Romans 13:8-10 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 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. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

We fulfill the law by loving God and loving others. Paul was quoting from Leviticus 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

James calls this the royal law. James 2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

Jesus, Paul, and James emphasize relationships over rules. When we love God and others we want to please them. We don’t want to hurt them or sin against them. The Jews of Jesus’ time were all about rules. They had over six hundred of them. Yet they weren’t very loving. They were quick to judge others. They hated the Samaritans and the Gentiles. It even took the twelve disciples a long time to get over their prejudices. James and John were called the ‘sons of thunder’ because they wanted God to bring down fire upon a Samaritan village that had rejected Jesus - Luke 9:54.

Here is Paul’s definition of love:

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Love is the test of whether you are filled with the Spirit and walking in the Spirit. Love is the first fruit of the Spirit - Galatians 5:22.

Ron Cox – Director of HOPE Ministry