LOVE IS THE FULFILLMENT
(Romans Bible Study Series Tape Thirty-Five)
Recommended reading - Romans 13:8-14.
The Apostle Paul used repetition in his writings to
stress the importance of the message, which he was delivering. One of the
great points of interest that Paul continually stressed was that love is
the fulfillment of the Law. One of the main accusations made against Paul
was that, he undermined the Law. To this very day many misuse the writings
of Paul to say that he condoned the elimination of the Law. We must
carefully study his writings to properly understand the exact point he was
making. In Romans 13:8-14, Paul writes about the true application
of the Law in the Christian life. The scriptures, that we will study in
this lesson, will help individuals who have deeply focused on the Law for
salvation to properly see the place of the Law in the Christian life.
I. Paul and Christ upheld the Law.
· Paul is accused
of undermining the Law in Acts 21:28. The exact same accusation
was made against Jesus Christ. In both accounts the accusation is
incorrect.
· God does not
want us to stagnate; He wants us to grow. We should grow every day of
our lives in the likeness of Christ. To do this we must study His Word
with an open mind in Christ and draw close to Him in prayer.
· In Matthew
5:17, Christ was accused of being against the Law. Christ said,
don't ever think that I came to destroy the Law. Christ and Paul were
against anyone who used the Law as a method of earning salvation.
· It is made
clear, throughout the Bible, that it is simply impossible to perfectly
keep the Law. We cannot keep the Law in its' perfection. The Law is
perfect; we are imperfect.
· The fact, that
we cannot keep the Law in it's perfection, does not mean that Christ and
Paul did not teach and address the importance of the Law.
· Jesus told the
young man in Matthew 19:16, that he should keep the Law. Christ
clarified, to the young man, that none are good except God. He stressed
that the definition of goodness is the Law. Christ explained to the
young man, who thought he kept the Law, that in fact he had not properly
kept the Law. Christ then explained to the disciples in Verse 26,
that with man it is impossible but with God all things are possible.
· Christ and Paul
were in perfect harmony upholding the Law as a standard of Christian
living. Jesus said in John 14:15 if you love Me, keep My
commandments. He did not say if you want salvation, keep the
commandments. He said, if you love me, keep my commandments. Christ also
said, if you are my friend you will keep my commandments He did not say,
if you keep the commandments I will be your friend. The true Christian,
who with his heart truly loves God, will keep the commandments.
· In II John
6, we read that love is manifested by keeping the commandments. Once
we are justified by faith Christ directs us to the Law and says, this is
how I want you to live.
· There is a
world of difference between using the Law as a method of salvation and
using the Law as a standard of Christian living.
II. Problems with using the Law as a method of earning salvation.
· There are
several problems an individual has when he tries to use the Law as a
method of earning salvation. The individual faces a problem because
often he only keeps the letter of the Law; using the Law as a bunch of
rules (do's and don'ts). Obedience to the Law in this fashion produces
an external righteousness; whereas, the Law of God requires not only an
external righteousness but also an internal righteousness.
· Conduct and
obedience to the Law is important, but it must come from within and with
a right heart.
· Christ
describes external righteousness in Matthew 15:7-9. To often
people speak about the name of God and worship Him in vain, because they
teach the doctrines of men rather than the doctrines of God.
· The individual
also faces the problem of trying to look good, but he only looks good to
other men. All that man can see is the outward act.
· Christ
addresses how external righteousness looks to God in Luke 16:14-15.
Christ states that God knows the heart and what is highly esteemed among
men is an abomination in the sight of God.
· To often the
individual who is seeking righteousness of the self, does not glorify
God, he glorifies himself.
· In Luke
18:11-12, we see an individual who makes every attempt to show his
righteousness; the end is self-glorification and not God glorification.
· The individual,
who goes humbly before God, left justified because he was not depending
on his own righteousness rather he depends on the mercy of God. The one
who exalts himself will be abased and he who humbles himself will be
exalted.
III. The Law will be written in the heart of the believer.
· David states in
Psalm 40:8, that he delights in God's will and the Law is in his
heart. Jesus delighted to keep the Law because he delighted to save the
human race. We must delight to keep the Law because we love God.
· The Kingdom of
God will work by the love that is deep inside of every individual. When
a Christian keeps the Law out of delight, he is being obedient, which is
a fulfillment of the New Covenant.
· God says, I
will take my Laws and I will write them in your heart.
· In Hebrews
8:7-13, the reality is that the problem is not with the Law the
problem is with the individual. The new relationship, that we have with
our God, is a heart religion that has to do with our inner most being.
· Once the Law
has driven us to Christ, we will find justification which is in Him.
When that occurs, He will put His Law in our mind and write it on our
hearts. He will be our God and we will be His people. God is beginning
to write His Law in the hearts of the true believer.
IV. We will always have a debt.
· Paul teaches in
Romans 13:8-10, that the only debt that we will always have is to
love our fellow man. There will never come a time when we can say that I
have done enough.
· Paul addresses
the commandments and sums everything up by saying that, we are to love
others as we love ourselves.
· There is only
one kind of genuine love, that we possess by nature, and that is self
love. There is no selfishness in the love of God. When Paul is
addressing the fulfillment of the Law as love, he is talking about the
Spirit of the Law.
· In Verse 11,
the belief in Jesus Christ is what gives salvation.
· The Bible
refers to salvation in three tenses. A Christian is saved from guilt and
punishment, which is past tense. A Christian is also in the present
tense being saved, because he is in the process of being saved from
the power and slavery of sin. In the future, when Christ returns,
the Christian will receive ultimate salvation from the nature and
presence of sin.
· Justification
is past salvation; sanctification is a present salvation; glorification
is the future ultimate salvation. In Romans 13:11, Paul is
referring to the glorification. We are drawing nearer to the ultimate
salvation.
V. We must put on the light.
· We are to put
away darkness and put on the light, as we read in Verses 12-13.
The light is the life of Christ. In Verse 14, we are told to put
on the Lord Jesus Christ.
· When we accept
Christ, a change takes place; we must realize that our nature stays the
same. In and of ourselves we are sinners.
· The Christian
who keeps the Law as a standard does not look down on others. He
recognizes that it is not him, but Christ that lives in him.
· Paul proclaimed
and realized that he was a chief sinner. We must come to see that about
ourselves.
VI. We need a special ingredient.
· To keep the
commandments in our heart, we need an ingredient; that ingredient is the
love of God.
· We cannot
generate that agape love. God comes to us and tells us that, while we
were sinners He came to us.
· God comes to us
with good news and we respond to God in faith. Faith is a heart
appreciation for the gift of God. The Holy Spirit then is sent as a
comforter and helper.
· The Holy Spirit
will give us peace and also the most excellent gift, the love of God.
God gives us the agape love that we may give love to others.
· Christ does not
focus on the first four commandments in the New Testament because His
focus was not on returned love to Him, but on us loving each other.
· God states that
when we have perfect love, we will love all unconditionally.
VII. Keeping of all the commandments.
· We keep all of
the commandments of God by one word - faith. We show our faith by
keeping all the commandments, including the first four commandments.
· If you have
faith in God, you will have no other Gods and you will seek His Kingdom,
first. If you have faith in God you will rest on His Sabbath, not yours.
That is simply the way it is.
· In Hebrews
4:2-3,9, we read that when we believe the gospel, we will enter into
His rest. There remains a keeping of a Sabbath rest, for the people of
God. The first four commandments are kept by faith, by resting in God,
by His love, by His provision, and by His salvation.
When the world sees the agape love practiced by us, they
will know that we are the disciples of Christ. Paul is saying to let the
love, which we have received, shine outwardly to all, that everyone will
know by our life, works, and good deeds that we are of God. There will be
no self praise, for all will look to and will glorify our Father, which is
in heaven. |
Love is the Fullfillment 