The Law of God Vs The Love of God

The Law of God Vs The Love of God

By Apostle Felix

11  For the Scriptures reveal, and it is obvious, that no one achieves the righteousness of God by attempting to keep the law, for it is written: “Those who have been made holy will live by faith!” 
12  But keeping the law does not require faith, but self-effort. For the law teaches, “If you practice the principles of law, you must follow all of them.” 
13  Yet, Christ paid the full price to set us free from the curse of the law. He absorbed it completely as he became a curse in our place. For it is written: “Everyone who is hung upon a tree is doubly cursed.” 

Galatians 3: 11 – 13

6  When you’re placed into the Anointed One and joined to him, circumcision and religious obligations can benefit you nothing. All that matters now is living in the faith that is activated and brought to perfection by love.

Galatians 5: 6

There is what seems like an antagonism view between the law of God and the love and God. God, in the era of the law appears to be a cruel and unforgiving God. Without proper exegesis of the scriptures, one may reach a conclusion that God has double standards. But the scriptures, explicitly tells us that God does not change. He was still a loving God even in the era of the law. In the New Testament, God is loving, forgiving, gracious and merciful. But let us examine these two eras in which God dealt with man.

First and foremost, we have to understand that the law was not given to man so he can love God. The law had no power to pour love into any individual. It was given so that man could realize the need of God in his life. It was not intended to express the love of God, but vengeance.

2  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
Isaiah 61: 2

19  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
Luke 4: 19

Jesus omitted the day of vengeance of our God when He read from Isaiah. The reason is simple. He did not come for vengeance, which is condemnation, but He came for justification. The law was given on the premise that man is sinful and sin had to be made known to man through the law. The law was never given to make man to love God or the fellow man. But why did God give the law?

9  And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?
10  And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.
11  And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;

Genesis 4: 9 – 11

Cain and Abel were brothers, whose parents were Adam and Eve. They were born of parents who had fallen from the grace of God. Cain and Abel had offered sacrifices to the Lord, and Abel’s was accepted while Cain’s sacrifice was rejected. In Genesis chapter three verse seven, God warned Cain to be aware of the presence of sin and then rule over it. Cain, instead ignored God’s warning and went ahead to kill his brother, Abel. God warned Cain in love. When Abel was killed, his blood had been crying for vengeance from the ground. It was demanding justice. It was crying out for blood for blood, an eye for an eye, tooth for tooth. Man was not aware that there was a blood that was crying out for vengeance, but God did. He had to give the law to man to bring about an awareness that man is under sin.

20  So then, the law was introduced into God’s plan to bring the reality of human sinfulness out of hiding. And yet, wherever sin increased, there was more than enough of God’s grace to triumph all the more!
21  And just as sin reigned through death, so also this sin-conquering grace will reign as king through righteousness, imparting eternal life through Jesus, our Lord and Messiah!

Romans 5: 20, 21

The law was given to bring the reality of human sinfulness out of hiding. Sin could only be dealt with when it was out of hiding. The law then was given out of God’s love, but the love God could not impart love. God has been the same through all generations. He does not change. The sinful state of man made Him to give the law through Moses so that man would realize his sinful state. This, too, is the love of God.

55  So death, tell me, where is your victory? Tell me death, where is your sting?
56  It is sin that gives death its sting and the law that gives sin its power.
57  But we thank God for giving us the victory as conquerors through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. 

1 Corinthians 15: 55 – 57

Through the law, God expressed His love for man by improving to him that the self efforts could not save or bring salvation to man. Through the law, God concealed His ultimate plan of salvation in Christ. His love was concealed in types and shadows. All the religious festivals and rituals were point to the coming of the Messiah. The Jesus was born under the law and had to bear all the brunt for man. He died the death He did not deserve. The same law was used against Him so that vengeance could be absorbed in Him. He came to take the condemnation and not condemn. He took the punishment of sin and the sting of death in His body. He did what He did so that man could be justified. Jesus died under the law, so that man may live under grace.