Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Love does no harm to a neighbor, and for that reason love fulfills the law by doing good rather than harm and seeking the highest good of others. The law is love because it expresses the will and character of its Author, who is love and righteousness and truth. Its two great principles are love to God and love to humanity, with the first four commandments summed in love to God with all the heart and the last six in love to neighbor as self, so that no precept can be broken without violating love. Righteousness itself is love, which is holiness and likeness to God, and it is received by receiving Christ and through the love of God shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit. That love is lived in Christlike deeds and practical help, with compassion, tenderness, patience, and kindness toward those in weakness, sorrow, or distress.
Law Revealed as Love
Love fulfills the law because the law itself is love, expressing the will and character of its Author who is love and righteousness and truth, flowing from a heart of infinite love. Its two great principles are love to God and love to humanity, and together love for God and for neighbor comprehends the full scope and whole duty of the law. All ten commandments are summed up in the one principle of love, the first four in love to the Lord with all the heart and the last six in love to neighbor as self, forming a divine whole and not separate great and small precepts that may be ignored with impunity. No precept can be broken without violating love, and the first cannot be kept while the second is broken, nor the second while the first is broken.
Only by loving God supremely and giving Him His rightful place on the throne of the heart is impartial love to neighbor possible, for when God has His rightful place the neighbor is given his right place, loved as self. Love to God is shown by obedience to all His commandments. Because the law expresses the mind and principles of God, it is from its nature unchangeable and must endure as long as its Author. As the foundation of His government, the happiness of all created beings depends on perfect accord with its principles of righteousness.
That accord is supreme love for God and impartial love for one another, bringing peace and joy and perfect harmony with the Creator's will. God desires from all His creatures only voluntary service of love, homage springing from an intelligent appreciation of His character, and He takes no pleasure in forced allegiance but grants to all freedom of will that they may render Him voluntary service. Obedience to its principles of love brings human happiness and gives stability as the foundation and framework of society. Keeping it secures well-being in this world and in the world to come, for it expresses principles that endure forever, and to the obedient it is the pledge of eternal life.
The law is given as a hedge and shield preserving whoever accepts its principles from evil. It guards the rights and individuality of every person by restraining the superior from oppression and the subordinate from disobedience, and it rules home life and the government of nations so that it gives no license for parental severity or oppression and no license for filial disobedience. Christ revealed the law's true nature as divine goodness, not arbitrary requirements, by sweeping away the exactions, false interpretations, and traditions that had encumbered it and hidden the purity of truth, showing that its goodness is not in outward demands added to it. He taught by simple illustrations what true righteousness means and the value of human kindness, sympathy, and love as necessary to its fulfillment.
The law reveals the divine standard by which hearts, conduct, and people are judged, and human standards cannot replace it. Sin is transgression of that law. Its precepts remain binding on every person in harmony with love and the gospel, so perfect love leads to perfect obedience.
Love Given Through Christ
Righteousness is love itself, for love meets all that the law requires, and righteousness, which is holiness and likeness to God and conformity to His law, is therefore love. Love is the light and the life of God, and since the righteousness of God is embodied in Christ, righteousness is received by receiving Him.
The love that fulfills the law comes only as men love God with heart, mind, soul and strength and love their neighbor as themselves, doing no harm to a neighbor and comprehending the whole duty of man. It comes through the love of God shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ given to supply sufficiency and to teach and influence the soul. Love is the living principle of brotherhood, and it is the work of the Holy Spirit from age to age to impart this love to human hearts.
Under that influence the law of God is seen to be holy and just and good, its requirements are loved, and obedience is rendered from the heart with delight. Malice, hatred, jealousy and selfishness are cleansed from the soul and replaced with kindness, patience, longsuffering, benevolence and love. In this way the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in believers as Christ dwells in the heart by faith, renews the image of God in them, redeems them from all iniquity, purifies them as a people zealous of good works, grafts them as a branch into the true Vine, and brings the transgressor back to loyalty to God's law.
This fulfilling love is grounded in God's love in giving His Son, and as Christ's love fills and directs the heart it moves to purposeful, Christlike deeds and practical help, to sharing others' suffering and joy and showing tenderness to those in weakness, sorrow or distress out of compassion for fallen people. So received, it reflects His love and bears fruit in a character like His. When this love is manifested it brings glory to God in the highest and on earth peace and goodwill to men, and the Lord is glorified when this great end of His law is attained.
This love is a grace to be prayed for with firm faith by members of God's remnant church and to be cultivated as Christlike love in large measure until interwoven with faith and hope in all words and acts, love being the greatest of the three. Yet it is manifested altogether too little among those upon whom great light has shone, while genuine religion is life and light to every believer.
Love Lived for Neighbor
Love does no harm to the neighbor and therefore fulfills the law, for love is not opposed to obedience but leads to doing good rather than harm, dealing justly and tenderly, promoting goodness and seeking the highest good without working against a person's true interests. Obedience to God is the fruit of loving Him, and fidelity to God in love involves fidelity to man, guarding rights and individuality while unselfish love reveals purity, righteousness and justice and fulfills God's purpose for human life. Loving God supremely and neighbor as self means doing no harm, with patience and kindness bringing peace and goodwill like Christ's love.
Fulfilling love becomes purposeful care for others in Christlike deeds and practical help, with compassion for fallen people, sharing their suffering and joy, and showing tenderness to those in weakness, sorrow or distress. Christ's life of blessing others is the example to follow and His command to love one another, and this love marks His disciples before the world, grounded in God's love in giving His Son and, as it fills and directs the heart, bearing fruit in a character like His and reflecting the knowledge of God. In practice this means helping a struggling brother with kindness, patience and tenderness, correcting errors without mocking weaknesses and not abandoning him to temptation. It is tenderly thoughtful toward those around, refusing sharp criticism, harsh condemnation and magnifying of defects, and instead looking at the best features in character.
True religion is proved by its fruits in love for God and His truth and love for neighbor as self, for outward forms can cloak soul-destroying selfishness that seeks its own enjoyment without regard for others and hates those who will not support a wrong course. True love is not external form or secluded devotion shut away to grow, but self-forgetfulness made of deeds revealed amid the activities of life and everyday contact with others, running like a thread of gold through daily experience in usefulness to others, with the wealth of affection flowing without restraint in loving God supremely. This love is cheerful, sympathetic and kind, uplifting the soul to God and reflecting Christ's righteousness, bringing truth into life and character to exemplify Christ with peace with God and an indwelling Saviour. It bears long with neglect, forgetfulness, ingratitude, disobedience and trivial grievances, delights in mercy, and keeps working to save and bless others, just as Christ continues mercy toward far greater wrongs without withdrawing love or growing impatient. Human kindness, sympathy and love are necessary to the fulfillment of God's law, taught by simple illustrations showing their value and sweeping away false interpretations and tradition that had hidden the purity of truth, and love for one another marked believers when they first received and believed the truth for that time.
In daily spheres this love excludes selfishness in every business transaction and line of service, and calls for duties to be done rightly and lawfully in loving God supremely and loving neighbor as Christ has loved. Life is not meant to be spent only in self-serving labor, but made bright and beautiful through Christ's love and service that gladdens others, practiced through kindness in speech and through teaching children to recognize God's love in the beauty of nature and to find religion pleasant. The great reform work of convincing others of error must be made in the love of Christ with meekness, longsuffering and gentleness, presenting in the simplest way a crucified and risen Saviour and the truth as it is in Jesus, leading but never driving, because truth itself creates resistance in many hearts. This requires long patience with those who do not see as we do, approaching even the most obstinate in kindness and affection with words dipped in the oil of grace flowing in love and tones expressing the love of God. It never exalts self above others, accuses, manifests bitter enmity even against propagators of error, assaults prejudices, stills voices by denunciations, or uses roughness, hard thrusts, bitter words, fiery defense, uncharitableness, indiscretion, or ill-chosen words in voice or pen that turn souls away and help them decide against the truth, but lays off the war armor to be clothed with the garments of Christ and with humility, melted and transformed until dross is consumed and the image of God is stamped on the soul.
Joined to the words that follow it, the verse calls for knowing the time and awaking out of sleep because salvation is nearer than when belief began, the night far spent and the day at hand, casting off the works of darkness and putting on the armor of light and the Lord Jesus Christ, walking honestly as in the day not in rioting and drunkenness, chambering and wantonness, strife and envying, and making no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. As Bible teaching on temperance in Romans 13:8-14, this calls for taking hold of health reform in an intelligent manner by educating the intellect and arousing moral sensibility under individual accountability to God without making articles of diet a test question. In caring for the sick this love that does no harm and so keeps the law requires refusing to give flesh meat that made them sick and will keep them sick, refusing to go back to serving meat to gain patronage, refusing to employ physicians or nurses unwilling to walk in the full light of health reform, and refusing to let patients indulge perverted appetite, but standing as watchful sentinels on an elevated platform to bring the fullness of Christ into life and urging a living bodily sacrifice holy and acceptable to God.
Love does no harm to a neighbor, and for that reason love fulfills the law by doing good rather than harm and seeking the highest good of others. The law is love because it expresses the will and character of its Author, who is love and righteousness and truth. Its two great principles are love to God and love to humanity, with the first four commandments summed in love to God with all the heart and the last six in love to neighbor as self, so that no precept can be broken without violating love. Righteousness itself is love, which is holiness and likeness to God, and it is received by receiving Christ and through the love of God shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit. That love is lived in Christlike deeds and practical help, with compassion, tenderness, patience, and kindness toward those in weakness, sorrow, or distress.
Law Revealed as Love
Love fulfills the law because the law itself is love, expressing the will and character of its Author who is love and righteousness and truth, flowing from a heart of infinite love. Its two great principles are love to God and love to humanity, and together love for God and for neighbor comprehends the full scope and whole duty of the law. All ten commandments are summed up in the one principle of love, the first four in love to the Lord with all the heart and the last six in love to neighbor as self, forming a divine whole and not separate great and small precepts that may be ignored with impunity. No precept can be broken without violating love, and the first cannot be kept while the second is broken, nor the second while the first is broken.
Only by loving God supremely and giving Him His rightful place on the throne of the heart is impartial love to neighbor possible, for when God has His rightful place the neighbor is given his right place, loved as self. Love to God is shown by obedience to all His commandments. Because the law expresses the mind and principles of God, it is from its nature unchangeable and must endure as long as its Author. As the foundation of His government, the happiness of all created beings depends on perfect accord with its principles of righteousness.
That accord is supreme love for God and impartial love for one another, bringing peace and joy and perfect harmony with the Creator's will. God desires from all His creatures only voluntary service of love, homage springing from an intelligent appreciation of His character, and He takes no pleasure in forced allegiance but grants to all freedom of will that they may render Him voluntary service. Obedience to its principles of love brings human happiness and gives stability as the foundation and framework of society. Keeping it secures well-being in this world and in the world to come, for it expresses principles that endure forever, and to the obedient it is the pledge of eternal life.
The law is given as a hedge and shield preserving whoever accepts its principles from evil. It guards the rights and individuality of every person by restraining the superior from oppression and the subordinate from disobedience, and it rules home life and the government of nations so that it gives no license for parental severity or oppression and no license for filial disobedience. Christ revealed the law's true nature as divine goodness, not arbitrary requirements, by sweeping away the exactions, false interpretations, and traditions that had encumbered it and hidden the purity of truth, showing that its goodness is not in outward demands added to it. He taught by simple illustrations what true righteousness means and the value of human kindness, sympathy, and love as necessary to its fulfillment.
The law reveals the divine standard by which hearts, conduct, and people are judged, and human standards cannot replace it. Sin is transgression of that law. Its precepts remain binding on every person in harmony with love and the gospel, so perfect love leads to perfect obedience.
Love Given Through Christ
Righteousness is love itself, for love meets all that the law requires, and righteousness, which is holiness and likeness to God and conformity to His law, is therefore love. Love is the light and the life of God, and since the righteousness of God is embodied in Christ, righteousness is received by receiving Him.
The love that fulfills the law comes only as men love God with heart, mind, soul and strength and love their neighbor as themselves, doing no harm to a neighbor and comprehending the whole duty of man. It comes through the love of God shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ given to supply sufficiency and to teach and influence the soul. Love is the living principle of brotherhood, and it is the work of the Holy Spirit from age to age to impart this love to human hearts.
Under that influence the law of God is seen to be holy and just and good, its requirements are loved, and obedience is rendered from the heart with delight. Malice, hatred, jealousy and selfishness are cleansed from the soul and replaced with kindness, patience, longsuffering, benevolence and love. In this way the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in believers as Christ dwells in the heart by faith, renews the image of God in them, redeems them from all iniquity, purifies them as a people zealous of good works, grafts them as a branch into the true Vine, and brings the transgressor back to loyalty to God's law.
This fulfilling love is grounded in God's love in giving His Son, and as Christ's love fills and directs the heart it moves to purposeful, Christlike deeds and practical help, to sharing others' suffering and joy and showing tenderness to those in weakness, sorrow or distress out of compassion for fallen people. So received, it reflects His love and bears fruit in a character like His. When this love is manifested it brings glory to God in the highest and on earth peace and goodwill to men, and the Lord is glorified when this great end of His law is attained.
This love is a grace to be prayed for with firm faith by members of God's remnant church and to be cultivated as Christlike love in large measure until interwoven with faith and hope in all words and acts, love being the greatest of the three. Yet it is manifested altogether too little among those upon whom great light has shone, while genuine religion is life and light to every believer.
Love Lived for Neighbor
Love does no harm to the neighbor and therefore fulfills the law, for love is not opposed to obedience but leads to doing good rather than harm, dealing justly and tenderly, promoting goodness and seeking the highest good without working against a person's true interests. Obedience to God is the fruit of loving Him, and fidelity to God in love involves fidelity to man, guarding rights and individuality while unselfish love reveals purity, righteousness and justice and fulfills God's purpose for human life. Loving God supremely and neighbor as self means doing no harm, with patience and kindness bringing peace and goodwill like Christ's love.
Fulfilling love becomes purposeful care for others in Christlike deeds and practical help, with compassion for fallen people, sharing their suffering and joy, and showing tenderness to those in weakness, sorrow or distress. Christ's life of blessing others is the example to follow and His command to love one another, and this love marks His disciples before the world, grounded in God's love in giving His Son and, as it fills and directs the heart, bearing fruit in a character like His and reflecting the knowledge of God. In practice this means helping a struggling brother with kindness, patience and tenderness, correcting errors without mocking weaknesses and not abandoning him to temptation. It is tenderly thoughtful toward those around, refusing sharp criticism, harsh condemnation and magnifying of defects, and instead looking at the best features in character.
True religion is proved by its fruits in love for God and His truth and love for neighbor as self, for outward forms can cloak soul-destroying selfishness that seeks its own enjoyment without regard for others and hates those who will not support a wrong course. True love is not external form or secluded devotion shut away to grow, but self-forgetfulness made of deeds revealed amid the activities of life and everyday contact with others, running like a thread of gold through daily experience in usefulness to others, with the wealth of affection flowing without restraint in loving God supremely. This love is cheerful, sympathetic and kind, uplifting the soul to God and reflecting Christ's righteousness, bringing truth into life and character to exemplify Christ with peace with God and an indwelling Saviour. It bears long with neglect, forgetfulness, ingratitude, disobedience and trivial grievances, delights in mercy, and keeps working to save and bless others, just as Christ continues mercy toward far greater wrongs without withdrawing love or growing impatient. Human kindness, sympathy and love are necessary to the fulfillment of God's law, taught by simple illustrations showing their value and sweeping away false interpretations and tradition that had hidden the purity of truth, and love for one another marked believers when they first received and believed the truth for that time.
In daily spheres this love excludes selfishness in every business transaction and line of service, and calls for duties to be done rightly and lawfully in loving God supremely and loving neighbor as Christ has loved. Life is not meant to be spent only in self-serving labor, but made bright and beautiful through Christ's love and service that gladdens others, practiced through kindness in speech and through teaching children to recognize God's love in the beauty of nature and to find religion pleasant. The great reform work of convincing others of error must be made in the love of Christ with meekness, longsuffering and gentleness, presenting in the simplest way a crucified and risen Saviour and the truth as it is in Jesus, leading but never driving, because truth itself creates resistance in many hearts. This requires long patience with those who do not see as we do, approaching even the most obstinate in kindness and affection with words dipped in the oil of grace flowing in love and tones expressing the love of God. It never exalts self above others, accuses, manifests bitter enmity even against propagators of error, assaults prejudices, stills voices by denunciations, or uses roughness, hard thrusts, bitter words, fiery defense, uncharitableness, indiscretion, or ill-chosen words in voice or pen that turn souls away and help them decide against the truth, but lays off the war armor to be clothed with the garments of Christ and with humility, melted and transformed until dross is consumed and the image of God is stamped on the soul.
Joined to the words that follow it, the verse calls for knowing the time and awaking out of sleep because salvation is nearer than when belief began, the night far spent and the day at hand, casting off the works of darkness and putting on the armor of light and the Lord Jesus Christ, walking honestly as in the day not in rioting and drunkenness, chambering and wantonness, strife and envying, and making no provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. As Bible teaching on temperance in Romans 13:8-14, this calls for taking hold of health reform in an intelligent manner by educating the intellect and arousing moral sensibility under individual accountability to God without making articles of diet a test question. In caring for the sick this love that does no harm and so keeps the law requires refusing to give flesh meat that made them sick and will keep them sick, refusing to go back to serving meat to gain patronage, refusing to employ physicians or nurses unwilling to walk in the full light of health reform, and refusing to let patients indulge perverted appetite, but standing as watchful sentinels on an elevated platform to bring the fullness of Christ into life and urging a living bodily sacrifice holy and acceptable to God.