Denying the image of God in all humans reduces people to things and creates a straight line to abuse, because at the root of abuse is the de-personing of a person. “To fulfill” is not to dissolve the authority and application of the old covenant revelation; rather, “to fulfill” means to fill up the Law’s intent and show the goal to which it leads. And then he focuses specifically on our walking, that is, our living, as the way the fulfillment will happen: “that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk . Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”[ a] and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[ b] 10 Love does no harm to a … ), “In the Image of God He Made Them”: How Genesis 1:27 Challenges Sexual Abuse and Misogyny in the Church. Love, then, is not about an emotional disposition; it is about acting in a certain way toward others—a way that is consistent with the commandments laid out in the Law. 19Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teache… The principle here stated is beautifully worked out in 1Corinthians 13:4-7. Second, my imperfect love is the first fruits of a final perfection that Christ will complete in me at his appearing. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.”. This covenant God established is modeled on a type of covenant in that time and culture called the suzerain-vassal covenant. But this standard of love is the life and power of a person who indwells us by his Spirit. In this way the Spirit of Christ will be at work to transform you into his image. That is, we will be in covenant with each other. Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. 8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. Philippians 1:6: “For I am confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”, Hebrews 12:22–23: “But you have come to Mount Zion . That is true, I would say, from Romans 5:19. They have no joy. Love Is The Fulfillment of the Law November 5, 2016 John (HFJ Director) Leave a comment Many Christians understand the foundational principle that we are to love one another. The aim of the law will be fulfilled more and more in your life. The question today is very practical and tremendously important. The Bible instructs believers to examine themselves, but does it tell us to what extent or how often we should question our salvation? Very simple, really. Verse 8b: “For the one who loves another has fulfilled (peplëröken) the law.” But I don’t think that is the point of verse 4. All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. . Likewise, if the suzerain fulfilled his responsibilities outlined in the covenant, then he was showing hesed, or loving, the vassal. This love is not based on emotions, but an act of the will. They express His way of life, which is a way of love. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. When Jesus was baptized, he went under the water for us — so that he might represent us, and so that we might be with him forever. . In the modern West we are accustomed to contracts, not covenants. Both Jesus and Paul are drawing on a common Old Testament way of understanding the concept of love that is rooted in the idea of covenants. Answer: Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Russ is an author, editor, teacher, lecturer in Old Testament and Hebrew at Ohio Theological Institute. is a question that one cannot avoid if one reads the entire Bible thoroughly, because in the Bible we find not only different forms and degrees of the law, but also many differences in how the law is applied and understood. Verse 4 says the aim is “that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us.” It does not say that the law is to be fulfilled for us. Where there is love, especially and really only God’s love, there will be, can be and is joy. For He who said, ‘do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘do not commit murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. Who will set me free from the body of this death? This was to demonstrate his righteousness, because in the forbearance of God he passed over the sins previously committed.”, Romans 5:19: “For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.”. How can the law that is NOT void be ended that we also have to establish and be doers of? . Instead, we pursue it by the “law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:2). . 8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 5&6 these commandments are either obeyed out of the motivations of our hearts or they are not obeyed at all. Or, in other words, love is the fulfillment of the Law. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Gal. It is translated variously as “lovingkindness,” “mercy,” and “covenant faithfulness.” If the vassal obeyed the commands outlined in the covenant, then that vassal was showing hesed, or loving, the suzerain. In him, we are perfect with his perfection and in him we are pardoned by his blood. Love, then, is not about an emotional disposition; it is about acting in a certain way toward others—a way that is consistent with the commandments laid out in the Law. But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Wretched man that I am! As we talk about the Law and how Jesus fulfills it’s crucial to understand how it relates to us as Christians today. Love, then, fulfills the covenant obligations that God has given his children, or as Paul and Jesus said it, “the Law.”. Love in this context has nothing to do with an emotional response toward another person, such as being love or simply really liking someone. Romans 10:4: “The goal of the law is Christ for righteousness to everyone who believes” (my translation). But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. Third, my imperfect love is the fruit of my faith in Jesus who is my justifying perfection before God. (Scholars call this fictive kinship.) Let every passage tell you something of his Father and his Spirit and thus himself. And therefore it is the new direction that the law was aiming at and what the new covenant promised. Love, then, is not about an emotional disposition; it is about acting in a certain way toward others—a way that is consistent with the commandments laid out in the Law. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law" (Romans 13:8-10) Love is an incredible thing. Galations 5:14: For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” In both places, the idea is the opposite of “getting rid of the law”—it really means to accomplish God’s goal, to obey his will in the best possible way. I heard his very words. (Romans 13:8-10) According to Matt. 17“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. The acceptability of my life to all eternity will always depend on the perfection of Jesus offered in my place. So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.”, Philippians 3:12: “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.”. . So my question is: How do we fulfill the requirement of the law? For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. Firstly, there is the most fundamental of all laws, the Ten Commandments. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 8:3: “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh. But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction.”, Romans 3:28: “We maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.”, Romans 4:4–5: “Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. Just before that he gives a few examples from the book of Exodus: don’t steal, don’t murder, and “whatever other command there may be.” Jesus said something similar when he was asked what the greatest commandment was: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. He is author of. But to the one who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.”, Romans 8:4: “So that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”, Galatians 5:22: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”, Galatians 5:13–16: “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 13:7-8). We don’t look alike and we share no DNA, but he will be forever my son and I his father. Second, when the fulfilling of the Law is called “the law of Christ,” it means that our pursuit of love is guided and enabled by the life, word, and Spirit of Jesus Christ. . What does Paul mean in verse 4 when he says that the aim of Christ’s death is “that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit”? These covenants include things like a statement of who the suzerain was, the responsibilities of the vassal (i.e., commandments), and blessings and curses for obedience or disobedience.[1]. Since when does God’s holy law and divine standard say, “Pretty good will do”? Because Christ fulfilled the requirements of the law (Romans 5:5-8; 8:1-4), we are no longer under the external law of Moses. The Greek word for “fulfil” used in verse 17 means to make full or to give full meaning. When we are obedient to the Holy Spirit, we manifest God’s love and exhibit righteousness, which fulfills the law (Romans 13:8-10). If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.” (Compare Romans 7:4, 6. God’s laws show us how to love Him and how to love others. Now I believe that is true. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! Make it your aim in all your use of the Scriptures to see and savor more of Christ. In such a covenant, or treaty, a greater party (God, in this case) created a relationship with a lesser party (the people of Israel) that made them related to each other as if by blood, even though they had no relationship to each other before then. If we don’t do everything we do with love, our actions have no meaning. In the Old Testament book of Exodus, God established a covenant relationship with Israel. The Day Is Near 11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. One last thing I draw your attention to, and you’ll see it in verse 10. I mentioned last week that some take this to mean that Christ fulfilled the law for us when he obeyed it perfectly and died as the perfect sacrifice on our behalf. Christ does not cast off the Law … The law of Christ is not a new list of behaviors without but a new Treasure and Master within. James 1:25: “But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.”. The law of liberty is the leading of the Spirit, and “where the Spirit is there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). There's nothing tricky in here. We sign a contract to buy a house, to play for a baseball team, or to pay a cell phone bill. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.”, 2 Corinthians 3:17–18: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (10) Fulfilling of the law. But our walk by the Spirit begins now and so does our fulfillment of the law. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.’”, Romans 3:24–25: “Being justified as a gift by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in his blood through faith. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.' It is self-sacrificing, deliberate, active love. He is saying that love fulfills the law. Be on a treasure hunt to satisfy your soul more and more in him. . Pastor Andy Stanley recently published an article in Christianity Today called “ Jesus Ended the Old Covenant Once and for All ” which is based on the idea that to “fulfill the Law” means “to bring it to an end.” 1 An honest reader can’t avoid noticing that this interpretation seems strained. Question: "What does it mean that Jesus fulfilled the law, but did not abolish it?" 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