Love is the fulfilling of the Law

Romans 13:8 - Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Romans 13:10 - Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

 

There is a type of love that fulfills the law of God and satisfies god in every respect.  There must of necessity also be a type of law that does not fulfill the law of God, and fails to satisfy God.  Our text reveals the type of love that fulfills the law of God, and Romans 8:1-8 reveals the type of love (fleshly) that cannot please God, nor can it satisfy the requirements of the law of God. 

 

Every person is composed of flesh, soul, and spirit.  The flesh is the outward shell that contains the life of the inner person.  The soul is the emotions, and the spirit is the eternal life. 

·         I Thessalonians 5:23 – And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  

·         It is very possible for believers to exhibit all three kinds of love – spiritual, soulish (emotional) and fleshly, but the unbeliever can only exhibit two types of love – soulish (emotional) and fleshly. 

·         Proverbs 20:27  The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly. 

·         Psalms 18:28 - This candle (the spirit of man) in not lit in the lost person, but is lit when salvation comes to the unbeliever. For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. 

 

Matthew 5:17-20 - 17 – Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.  Christ fulfilled the perfect law of God, but his fulfilling the law does not exempt us from fulfilling the law.  As Christ has fulfilled the law, so his children should also fulfill the law.  Christ fulfilled the law because of his love, therefore God’s children should also fulfill the law because of their love. 

 

Romans 8:1-8 - There is a type of love that does not fulfill the law of God.  Just as Christ fulfilled the law by perfect obedience to God, so the believer can fulfill the law by their perfect obedience to God. 

·         See Matthew 5:17.  Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 

·         Galatians 6:2 states, Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 

 

A lost person does not have a light, therefore cannot love with a spiritual love, as his spirit is dead. 

·         Ephesians 2:1-3 reveals that salvation brings quickening, or a making alive spiritually. 

·         John 3:19 – And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 

 

There is a love of the flesh, which is illustrated by a small child who “loves” his toys, and compares to an adult who “loves” his toys. 

 

There is a love of the emotions or “soulish love”, which is illustrated by a small child who “loves” others because of the pleasure they give to them, and compares to an adult who “love” others because of the pleasure and benefits they give to them. 

·         The “soulish” love asks: “What is in it for me?”, not What is in it for God?”  the “soulish” love is an emotional love that is the love of a hireling, who will not give his life for the sheep, as recorded in  John 10:12, But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. 13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. 

·         The love of Christ for wicked sinners caused him to give his life for sinners, just as the love of Christ constrains us to be continually obedient to Christ and his eternal percepts, even to the point of giving our lives, our ambitions and all our wealth for the cause of Christ; we do not count our lives dear to ourselves. 

 

When a person who is “loved” under these circumstances, dies, there is a loss to the individual who “loves”, therefore grief.  There is also grief in the heart of the believer when those they love pass away, but the sorrow is not as those that have no hope.  1 Thessalonians 4:13  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 

 

The outward appearances of soulish and spiritual love are very similar, but remarkably different as the depths are examined, forcing the individual to give themselves for Christ. 

 

 

The dividing line between spiritual and soulish love is revealed by the self-sacrificing devotion to the will of God, regardless of what God desires.  Knowing, of course, that God always knows what is best for us, and will always give the best to us.  The difference is most clearly revealed by the motive behind actions.  The motive of spirit love is to glorify God, even to the point of self-denial, while the motive of soulish love is to elevate self.