Law of love

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Thursday, February 12, 2009

Old Testament hypocrisy?

Abstract:
It seems to me that there are a lot of pickers and choosers in the world. Poets and preachers shuffle through the pages of the Bible, picking and choosing what suits them best, like shoppers at a clearance rack. Did you find something that fits?

Why not read a little deeper into Mr....


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Ted Rudow III,MA 2/11/09
Jesus defined the "Law of Love" in general terms in this important passage in the New Testament. He expressed it another time in His famous "golden rule": "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the law and the prophets" (Matthew 7:12). The apostle Paul echoed this principle when he wrote: "The entire law is summed up in a single command: Love your neighbor as yourself" (Galatians 5:14). These biblical passages express the heart and soul of all of God's laws and should guide all our actions and interaction with others. I refer to them as "God's Law of Love."
It is our understanding from these and other Scriptures that loving God first and foremost and loving others result in the ultimate fulfillment and completion of biblical law, including the Ten Commandments. If we as Christians love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind, and our neighbor as ourselves, we will naturally fulfill the spirit of all the other laws. For example, we won't put other gods before Him or take His name in vain. To love our neighbors as ourselves precludes murdering them, stealing from them, lying to them, or coveting what they have.
The motivation for us-as Christians-to obey these commandments should not be out of a fear of divine judgment, but rather because we are compelled by our love for God and others to exhibit consideration and kindness to our neighbors. I refrain from activities forbidden by the Ten Commandments because they would not be in accordance with our love for God and others.
I believe that through the Lord's salvation, and because of His Law of Love as expressed in the verses listed above, Christians are released from the hundreds of rules under the Mosaic laws in the Old Testament and are no longer required to observe them. For example, we refrain from eating foods classified in the Bible as "unclean," or engaging in unhealthy habits such as smoking or overconsumption of alcohol or food, because to do so would hinder our health-and thus our ability to minister to others. However, I do not feel bound to refrain from those practices as religious ordinances.
I therefore hold as a basic tenet that if a person's actions are motivated by unselfish, sacrificial love-the love of God for others-and are not intentionally hurtful to others, these actions are in accordance with Scripture and are lawful in the eyes of God. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. Against such there is no law" (Galatians 5:22-23).
Ted Rudow III,MA
class of 1996