The Relationship of Love and The Law

It occured to me, as I was responding to a friends comment that the relationship of the Law of God, and Love make a compelling case for the ultimate reconcilliation of all men.

Mt 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

What does the fulfilling of the law entail? God's word tells us! We find that to love is the fulfilling of the law. We are commanded to love our God: Mr 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

We are told to love our fellowman: Mr 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

We are given a short definition of love in Romans, and assured that Love is the fulfilling of the law, which must be fulfilled according to Jesus:

Ro 13:10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Of course we are even commanded to Love our enemies! Mt 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

We are assured that God is Love! Therefore he cannot work ill to his neighbor, ah, but I hear the objections now. God sent the flood, God punishes the wicked, God encouraged Satan to smite Job, God brought a storm forcing Jonah to jump ship... etc. Let's look at another aspect of Love:

Pr 13:24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

Heb 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

It is not working ill to chasten with the view to correct, but rather this kind of suffering brings profit and benefit, therefore it can be and is defined as love. On the contrary to bring punishment for vindictive and destructive purposes with no intention of healing is not love according to the definitions given by God's word.

Notice God teaches us to love our enemies that we may be His children. A child is associated with a parent by his emulation of the character of the parent. He even goes on to associate not loving enemies with the behaviour of sinners. Mt 5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

We are told in Isaiah: Isa 11:6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea! Noone hurting or destroying but all loving one another. Ah, but we can't love one another without first loving God, and we can't first love God, unless He first loves us. And we are assured in 1Cor 13 that:

Love Never Fails!

Ga 5:14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

Jas 2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:

The law can never be fulfilled until all come to recieve the Love and mercy Jesus offers, but it shall not pass away until it is all fulfilled. Isaiah gives us a glimpse of the total fulfillment, as the waters cover the sea, the knowlege of God shall cover the earth and to know Him is to Love Him.

1Co 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. ... 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

This is the end of the matter, but the beginning of bliss for all God's creatures. For what does it mean for God to be All in All? I believe it means that God becomes your everything! Your passion, joy, peace, hope, provision, your hero, your best friend, your Father, your Saviour, your healer, deliverer and your husband, your ALL and He resides in EVERYONE! ALL IN ALL!

Should He lose one to Eternal Flames, He cannot be all in all but only all in some.