Lesson 19: Law of Love

Lead Scripture:
Matthew 7:21: ““Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the

Some who see the religious confusion prevalent in the world do not want to find unity in God’s word, but try to dismiss the differences as irrelevant. Some appeal to a “law of love.” The basic premise is that there is a greater law of love or higher principle that overrules specific laws. Though this might seem good in theory, in practice—and scripturally— this approach has many problems. The first problem is the arbitrary nature of guiding oneself by this approach. Who decides which laws to set aside? Some would supplant nearly every command in the word of God. If a law is inconvenient or does not seem important to us, we can ignore it saying that we do not see the greater principle behind the law. Imagine a society that approached civil laws in that way. If you do not know why the speed limit for a particular road is so slow you could ignore it. However, road conditions or the nature of the typical traffic pattern might have determined the speed limit. Regardless of whether you agree with the official judgment, you would break the law by speeding. Of course, someone might note that if you were taking your child to the hospital in an emergency you could break the speed limit, therefore showing the greater law of love that overrules the traffic law. This view fails to realize that when you speed your child to the hospital you are still breaking the law and subject to the penalties of the law. However, if a police officer pulled you over for speeding in such a scenario, he would probably not ticket you and, instead, help you reach the hospital safely. Law of love proponents fail to realize that the police officer, by the nature of his position, has the authority to be lenient with the law of the land in extenuating circumstances. God has given no man the right to set aside His law. Secondly, this method subjects God’s laws to man’s wisdom. This is a foolish path to tread, Proverbs 14:12, Isaiah 55:8-11. We cannot enter the mind of God and understand why He commanded the things that He did, 1 Corinthians 4:2-16. God did not reveal Himself exhaustively to us (He did not tell us everything about Himself and His will) but He told us what we need to know for our life on earth and preparation for eternity, 2 Peter 1:3. Job tried to question God about the things that happened to him and God rebuked him for trying to enter into His area of judgment, Job 40:7-14. Those who promote the law of love do the exact same thing: if they do not understand the principle behind God’s word, they set aside the law. Would we annul God’s judgment? Finally, this approach ignores the

“tough love” characteristics of God’s law. We must endure adversity in order to become stronger. There are some commands that might be easier to set aside or deem insignificant. We might have to make some sacrifices to fulfill God’s law in the way that He commanded, yet in doing so we subject our will to the Father’s will. Some things we endure, though we do not understand now, make us stronger, 1 Peter 1:6-9; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. Those who embrace the law of love will set aside God’s law in difficult circumstances failing to realize that enduring the difficulty is exactly what the person needs to do. Jesus loved the rich young ruler yet His command was very difficult, Mark 10:17 -22. Those who support the law of love argue that Jesus practiced it in regard to the Sabbath. Under the Old Law, the Jews could not work on the Sabbath day, Exodus 20:8-11. A man was even stoned to death for gathering sticks on the Sabbath, Numbers 15:32-36. However, by Jesus’ day the Jews had made many laws in addition to God’s revealed law. For example, the Jews could not travel more than a mile on the Sabbath. Jesus healed some sick people and ate in the grain fields on the Sabbath with His disciples; the Jewish leaders rebuked them, Matthew 12:1-14. Jesus did not violate the law of the Sabbath but their Sabbath traditions. Jesus points out that the priests must work on the Sabbath (note: if He violated the Sabbath then so did the priests!) but are not condemned. He also recalled the incident in 1 Samuel 21:2-6 in which David and his men were allowed to eat the showbread that only the priests could eat, Leviticus 24:5 -9. Note that David did not take the showbread but the priest offered it as long as the men were undefiled. Jesus does not disapprove of this incident and quotes Hosea saying that God desired mercy, not sacrifice. Ahimilech the priest showed mercy to David and his men on this one instance in opposition to the law regarding the showbread. However, this did not provide a precedent for violation in the future. Consider Uzzah who, wanting to steady the ark so that it did not fall off a cart, was struck by an angry God for touching the ark, 2 Samuel 6:6. If we break God’s laws out of good intentions, we are treading on dangerous, and presumptuous, ground. Some also quote Matthew 23:23-24 in which Jesus condemned the hypocritical Jewish leaders for tithing mint and cumin and neglecting love and mercy. Proponents of the law of love stress that Jesus was more concerned with love and mercy than with the tithe. However, this view fails to consider the whole passage. Jesus did not condemn them for tithing the smallest of spices; in fact, He said they should have done this. He condemned them for focusing on the tithe and neglecting the important laws of love and mercy. If anything, this passage stresses the need to be diligent about the “small” laws of God and the important principles. What did Jesus say in regard to law and love? He said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments,” John 14:15. In John 14:21, He said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me.” In Luke 6:46, Jesus wondered, “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” He condemned those who would call Him Lord and disobey Him in

kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” Jesus stressed obedience to the law as well as mercy and love. The apostle John wrote, “God is love,” 1 John 4:8. God is the one who revealed Himself through the gospel of the New Testament. It was sent by a God who loved us so much that He gave His Son to die for us. It was taught by one who loved us so much that He lived as one of us. It was exemplified in the death of one who, out of love, died for us so He could cleanse us and adopt us. It was delivered by a Spirit of love to the apostles who revealed the will of God to us. Love, mercy, truth, and justice were foremost in God’s revelation. We already follow a law of love. We must not doubt God’s love when we encounter difficulty following His law. He is a good Father and He knows what is best for us. We must be filled with love and trust and obey His law knowing it is for our good. We do not have to understand all of the reasons and principles behind God’s laws. We must know and trust that all of God’s commands are for our good, Psalm 119:65-68, 101-105.

Questions for Discussion & Study

1. What do you think are some difficult commands that one might invoke a “law of love” to set aside?

2. Why does the “law of love” not bring about the unity that some desire?

3. Did Jesus exercise a “law of love” with the thief on the cross? Explain your answer. Matthew 27:44; Luke 23:39-43.

4. How does the parent-child relationship help us understand our relationship to God and His commands?

5. What does “the priests violate the Sabbath” mean?

6. Can we neglect the “weightier matters” of Christ’s law? Explain.

7. Are