THE HIGHER LAW - THE LAW OF LOVE
Some think that since we are no longer under the Old Testament Law we are free to do anything we want. Others think we are still under the Old Testament Mosaic Law. Both conclusions are absolutely wrong and completely unbiblical. For those that think we are free to sin, I would remind them of the following verse:
Rom 6:1-2 KJVR
(1) What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
(2) God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
For those that think we are still under the Law (who follow practices like trying to keep the Sabbath legalistically), I would point them to my article:
http://www.thomastaylorministries.org/article_abolition.htm
The purpose of this article is not to debate those issues. I want, through this article, to bring further revelation on what the Law of Love is. It is a higher standard, far higher than the Mosaic Law. It is not relaxing of standards but actually a raising of the bar. However, at the same time the Law of Love consolidates over 600 Old Testament Laws to just two:
Mat 22:37-40 KJVR
(37) Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
(38) This is the first and great commandment.
(39) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
(40) On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Jesus is saying that this was the spirit of the Old Testament law all along. However, not until He showed up did this progressive revelation become available because only through Him could the Mosaic Old Testament Law pass away by His fulfilling It.
When Jesus said to keep my Commandments He was talking about the Commandments of Love.
Joh 14:15 KJVR
(15) If ye love me, keep my commandments .
Joh 14:21 KJVR
(21) He that hath my commandments , and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Joh 15:10 KJVR
(10) If ye keep my commandments , ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
He kept that very commandment Himself! Which is why He was able to say:
Joh 15:12 KJVR
(12) This is my commandment, That ye love one another , as I d you .
Now the Commandment of Love is not just writing in a legal book but it is living and visible through the actions of Jesus Christ!
God is love. God's Word is really the Word of Love. The Bible is love being written out. Jesus was the Word of God made flesh. He is the Love of God made flesh. We are to keep His commands of Love which is the Word of God (not specifically the laws but the spirit of entire book). And God even makes sure we can keep His Law by bringing anything we may forget to our remembrance by His Spirit:
Joh 14:26 KJVR
(26) But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
We are under a higher law now. The law of love means though all things are lawful according to the old Mosaic Law, all things are not lawful according to the Law of Love.
1Co 6:9-12 KJVR
(9) Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God ? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
(10) Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God .
(11) And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
(12 ) All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
In Christ we are washed, sanctified, and justified from all sin under the Old Law. All things are now lawful to me but now Paul doesn't say we are free to do anything we want. Paul actually brings the standard far higher than Old Mosaic Law. We now must walk in the highest standard of all of Heaven – the standard of Love. If I love God, I will not allow anything to come between my relationship with Him bringing me under its power. In other words, anything that I allow between God and myself is idolatry, whether it is drinking, fighting, adultery or even over-eating, movies, tv, and games. Thus, by doing such things, I have broken the Law of Love. The Old Testament Law didn't mention anything about watching TV did it? But now because of the higher standard of love, it covers everything we could possibly do wrong.
1Co 10:23-24 KJVR
(23) All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
(24) Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth.
Before we think about ourselves we must think about others. That is the essence of the Law of Love. All things are lawful to me according to the old standards but now I must think about others starting with God. Does what I want to do interfere with my relationship with Him? Does what I want to do interfere with my relationship with other people?
This Law of Love IS the unity of the faith that Paul speaks about that is to come.
Eph 4:13 KJVR
(13) Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:
This verse is talking about when we come to understand the Law of Love and walk in it. That is the knowledge of the Son of God, knowing Jesus and how to walk as He did, which is walking in love at all times. We don't judge others. We don't condemn others for how they walk with God. We always forgive others. Jesus said:
Luk 6:37 Judge not , and ye shall not be judged: condemn not , and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
This is the love Jesus walked in and what we should walk in. He did not condemn the woman caught in adultery when He had every right to do so. Why? Because He came to be our example of the perfect Christian – one that does not judge others. If Christians would grow up spiritually to the point that they do not judge their brothers and sisters, we would be well on our way to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Jesus. We can judge right and wrong doctrine. But we cannot judge the motives of the heart based on one's actions.
We do not look to our own well-being but we are always looking unto the well-being of others. That means I may know something is okay to do but I choose not to do it because it may be judged wrong by another Christian who does not know as much of the Word. Therefore, I choose never to do it.
When we realize that we are free to do anything except break the Law of Love, we will be on our way to spiritual growth. When we hear, believe, and act on God's Word is when we will have built our conscience, or spirit-man, to know what is right and wrong in every situation. Spiritual growth is simply growth in God's Word. However, what the Word allows is not the standard. Our standard is the Law of Love which means conforming to the highest expectations of the weakest Christian that we influence.