Sunday, August 30, 2015

Loving the Love in God's Law

Joh 15:9  As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
Joh 15:10  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.
Joh 15:11  These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Joh 15:12  This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Joh 15:13  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Jesus KEPT His FATHER's COMMANDMENTS.

Did He at ANY time tell anyone NOT to keep His Father's commandments? 
He DID tell others they did good when they kept His  Father's commandments.

Mat 19:16  And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
Mat 19:17  And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
Mat 19:18  He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
Mat 19:19  Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Mat 19:20  The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
Mat 19:21  Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
Mat 19:22  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

Luk 10:25  And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Luk 10:26  He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
Luk 10:27  And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
Luk 10:28  And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

You see, Jesus knew and knows that ALL who do choose to keep His Father's commandments in TRUTH and LOVE are keeping any commandment He, Himself gives as well.

LOVE.

This is why God's moral law could NEVER be done away with, never. It's Jesus' moral law too.  Jesus could keep His Father's commandments ONLY if we too are expected to keep them in Him. Jesus would NEVER have kept a single commandment of His Father's if He were going to do away with them! He would have made a HUGE deal about how wrong they were, and tell people NOT to follow those commandments. Instead, Jesus told those keeping the commandments that they were doing good. Jesus didn't want people to just keep the letter of the law, He wanted them to keep the love of the law.

Love of the law, is the love IN the law. Loving the LOVE in the law, not the letter. If we love the letter of the law we love the form of it, we love the idea of it giving us the power to save ourselves and when we love the idea of saving ourselves we are NOT loving God first, we are NOT loving others first. 

Sometimes we call people crazy when they do something very obvious to hurt someone they love. We say things like, they had to know that would hurt.  And then if we ask that person about it they might say they didn't know, no one told them. 

Our God wants us to love Him and love others and while maybe it should be obvious how this love is revealed, so many people weren't loving Him or others. God spelled it out, in His moral law He spelled it out for people. But people twisted it so they believed they were saving themselves by keeping the law. They lost sight of who saves, of what saves and that's love and GOD IS LOVE.

May we, through the love of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, know the LOVE of God, know the LOVE of loving others.

All by HIS grace and mercy!

Amen.

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