[God Is Love] Love Is the Fulfillment of the Law
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May 11, 2014 |
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Senior Pastor of Manmin Central Church Dr. Jaerock Lee
He is God's servant of love and power who has awakened people of all nations by spreading the core of the gospel following the Lord's way and manifesting the fiery works of the Holy Spirit.
Manmin Central Church opened with only 9 adults and 4 children in 1982. Through the works of the Holy Spirit the church has grown to become a mega-sized church with approximately 10,000 branch and associative churches world-wide. Just as Jesus preached and confirmed the word by the signs that followed His teaching, Dr. Jaerock Lee confirms that the Bible is the truth by showing the power of God
He has conducted many overseas crusades such as in Uganda, Japan, Pakistan, Kenya, the Philippines, Honduras, India, Russia, Germany, Peru, DR Congo, the U.S., and Estonia since 2000 and showed explosive powerful works. Among them, Uganda Crusade was reported by CNN.
He also preached in Jerusalem at the Israel United Crusade 2009. He proclaimed Jesus is the Messiah and it was broadcast live to approximately 220 countries. He is dedicated to the Word and prayer to accomplish the providence of God who desires all people of all nations to be saved at the end time by proclaiming the gospel to the end of the earth and achieving the mission of the ministry to North Korea. www.drlee.or.kr
"Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law" (Romans 13:10).
The Law written in the Bible was given in the love of God who wants to give us happiness. To the extent that we keep the Law, we are more likely to be children of the Light, of righteousness, and of goodness. That is, we can resemble God who is love.
What should we do in detail to follow Jesus who fulfilled the Law with love and experience God's perfect love more deeply?
1. We have to understand the relation between God's love and His justice
Only when we realize the boundless love of God can we be embraced in the deepness of that love. In addition, we should understand God's justice together with His love because He governs the heavens and the earth and all things in them with His justice.
Only by the understanding of the relation between love and justice can we apply the law of justice in a correct way and achieve love transcending justice. For this understanding, we have to have the knowledge of the Law of God.
The law in the Bible includes the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses and many commands such as 'do, don't do, keep, and cast off'. The Law embraces all these commands like 'Love one another', 'give thanks', 'pray', 'keep the whole Sabbath', 'cast off sins', and 'don't hate'.
Why, then, do God's children have to keep the Law? This is because there is the spiritual law that was built based on justice. God is alive so He lets one reap according to what he has sown and repays him to the extent that that person acts. This is justice. Based on this justice as the standard, God governs all things in love.
Simply put, if one sins he cannot but receive punishment and reach death. However, if he repents, he can be forgiven. In addition, if one obeys the Word of God and lives in goodness, he receives answers and blessings and will enjoy everlasting glory in Heaven.
2. The proof of love for God is to keep His commandments
We read in 1 John 5:3, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome." This emphasizes that God's children must keep His commandments.
Then, why is keeping God's commandments the proof of love for God? Suppose parents teach their child to frequently wash their hands and feet after playing outside; not to cross the street when the red traffic light is on; and not to go to dangerous places. It is not that they want to restrict him and give him a hard time. It is their love and consideration so that their child can live more safely in peace freed from the dangers of diseases or accidents.
If a child knows this heart of his parents, he might obey though their teaching sometimes feels like a burden. Furthermore, children who want to please their parents always keep their parents' words and practice them. Those who obey with love for their parents won't fall into evil ways and they will be more prosperous than other people.
This same reason is why God the origin of love gives us the commandments. We can easily keep them when we, who were created in His image, realize that He gives us the commands to enable us to receive the blessings that follow obedience and to also be able to live peacefully and happily.
3. Answers and blessings when keeping the commandments
Since the transgression of the first man, Adam, the enemy devil and Satan have always prowled around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. They tempt people into the corruptions of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of this life (1 John 2:16).
If one doesn't obey the Word of God and commits sins seeking the lusts of the world, then sufferings will come upon them and death awaits them (Romans 6:21). But what awaits those who keep God's commandments?
1 John 3:21-22 says, "Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight." As spoken, such people can receive blessings and answers to whatever they ask for.
God of love wants to give His children blessings, but He only works according to the justice. Thus, He has no choice other than to hand them over to Satan if they live outside of His Word. Then, hardship and afflictions follow them and they meet with diseases or accidents.
Practicing the Word of God is like having a lamp in pitch darkness. With a lamp, we don't have to worry about falling down. So, when God who is Light is with us we can be protected from all things and we will enjoy the authority and eternal life as God's children.
4. The Law is the textbook of love that presents the most blessed way
God gives us the Law because He loves us. So, when we obey His Word how pleased will He feel as He protects us with His blazing eyes and gives us answers to whatever we ask for?
God's children also enjoy the great blessing to accomplish a clean and good heart and finally achieve the heart of God as they put His Word into practice.
As people accomplish the heart of God, they can feel the love of God more deeply and become perfect children wanted by God. Only when we know the heart of God can we understand love and become God's true children who can love God and all people.
Therefore, the God-given Law is the textbook of love that presents the most blessed way for us all who receive cultivation on the earth. It tells us the way to avoid disasters and receive God's blessing while living on the earth that is now being ruled over by Satan during this period of cultivation. God gives us the commandments not because He wants to send those who don't keep it to Hell, but because He wants to let all people enter Heaven by abiding by the Law.
5. Jesus forgave an adulterous woman and fulfilled the Law with love
Jesus fulfilled the Law with the love of the cross. Even though Jesus Himself kept all the commandments, He didn't condemn other people who didn't, nor did He say, "You broke the Law, so you should be put to death."
He only taught the truth day and night so that even one more soul could reach repentance and salvation. He ceaselessly worked to set people free who were bound to diseases and infirmities and heal the demon-possessed.
The incident that clearly shows the love of Jesus occurred when a woman caught in a very act of adultery was brought before Jesus (John 8).
One day, the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery and said to Jesus, "Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?" If Jesus had said, "Stone her", then her sin would have been revealed and she would have been put to death by the pouring stones.
Without saying anything, Jesus wrote the people's sins down on the ground. He said, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." By doing so, He taught them they all had sinned so they couldn't condemn one another. So Jews there felt ashamed and left one by one. Finally only Jesus and the woman were left.
Jesus said to the woman, "I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more." How amazing His love is! Hadn't the woman known she would be stoned to death if she committed adultery? Yes, she knew it.
Even though people hear the Law, learn the Law, and fear the punishment, when they fail to overcome fleshly lusts, they commit sins behind each other's back. In the woman's case, her sin was revealed and she was under pain and fear. Then, unexpectedly, Jesus forgave her of it. So many tears she must have shed and how strongly she must have made up her mind not to sin anymore! If she remembered the love of Jesus, she couldn't violate the Law and commit sins again. This is the love of Jesus who fulfilled the Law with love.
6. To the extent we realize the love of the cross, we can perfectly act in the Law following Jesus' example
The whole body of the blameless and spotless Jesus was scourged for sinners and He wore the thorny crown. He was nailed through His feet and hands and shed all His water and blood. In the end He gave His life for us. The greatest love in human history was manifested in Jesus' crucifixion.
We received such an amazing love. It is only when we realize this love that we can receive the strength to practice the Law perfectly. If Jesus had judged everything strictly only according to the Law and if He had turned His face away from people who sinned without fulfilling the Law with love, then who on this earth could have been saved!
The fundamental spirit of the Law is to love God the Father and achieve His heart. However, the teachers of the Law at Jesus' time were not interested in sanctifying their hearts but they were inclined to the exterior formality of the Law and thought they kept the Law. So, they simply judged and condemned those who couldn't live as they did. They condemned Jesus who taught the heart of God the Father contained in the Law.
What God wants is not to just keep the Law and condemn others without mercy and love. He also doesn't want His beloved children to find it difficult to keep the Law and fail to feel the love of God.
Since the Pharisees didn't have love, no matter how strictly they abided by the Law as formality, nothing benefited their spirits. They judged and condemned brothers in faith with their knowledge of the Law which caused them to distance themselves from God. They ended up becoming evil doers who crucified the Son of God.
Therefore, God's children should cultivate their hearts into spirit by casting away sins and evil and changing their hearts into pure and unchanging ones. Only then can they love God with spiritual love. To the extent that they understand the love of the cross, they can love God and others as themselves.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I urge you to emulate Jesus who fulfilled the Law with love and love God more earnestly. I pray in the name of the Lord that you will keep all commandments with the power of love and receive all God's answers and blessings remembering it is He who can give us everything that we ask for and, give glory to God!
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