the principal kind) in the Law? [Some commandments are light--which are heavy?] 37 And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect). 38 This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself. 40 These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 22:35-40 AMP
Jesus said that the Law and the Prophets all depend on, and are fulfilled by, these two commandments and these two commandments sum up all the others. God is love. He loves us unconditionally and all He asks is that we would love Him in return. We show our love for the Lord by obeying Him and His word. He loves each and every one of us so much and He expects us to show love to one another. Many people do things in the name of love that are not love – they are manipulative and controlling. If it is selfish, it is not love. Love is unselfish; love gives; there is no fear in love. If in everything you do, you demonstrate your love, honor and respect for the Lord, and your love and caring for people - then you will not break any of the commandments and you will have fulfilled the Law.
Keep out of debt and owe no man anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor [who practices loving others] has fulfilled the Law [relating to one's fellowmen, meeting all its requirements]. 9 The commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet (have an evil desire), and any other commandment, are summed up in the single command, You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself. 10 Love does no wrong to one's neighbor [it never hurts anybody]. Therefore love meets all the requirements and is the fulfilling of the Law. Romans 13:8-10 AMP
I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another. 35 By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves]. John 13:34-35 AMP
Romans 5:5 says that the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. As believers, washed in the blood of Jesus, we have no excuse not to walk in the love of God. Not only have we been placed into fellowship with God, but we also have a relationship with Him. If we want to continue in unbroken fellowship with Him and if we want to maintain our relationship with Him, then we would be wise to not do anything to jeopardize that relationship. If we love God, we will do things that please Him so that we can have a good, clear conscience and be able to come into His presence with no sense of guilt or condemnation.