Obedience is Love

The greatest gift God gave to us was Jesus’ death and resurrection to pay the penalty for our sins. His second greatest gift was giving us the law at Mount Sinai. The law defined sin and showed us our need for a Savior. Importantly, it also showed us how to love God.

Until the law was given, mankind could not answer the question, “How do I live in a way that is pleasing to God?” “How do I show God I love Him?” The law answers both of those question – and many more.

“Now, Israel, what does Yehovah your God require from you, but to revere Yehovah your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him and to serve Yehovah your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep Yehovah’s commandments and His statutes” (Deuteronomy 10:12). Notice that loving God is equated with obeying His commandments.

When God gave the Ten Commandments, He pledged His favor on “those who love me and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:6 and Deuteronomy 5:10). The apostle John echoes this truth “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).

Jesus demonstrated His oneness with the Father when Jesus declared, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Also, “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me” (John 14:21). When Jesus witnessed people not following His commandments He asked, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46)

Also like God the Father, Jesus encourages us that keeping His commandments is not burdensome, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me…For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matthew 11:29-30). The Jewish people saw keeping the law as an enormous burden. The religious leaders had made the law burdensome by adding many rules and regulations that were not found in Scripture.

Jesus summarized the law as “You shall love Yehovah your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind…You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 10:37-39). The other commandments give us the details on how to love God and other people. Love of God and love of neighbor are two sides of the same coin. Forty percent of the Torah concerns loving our neighbor. Therefore, we love God by loving our neighbor.

Paul taught “he who loves His neighbor has fulfilled the law” (Romans 1:8). This is true because, “whoever loves the Father loves the children born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and observe His commandments” (1 John 5:1-2).

Ultimately “the law” is the purest definition and expression of love, “this is love, that we walk according to His commandments” (2 John 1:6). This is why Paul proclaimed, “love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10).