Simple Salvation Church of God
Prayer Request: GOD'S ONE LAW FOR ALL MANKIND
Subject:
GOD'S ONE LAW FOR ALL MANKIND (Apr 20, 2008)
Prayer Request:
God's One Law For All Mankind:
"LOVE ALL PEOPLE AS YOURSELF."
"LOVE ALL PEOPLE AS YOURSELF."
All Other Rules And Commandments Are Subordinate To This One Law, And They Must Not Conflict With It.The Bible states it very clearly, so there can be no possible misunderstanding: the Law Of Love fulfills the whole Law of God.
THE LAW OF LOVE:
For the whole law is fulfilled in one word,
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
(Galatians 5:14 RSV)
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And who is your neighbor? Answer: Everyone is your neighbor.
This is shown in the Parable Of The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) Therefore, "Love your neighbor as yourself " really means "Love all people as yourself," because everyone is our neighbor.
But what about love for God? Doesn't that come first? Yes, but God counts our love for others as if it were love for Himself. So when we love others, we are loving Him at the same time. This is shown in the Parable Of The Sheep And The Goats( Matthew 25:31 46). And we cannot claim to love God until we first love our fellow man.
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If any one says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a
liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen,
cannot love God whom he has not seen. (1 John 4:20 RSV)
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But what about The Ten Commandments? Aren't we supposed to obey them? Yes, but The Ten Commandments are only an approximation of what God wants from us.
The Pharisees obeyed all of the Ten Commandments, yet God was very displeased with them because they did not have love. The exact thing God wants from us is that we should love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Everything else depends on this.
But what about holiness? Aren't we supposed to avoid improper sex, etc. and be pure and chaste? Aren't we supposed to deny our physical selves in order to strengthen our spiritual selves? Maybe so, but our feeble attempts at being holy do not even come close to God's high standards. To Him, they are like filthy rags (Isaiah64:6).
But if we have love for others, God will over look a multitude of our sins (1 Peter 4:8). And if we forgive others of their offenses against us, He will forgive us of our offenses against Him (Matthew5:14-15).
Love makes everything holy, since God is love (1 John 4:8, 4:16).
So all of God's requirements for mankind boil down to this one command:
"YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
If you truly do this one thing only, it is enough. It then doesn't matter if you fall short on some of the dozens of others. But if you do not do this, all of the others together are not enough.
This is the big one, more important than all the others combined.
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If you really fulfill the royal law, according to the scripture,
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well.
(James 2:8 RSV)
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First Corinthians 13 emphasizes the primacy of love, even over faith itself.
1 Corinthians 13 (KJC - The King James Bible, Clarified)
The Supreme Importance Of Love
13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing.
13:3-4 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long, and is kind; love envies not; love vaunts not itself, is not puffed up,
13:5-6 Does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked,
thinks no evil; Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;
13:7-8 Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never fails: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
13:9-10 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
13:11-12 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
13:13 And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
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Other Scriptures also tell us that love for others is the most important thing.
"Love For Others Fulfills The Law" Galatians 5:14 (RSV)
For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Romans 13:8 (RSV)
Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
Romans 13:9 (RSV)
The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
Romans 13:10 (RSV)
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
James 2:8 (RSV)
If you really fulfill the royal law, according to the scripture,
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well.
Proverbs 10:12 (RSV)
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.
1 Peter 4:8 (RSV)
Above all hold unfailing your love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins.
The Golden Rule Puts The Law Of Love Into Action
"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to
you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets."
Jesus, as quoted in Matthew 7:12 (KJV)
If we love other people as ourselves, then how should we treat them? We should treat them exactly as we would like to be treated! This is the Golden Rule: "Treat others as you would like to be treated. "The Golden Rule puts The Law Of Love into action.
For more about The Golden Rule, please visit The Committee For The Golden Rule.com
Jesus Christ Makes It Possible To Follow The Law of Love
But what about Jesus? Where does Jesus Christ fit into this picture?
If love for neighbor is sufficient, then why do we need to accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior? Jesus Christ doesn't "fit into the picture."
Jesus Christ IS the picture, the perfect embodiment of Love.
By our own flawed human nature, it is almost impossible to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Maybe some few people can do it, but most people cannot even come close. But when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord, His Holy Spirit enters us and dwells within us, transforming our flawed nature into a more perfect nature, more like His own. Only then are we fully able to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
To accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, please REPEAT THIS PRAYER:
"Lord Jesus please come into my life, forgive my sins and lead me to a new life with your spirit in me. Lead me into the paths of righteousness and deliver me from all evil. You are the light and truth and by your name am I saved. Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice and death, always be beside me in all my actions and deeds." Amen
Discussion:
GOD\'S ONE LAW FOR ALL MANKIND
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