Love: The Fulfillment of God's law on Earth

             Christian theology teachers that of all virtues, the greatest is love (1 Corinthians 13:13), and that love is the fulfillment of God's law on Earth (Romans 13:10). "We love, because He first loved us," the culminating verse in the fundamental I John passage reads (I John 4:19). The core of I John 4:7-19 is consummated in the Spirit of Truth, the Matthew Henry Bible Commentary purports, singling out love as the divine path to holy Christian love that not only unites together two individuals, but brings them together in the ethereal power of God. The entirety of the epistle correlates the believer and the Savior in the presence and action of love, building 'love' as the spiritual bridge of accessibility between the two entities.

             The Apostle begins his discussion of love within a discourse about the religious community. It is in crisis, he argues, and it is up to the true believers of the religious community to hold fast to their convictions and have the courage to actualize them in their daily lives. "For 1 John, it is not simply doctrinal correctness that spells true fellowship in the community, but ethical consistency." (Senior, 564.) With Christ brought to the earth as an intercession between the light and darkness, leading His followers on the correct path, John argues that the believer must not only understand love in its presence but in its application.

             "The community's failure, demonstrated in its division into hostile parties, makes the need for intercession clear. They cannot do it alone. It also makes clear that 'love' is not simply a state of mind, but something to be performed. In an atmosphere of hate and separation, such performance is difficult." (Senior, 564.).

             Love, then, holds the hope for the divided community to be demonstrably holy in the future, attaining an earthly divinity in God's connection. To stay strong, John urges the 'remnant community' to 'test the spirits to see whether they belong to God,' (4, 1) by using love as their fulcrum.

Related Essays: