The bible shows us clearly that the heart of the law is love:
Rom 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Rom 13:9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Rom 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Paul shows us clearly that love fulfils the law. This is not however a new revelation as this comes straight from the Old Testament.
In regards to the 10 commandments it is said:
Deu 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
Deu 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Deu 6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
There are many such statements in the Old Testament that show that even then love was the governing rule of the law.
The question is then, does or can love change?
Paul would suggest it is the major constant even into eternity, see 1 Cor 13.
So why does God give this love in the form of a law/10 commandments?
Well its simple, If a group of people who are all different in personality etc are going to live together and have freedom of choice then there has to be some governing rules, and those rules are based on love.
For example if two people want to play with the same toy, selfishness would say do whatever you need to get the toy. Eg steal it, kill the other person for it etc. But love respects that the other person has freedom also and thus will try and work out a way to deal with the issue without killing or stealing. Maybe sharing etc.
So naturally the last six commandments make sense.
But what about the first four. Well they are based on the same principle, namely "love"
Just as the last six as seen in Romans deal with love to each other so the first four deal with the unchanging principle of love and freedom for God.
These are the two great commandments the first being love to God:
Mar 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
Mar 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
Mar 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
So lets examine the first four quickly in light of the bible revelation of love and freedom working together.
Exo 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
The reality hear is that there is only one God full stop. So how can we love God and put other people or beings or things as God or equal to God? to do so would be to steal Gods right to be recognised simply as He is. Love would never think to take this truth away from God. Just as love would respect and acknowledge the head of the house, namely the parents. Thus to honour mother and father. Love is the basis of the whole law thus those who have true unselfish agape love will obey this commandment by nature of the love God gives us.
Exo 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Exo 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Exo 20:6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Exo 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
God is beyond our ability to create or capture in any physical way. even words escape us to describe God. So if Love is our ruling attribute in life, then we could not even conceive trying to make and image of God. Let alone to give worship to that much lesser representation. Just as we would not like to have people represent us by a photo with our head on a pigs body etc. Love can not do this as it degrades and misrepresents the truth.
Exo 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
As representatives of God we know that everything we do impacts His name. People will look at us and deduce what God is like by those who carry His name. Thus love for God would prevent us from doing or saying things that would hurt or misrepresent or degrade God to anyone else. Love is the governing rule. Just as a company ambassador does all they can to represent their bosses when they love what their company represents. So as to give others are true and flattering picture of what they represent.
Exo 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Exo 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Now the most ignored and rejected part of the law, yet to reject it is to reject the overarching or core of the law which is love. God our Father asks us to remember something and it is not an arbitrary something it actually holds deep meaning for all who believe God is the creator he claims to be.
We owe our existence to God as creator, without this event we don't exist. without this event there is no being nor salvation. It was Gods love that created us with free choice knowing that we would turn from Him and that He would have to save us. In knowing this God made a day different from all others, the cap the climax of creation, within it lay the very nature of God as both creator and giver of life. But also the DNA of the Gospel that we rest in Gods works for us and rely on his provision for all our needs.
In remembering this day we are both reminded of Gods love for us but also in entering into this active remembering we declare our love for who God is as creator and provider of our needs. Salvation is nothing more than a loving God providing for our needs as sinners. It is not an addition to Gods character but a further revelation of the character revealed in creation.
The bible calls the Sabbath a holy convocation, Which means a gathering to worship the creator God. God is literally the only earthly reason to chose the 7th day to do this. thus by doing so it can not be seen as anything but an act of worship towards the one true God.
It is no less important than the other 9 as it like the other nine is nothing but an expression of love. The Jews need it spelled out because they were carnal just as we are. We loved self more than God or our fellow human beings. So God spelled out some essential rules that those who have Gods love in their heart will be seen doing. But to those who have received this love in their hearts these things become natural desires.
If love is the truth and governing rule of the law, then the law applies to all of us and forever. None of the 10 will ever change because love will never change.
Ps for those who would do more study. Notice that the extra laws are also based on love. The reason we don't follow them all is because our circumstances are different. Love remains but how it looks adapts the the society we live in and the cultures we live in. For example they did not use prisons so someone who was judges as a thief might serve their time as a slave to the one they hurt etc. Love pays its debts to the one it owes. Today that person would pay their debt in prison under the government.
So why are the 10 there? Because these don't change under any circumstances or cultures. The 10 look the same in any condition. Love will never steal no matter what. Love to God and love to man the 10 bring the universal cross culture standards.
blessings.
Rom 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Rom 13:9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Rom 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Paul shows us clearly that love fulfils the law. This is not however a new revelation as this comes straight from the Old Testament.
In regards to the 10 commandments it is said:
Deu 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
Deu 6:5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
Deu 6:6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
There are many such statements in the Old Testament that show that even then love was the governing rule of the law.
The question is then, does or can love change?
Paul would suggest it is the major constant even into eternity, see 1 Cor 13.
So why does God give this love in the form of a law/10 commandments?
Well its simple, If a group of people who are all different in personality etc are going to live together and have freedom of choice then there has to be some governing rules, and those rules are based on love.
For example if two people want to play with the same toy, selfishness would say do whatever you need to get the toy. Eg steal it, kill the other person for it etc. But love respects that the other person has freedom also and thus will try and work out a way to deal with the issue without killing or stealing. Maybe sharing etc.
So naturally the last six commandments make sense.
But what about the first four. Well they are based on the same principle, namely "love"
Just as the last six as seen in Romans deal with love to each other so the first four deal with the unchanging principle of love and freedom for God.
These are the two great commandments the first being love to God:
Mar 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
Mar 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
Mar 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
So lets examine the first four quickly in light of the bible revelation of love and freedom working together.
Exo 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
The reality hear is that there is only one God full stop. So how can we love God and put other people or beings or things as God or equal to God? to do so would be to steal Gods right to be recognised simply as He is. Love would never think to take this truth away from God. Just as love would respect and acknowledge the head of the house, namely the parents. Thus to honour mother and father. Love is the basis of the whole law thus those who have true unselfish agape love will obey this commandment by nature of the love God gives us.
Exo 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Exo 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Exo 20:6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Exo 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
God is beyond our ability to create or capture in any physical way. even words escape us to describe God. So if Love is our ruling attribute in life, then we could not even conceive trying to make and image of God. Let alone to give worship to that much lesser representation. Just as we would not like to have people represent us by a photo with our head on a pigs body etc. Love can not do this as it degrades and misrepresents the truth.
Exo 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
As representatives of God we know that everything we do impacts His name. People will look at us and deduce what God is like by those who carry His name. Thus love for God would prevent us from doing or saying things that would hurt or misrepresent or degrade God to anyone else. Love is the governing rule. Just as a company ambassador does all they can to represent their bosses when they love what their company represents. So as to give others are true and flattering picture of what they represent.
Exo 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Exo 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Now the most ignored and rejected part of the law, yet to reject it is to reject the overarching or core of the law which is love. God our Father asks us to remember something and it is not an arbitrary something it actually holds deep meaning for all who believe God is the creator he claims to be.
We owe our existence to God as creator, without this event we don't exist. without this event there is no being nor salvation. It was Gods love that created us with free choice knowing that we would turn from Him and that He would have to save us. In knowing this God made a day different from all others, the cap the climax of creation, within it lay the very nature of God as both creator and giver of life. But also the DNA of the Gospel that we rest in Gods works for us and rely on his provision for all our needs.
In remembering this day we are both reminded of Gods love for us but also in entering into this active remembering we declare our love for who God is as creator and provider of our needs. Salvation is nothing more than a loving God providing for our needs as sinners. It is not an addition to Gods character but a further revelation of the character revealed in creation.
The bible calls the Sabbath a holy convocation, Which means a gathering to worship the creator God. God is literally the only earthly reason to chose the 7th day to do this. thus by doing so it can not be seen as anything but an act of worship towards the one true God.
It is no less important than the other 9 as it like the other nine is nothing but an expression of love. The Jews need it spelled out because they were carnal just as we are. We loved self more than God or our fellow human beings. So God spelled out some essential rules that those who have Gods love in their heart will be seen doing. But to those who have received this love in their hearts these things become natural desires.
If love is the truth and governing rule of the law, then the law applies to all of us and forever. None of the 10 will ever change because love will never change.
Ps for those who would do more study. Notice that the extra laws are also based on love. The reason we don't follow them all is because our circumstances are different. Love remains but how it looks adapts the the society we live in and the cultures we live in. For example they did not use prisons so someone who was judges as a thief might serve their time as a slave to the one they hurt etc. Love pays its debts to the one it owes. Today that person would pay their debt in prison under the government.
So why are the 10 there? Because these don't change under any circumstances or cultures. The 10 look the same in any condition. Love will never steal no matter what. Love to God and love to man the 10 bring the universal cross culture standards.
blessings.