Law and Love

Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
— Leviticus 19:18

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
— 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
— Romans 13:8

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
— Matthew 22:37-40

Law and Love, by Martin Luther.

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

In Luke 14:1-6, it says, and it came to pass as He went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath day, that they watched Him. And behold, there was a certain man before Him which had the dropsy. And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and the Pharisees, saying, is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day? And they held their peace. And He took him, and healed him, and let him go, and answered them saying, which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the Sabbath day? And they could not answer Him again to these things. Faith is here set forth in that this man, sick with the dropsy, looks to Christ and firmly believes that He will help him. This faith he had as the result of his previous acquaintance with Christ. He knows Him as a kind, friendly, and sympathetic man who always helps everyone and lets none go away uncomforted. Had he not heard such reports about the Lord, he would not have followed Him, even into the house. He must indeed have had some gospel knowledge, and believed the wonderful things spoken about Him. And this is the gospel that must be preached and heard before there can be faith. We must know that God is kindly disposed toward us and has sent His Son from heaven to help us. This, the conscience, must hear and believe. For if God were unfriendly and unmerciful toward us, it would avail little to know that all his creatures sympathize with us. If God is satisfied with us, no creature can do us any harm. As Paul says in Romans 8:31, if God be for us, who can be against us? Let death, devil, hell, and all creation rage. We are safe. Therefore, it is the gospel that must present to us, the God-man, as merciful. This is the fountain from which our hearts can draw faith, and a friendly confidence toward God that He will help both the dying and the living in every distress. We notice this here in the man afflicted with dropsy. He had heard of the kindness of Jesus Christ to others, and now believes that He will show the same to him. Had he not believed, it would have been impossible to help him. The gospel resounds in all the world, but it is not heard by everybody.

The Pharisees also sat there. They saw these things with their own eyes and failed not to notice what a friendly man Jesus Christ was, but they believed not. Therefore, the gospel could neither reform them nor give them help and comfort.

Thus, the gospel is very universal, but the true laying hold of it is very rare. So much in regard to faith. Later, we have here pictured to us also, the love in Christ that goes forth and bears fruit, not for itself but for others as is the nature of true love to do. However, this story especially teaches us, in the second place, a necessary doctrine we must possess if we are to make use of the laws that order the outward and temporal matters and affairs which the church is to observe. Here, we must act wisely and gently if we wish to do the right thing, especially when weak and timid consciences are concerned. For there is nothing more tender in heaven and on earth, and nothing can bear less trifling than the conscience. The eye is spoken of as a sensitive member, but conscience is much more sensitive. Hence, we notice how gently the apostles dealt with conscience in such matters, lest it be burdened with human ordinances.

But as we cannot live without law and order, and as it is dangerous to deal with law, since it is too inclined to ensnare the conscience, we must say a little about human laws and ordinances and how far they are to be observed. The proverb says, everything depends upon having a good interpreter. That is particularly true here where human ordinances are concerned. Where there is no one to interpret and explain the law rightly, it is difficult and dangerous to have anything to do with it. Take, for example, a ruler who acts like a tyrant and abuses his authority. If he makes a law and urgently insists on the law being executed, he treats conscience as if he had a sword in his hand and were intent on killing. So, there is great danger where one does not know how to temper and apply the law. Therefore, we conclude that all law, divine and human, treating of outward conduct, should bind not more than love goes. I repeat, we conclude that all law, divine and human, treating of outward conduct, should not bind any further than love goes.

Love is to be the interpreter of the law. Where there is no love, these things are meaningless, and the law begins to do harm. The reason for enacting all laws and ordinances is only to establish love. As Paul says in Romans 13:10, love, therefore, is the fulfilling of the law. Likewise, in verse eight, owe no man anything, but to love one another. For if I love my neighbor, I help him, I protect him, I hold him in honor, and do what I would have done to me. Since then, all law exists to promote love, law must soon cease where it is in conflict with love.

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