Love Is the Essence of the Law
Love is the essence and point of the law of moses but the law of Moses (rules) are not the essence or point of love.
God is not primarily litigious (rule focused) but rather he is relational. Relationships are not primarily about rules but goodwill and love. Yet rules are put in place for those who don't love others.
The law was given for the loveless, to bridle their sin. For sin is not present in those who walk in Gods love.
1 Timothy 1:8-10 ESV
8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,
The point of the law was to ban and make clear loveless behaviour so people couldn't plead ignorance to God at the judgement. The law doesn't make one loving. One can keep the letter of the law yet remain loveless (like the Pharisees). However, one cannot be loving (abiding in Gods love) yet break the law.
Lawless behaviour is loveless behaviour.
By seeing God's love for us in Christ, we learn to love God and our neighbour truly. His love is shed abroad in our hearts by His Spirit (Rom 5).
Romans 5:5 ESV
5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
This is why genuine christians who have died to this worlds desires and crucified their flesh are no longer under the law, for by the Spirit they are able to walk in love and those who walk in love need no law, for Gods Spirit guides them - inscribing His will on their hearts.
Romans 7:4-6 ESV
4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.
As Galatians says below, only those led by the Spirit are not under the law, and those truly in Christ have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires (ie ceased walking in sin/works of the flesh). The reason they are not under the law is because they are now following the Spirit. Paul warns those who live by the flesh doing the things of the flesh will perish (this warning is given to Christians, and reiterated in gal 6).
Galatians 5:17-24 ESV
17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
To abide in love is to abide in God and this love keeps all the teachings of Jesus, does no harm to anyone and is far from sin as Paul and John teaches below.
Romans 13:8-10 ESV
8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
1 John 2:28-29 ESV
28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. 29 If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
1 John 3:21-24 ESV
21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.
1 John 4:16-17 ESV
16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.
1 John 5:2-4 ESV
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Light casts out darkness. And in light there is no darkness. Abide in the light and you will be children of light and true children of God. Gazing upon the Light of the world who is Christ, may His Spirit fill you with His divine light and love that you may walk His righteous path in this dark world. Receiving a righteousness that is not your own that depends on the law but a righteousness that depends on trust in Him, divinely wrought out in your life by the operation of His Spirit in you.
2 Corinthians 3:7-11, 17-18 ESV
7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory...
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Abide in Christ for we can truly abide. His Spirit will fill you with His love and free you from sin. So yield to Him and you will be made into the likeness of Christ in this life, in this world. Let no traditions of men deceive you (as many dominant doctrines of men deny these biblical truths) , as the apostle John warned:
1 John 3:4-7 ESV
4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.
Don't be faithless or unbelieving, just believe. For what is impossible with man is possible with God. Jesus was truly made identical to us in His humanity so that we could by God's grace through the indwelling Spirit in us, participate in His Divine Nature and be made identical to Him in how we live. That is righteously, lovingly and blamelessly, far from sin. This occurs now in this life, we recieve the Holy Spirit now, not after death. We are new creations now. Sin is forsaken now. Righteousness and love is walked in now.
2 Peter 1:3-4 ESV
3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
Titus 2:11-14 ESV
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
Be blessed my brothers and sisters.
Titus 3:3-8 ESV 3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.
If one stumbles in sin, mercy is offered. That said sin is not inevitable and those who willfully abide in darkness and walk in the flesh dwelling in sin will perish. (Romans 8, Galatians 5). For God is not mocked, what one sows, that they will reap (Galatians 6). Those who abide in lovelessness abide in death.
1 John 3:14 ESV
14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
1 John 2:1-6 ESV
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
Romans 2:4-13 ESV
4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality. 12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.
Salvation is not merely transactional, but relational and transformational. Not merit but grace. Not law but love. Not flesh but the Spirit. Not loving this world and what it offers but Christ who gave Himself for us to purchase us for Himself. Not self-righteousness nor hypocrisy but true God wrought righteousness by the Spirit in love. This is the narrow way that leads to life.