Magnify the Law

Dear Brethren,

What is most important for Christians today, Love or Law?  In the last decade or so, as the organized Church of God as we once knew it disintegrated, an old false concept resurfaced to challenge the stability of the Children of God.  It is a false concept that the apostles had to face in their day.  The Scriptures of the New Testament actually addresses the subject frankly.  We know that Jesus Christ came as our sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins.  He did not come to do away with His law.

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.  I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.  For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." (Matthew 5:17-18)

We see, also, that Christ made the Law of God more binding by expounding the spiritual aspect of the ten commandments.  On the night before He died, He amplified the concept of loving our neighbor with a "new" commandment:

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love another; as [in the same way] I have loved you, that you also love one another."  (John 13:34)  [Jesus laid His life down for all men - we are to do likewise - no exceptions.]

What was "new" about this new commandment that Jesus Christ gave to His disciples ?  After all, the commandment to love our neighbor was not new - dating back at least to the giving of the law in the Old Testament.  In Leviticus 19:17-18, God had already commanded the Israelites:

"You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.  You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself ; I am the LORD."

The Old Testament standard was only to love your neighbor as yourself.  That was an Old Covenant love - the highest level of love that could be achieved without God's Holy Spirit.  But Christ's command went beyond that principle: we are commanded to love our neighbor as Jesus Christ loved us.  There, Brethren, is the "new" part of the command - Jesus loves us so much that He gave His life as a sacrifice for us; He commands us to love one another that much.  So much so, that we, too, are willing to die for one another. " Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."  (John 15:13)

"... Christ also loved the Church, and gave himself for it;  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.   (Eph 5:25 - 26)

As God of the Old Testament, Jesus inspired the Prophet Isaiah to write that the law would be amplified - magnified and made honorable.  This expansion of the law would only be possible and take place when Jesus came to establish His Church - and imbue it with God's Holy Spirit.

"The Lord is well pleased for his righteousness' sake; He will magnify the law, and make it honorable."  (Isaiah 42:21)

During His public ministry, Christ amplified the law and taught His disciples the better way than just a system of do's and don'ts.  We are created to be God's Children, and to learn to love as He loves.  That kind of love, of necessity, is based on the Law of God.  That perspective is distinct from and stands in direct contrast to the heresy that claims "the law was nailed to the cross."  One way of stating the heresy is that love makes God's law unnecessary.

As those who have adopted the heresy might say, "all we have to do is love God and love our fellow man, we do not have to worry about keeping that Old Testament law."  They would argue that, "Christ kept it for us, died for us, and now we have a new life in Christ," by which they would conclude that we do not have to keep the law.   That reasoning rejects the "newly" expanded love of God and the example Christ set for us to follow.

"For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps."  (1Peter 2:21)

Of course, the initial thrust of this false perspective is a rejection of keeping the Sabbath.  Nevertheless, what did Jesus Christ Himself say, and what did the apostles He taught actually say (and write) about the subject of love and law?

"Do we then make void the law through faith?  Certainly not!  On the contrary, we establish the law." (Romans 3:31)

We begin to love our neighbor in obedience to the commandments:  We do not kill him;  we do not steal from him;  we do not lie to him, etc. ...  we fulfill the law by being willing to die before we would violate our neighbor in disobedience to the law.

"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." (Romans 13: 8-10)

Brethren, how can we be positive of our relationship with God?  How can we ascertain that our love for the Brethren meets the high standard of God's "new" commandment?   "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.  He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." (I John 2:3-4)

"By this we know that we love the Children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.  For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." (I John 5:3-4)

The true message of The Bible is that love, Godly love, is keeping the commandments.  Keeping the commandments is showing love both to God and to man.

As we leave this Passover season and begin to move toward Pentecost, which pictures the coming of God's Holy Spirit, let us continue to learn to love our God and our fellow man.  Let us remember to keep God's commandments so that we are able to love God and our fellow man.

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