Law and Love - 2

I am seeing more and more evidence of yet another major theme emerging from this passage in Romans – the contrast between darkness and light, alignment with the law contrasted with deeds of darkness or of the flesh.

As I observed last time, Jesus came to fulfill the law with real love. He interfered in the natural progression of the human race toward death and extinction to reverse this destiny for all those who would accept salvation. This choice is what is being discussed in this chapter, in fact throughout the whole book of Romans. But I would like to itemize more clearly the things referred to here on each side of the choice and begin to see their relationship with each other.

All through the book of Romans Paul has talked about the law. However, he has made it repeatedly clear that the law is not gone or done away with as many Christians try to believe. This is impossible since the Law of God is really a description of the principles of reality itself as created by the Author of all powers and forces and materials and beings. In these chapters Paul is beginning to make it much more clear that the only way in which we can be properly aligned or synchronized with the law – and that is absolutely necessary in order for any of us to be able to successfully encounter the intense presence of the Almighty – is to be filled with the same love that makes up the very essence of God Himself.

The Law of God is something of an over-simplification or a verbal visualization of the symptoms that will be seen in the life of an individual who is full of God's love. But any attempt to actualize those symptoms without having the real cause internally is a tragic choice of foolishness and is really the essence of sin. To try to exhibit the signs of life without being properly connected to the real Source of life is hypocrisy and even treason against the government of heaven. So all attempts to diminish the importance of the laws of God for humans is really promotion of sin and treason and is extremely dangerous at best and will be fatal in the end if not renounced through repentance.

To believe that the Law of God has a diminished role in the life of a Christian is to claim that God has a diminished role in the life of a Christian – a patent absurdity. But just because the Law still is in full force it does not follow that we can produce the results that the Law describes in our present condition, even with a great deal of assistance from God as many teach. We can never “keep” the law of God enough to contribute anything to our own salvation. Absolutely nothing we do has any saving merit to add to the salvation already provided through complete trust in the life and death of Jesus Christ But equally true, Jesus' life and death does not reduce in the slightest the law's requirements over us. It only amplifies the law's true function and purpose as a simple description of the character of God.

The only way anyone, either before or after the incarnation of the Son of God on this planet – the only way a person can be “saved” is to allow the provisions and demonstrations provided by God to change their opinions and attitudes toward God and subject themselves fully to His authority in their hearts and minds. Sin is rebellion against the authority of heaven. Sin is denial of God's right to the very beings that He Himself created for love. Until we submit to the ways and means that God has brought to us to re-implant His love in our hearts we will remain in our condition of rebellion and are headed for hell. For hell is actually the resistance of the heart exposed to the powerful current of heart-love flowing out of the power-source of all the universe. And when strong current meets resistance the result is always overwhelming heat and finally destruction.

So it makes sense then, that love is the fulfillment of the law and that in the very same chapter that this is explained that we are also carefully instructed to let go of all resistance to authority. Clearly love and resistance must be opposites according to this chapter. Resistance is part of the deeds of darkness and the lusts of the flesh. To put on the armor of light is to put on the very presence of God which is full of the love-current flowing from His heart. But to live in the light we must also get rid of all resistors inside of us or we will have problems with them heating up and causing pain and internal damage.

Likewise, the other things listed here in Romans 13 are also problems of resistance and deeds of darkness. When we resist rendering to anyone what is due them (v. 7), according to heaven's viewpoint we are still not awake and participating in the life of the daylight. When we dishonor any of the Ten Commandments (v. 9) we are still living in the dark. When we do anything wrong to our neighbor we cannot be living in love. And how do we know what wrong is unless there is a standard by which to measure it?

All the the deeds of darkness listed in verse 13 are indicators that we do not yet have the real love of God permeating our hearts. This includes the mention of strife which encompasses things like arguing, debating and contention. That pretty much describes everyone when it starts getting that close to our daily life. And it is true, all of us have sinned and are deeply infected in various ways with the seeds of sin and deception that keep us at odds with the pure description of love as seen in the Law of God.

But Jesus' purpose for coming to earth was not to keep the Law so that we would no longer need to. That is just as absurd as saying that Jesus loved everyone so I don't need to love anyone but myself. With that logic I could say that He loved on my behalf (kept the law perfectly) so I don't need to love because He is my substitute. I don't hear anyone trying to make that absurd claim, and yet many people try to believe that because Jesus fulfilled the Law that we no longer need to keep it. The Law and love are actually synonymous in a sense when it comes right down to it. That is why any attempts to keep the law without doing it as a natural result of a heart full of love is nothing but a charade and will never prepare a person to live in the presence of pure love.

The really exciting part of this whole plan of salvation and the purpose of Jesus' repeated comings to this earth is that God has planned a day in which His purpose will be finally realized and brought to completion. Love will once again be the only game in town. Every mind and heart in existence will be only filled with pure, selfless love and will perfectly function flawlessly in the giant power circuit of the universe totally dependent on the one and only power source of life, God Himself. This is the ultimate goal of everything we are studying and the end object of all prophecies in the Bible. And to prepare us for this end everything else must contribute. To properly understand anything in Scripture we must always keep this bigger picture in mind and the details will then begin to glow with new life and meaning and purpose.

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