“Law and Love Combining”
One of the tactics of liberals involves trying to pit law against love. They like to present themselves as loving individuals, genuinely interested in the problems that people experience, while alleging that conservatives are legalists. Some have gone so far as to proclaim that the New Testament is not a lawbook; it’s a love letter. They fail to explain why it cannot be both. Besides using this tactic, they like to insist, “We believe in grace”—as if other brethren do not. In fact, preachers have been told by liberals such as Rubel Shelly (see the inside article) that we never preach on grace, which will come as a surprise to members of the body of Christ. But what about the concept of Love versus Law?
Who said that these were either / or concepts? How many Christians have memorized John 14:15? Remember how the two concepts are blended together in one short verse? Jesus said to His apostles: “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” Several translations have, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” The point is that commandment keeping is tied to love. Consider 1 John 5:2-3: “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” The commandments of true legalists (like some of the Pharisees) are, however, burdensome. “This is love, that we walk according to His commandments” (2 John 6a). It is not legalistic to obey God. Obeying God’s precepts is expected and deserved. It is what love for Him demands. Applying the principle of the contrapositive (everyone is taught this truth in Geometry): “If you do not keep His commandments, then you do not love Him” (see also John 14:21-24).
Poet Prisicilla J. Owens recognized this truth in the chorus of “Give Me the Bible.” It reads:
“Give me the Bible, Holy message shining; Thy light shall guide me in the narrow way;
Precept and promise, law and love combining, Till night shall vanish in eternal day.”
She did not have law and love face off against each other; the two concepts merge. She seems to be saying that this is the way God presents the Bible to us. His laws are given to us out of His love, “for our good” (see Deut. 10:12-13). The joining of two other, seemingly contradictory concepts occurs in “America, the Beautiful,’ verse 2: “America, America, God mend thine ev’ry flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law.” Liberty, in fact, cannot exist without self-control and law. The only way to maintain liberty is through law. The only way to benefit from God’s love is through His laws. Law and love co-exist to the mutual benefit of each other.