MORALITY OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.
By John Harvey Waggoner
SOME read the text, “Love is the fulfilling of the law,” as if it said, Love is a substitute for the law. But it does not read so. Obedience to God is the sole test and proof of love to God. That is but shallow love—rather a mockery of love—to God, which seeks its own benefit, merely. But this is the kind of love which too many show, who find nothing in the Bible but simply a provision for their salvation, or, more nearly, their gratification, without regard to the claims of God’s law upon them. They see little or no necessity for any vindication of the justice of the divine Government in the maintenance of the law. This is an error into which the “perfectionists” naturally run. Its end is antinomianism—a disparagement of all law. It is a religion of the emotions alone. Its only use for the gospel is the service of self. But true Christian love is more than an arousing of the emotions. It is a deep and fixed principle controlling the actions of the life, bringing all the powers of the mind and heart into entire subjection to the revealed will of God. It is the very opposite of the carnal mind, which is “enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” That which depreciates the law because it is the law—because it is legal—and considers that the law has too great restraining power to suit its ideas of Christian liberty, is nothing but carnality. They who possess this kind of religion profess a very exalted state of Christian knowledge and experience. And this shows the strength of what Andrew Fuller very truthfully styled “this antinomian delusion.” It is self-deception of the most dangerous type. It gradually undermines the authority of all revelation, and makes the experience of the individual the sole test of truth, and his feelings the sole index of duty. We have found the most remarkable instances of this self-deception among the “Free Methodists” and the “United Brethren;” while the so-called “Holiness Bands” are wholly given over to it, though scarcely any denomination is free from it now, as prejudice against, and opposition to, the law, is everywhere increasing. It is the prevalence of this superficial religion, this subordination of duty to feeling, this preference of benefit to self to the glory of God, that has caused so large a rejection of the Bible doctrine of the atonement. That which is denominated “the moral view”—an atonement as affecting man only—is much more nearly the immoral view, in that it does not uphold justice, or bring back rebellious man to subjection to the broken law. Self-will and self-glorification are its sum and substance. “Love is the fulfilling of the law.” Let us briefly notice the connection of these words (Rom. 13:8-10): “Owe no man anything; but to love one another; for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” That is, the law requires that, instead of doing injury to your neighbor in any of his interests or relations, you shall do him only good. And he that loves his neighbor cannot do him injury, but will do him all the good he can. Therefore, he who loves another only fulfills the requirement of the law. If the other view be taken, that love, but not obedience to the law, is required, then we should have the singular and absurd rule of duty, namely, that we may injure our neighbor in all his relations, of life, chastity, property, and reputation, if we only love him! Can anyone accept so great an absurdity as this? By no means. Hence the view we present is the true and reasonable one, namely, that the law defines our duty to our neighbor, but we can never fulfill its requirements unless we love our neighbor. And all profession of love without doing that which the law defines to be duty, is a pretense and a deception. The text specifies in duty as follows:— “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 neighbor as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” The fifth commandment is not mentioned. What a splendid opportunity is here presented for the antinomian to claim that it is not wrong to dishonor parents, because Paul in re-affirming the commandments to the Gentiles, which forbid wrongs against our social relations, did not mention it! If such a chance were offered in relation to the Sabbath, how eagerly it would be seized upon, and heralded to the ends of the earth as a death-blow to Sabbatarianism! Yet there is no occasion here for antinomian rejoicing. The apostle includes all the commandments of that nature in this word: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” No one who truly loves as here required, will dishonor his parents, more than he will injure any one in his property or reputation. How senseless, then, is the cavil which has been based upon this text, namely, that the Sabbath is not binding because Paul did not mention it in this enumeration of duties! The truth, evident to every reader, is, that Paul did not specify all the duties in our social relations, but included them in a summary which had been before mentioned in both Testaments. And he was speaking only of our duty to one another, to our neighbor, not at all referring to the precept, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart.” On the precept, love thy neighbor, every duty to mankind depends, or is included in it. So on the precept, love God, every duty to God is included. Or, as the Saviour shows, “all the law” is contained in these two. And as the duty to care for the honor of our parents is included in the second table, though not mentioned in Rom. 13, so the duty to keep the Sabbath is included in the requirement to love God, for it is a part of the law; and “all the law” is contained therein. Love is the spring of obedience, and obedience is the proof of love. They are positively inseparable. “God is love.” That holy law which emanated from God is a law of love. It lives only in the atmosphere of love; love to God, and love to our neighbor. In the light of its revelation of duty, “God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” It is that word of God which is “quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Heb. 4:12.