Jurisprudence is a fancy word for why we have law in society. When lawyers discuss the philosophy of law we learn that much of our legislation is put in place to keep us in our place. Laws protect us from harm (from others or ourselves) and bring order to society. In short, they restrain society from its worst impulses. Because of this, it is easy for us to have narrow ideas when we think of God’s commandments and his motivations for them. The profession I once laboured within had a good slogan: “We substitute facts for impressions.” So what does God say about his laws in his Word?
“Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 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 neighbour as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law (Rom. 13:8-10).” And Paul hardly stands alone in reducing many commandments to one great commandment to love; Jesus tells us to love God and love our neighbour because, “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets (see Matt. 22:36-40).” Finally, James wrote, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself,” you are doing well (James 2:8).” I have added bold highlights to point to a clear truth: love fulfills the law. In other words, one of God’s great aims through his law is to create people who love!
Something to Understand:
Do you, like me, sometimes bristle at restrictions; being told to do this or that, in thus and such a way? How about God’s law, do you see it as primarily restriction? Back in Genesis 1 we saw a key element of the serpent’s temptation was getting Eve to question his essential goodness. We can easily give in to the same temptation if we have too narrow an understanding of God’s law. The goal of every commandment is love, for his glory and our good!