VIEWPOINT MAGAZINE Volume 2.3 March 2014 | Page 19

Mind &Spirit

THAT’S HOW WE LOVE
By Paul Handali

Romans 13:8-10
L

“ ove is the fulfillment of the law”. This verse,
Romans 13:10, is perhaps the most conclusive
statement about love in the Bible. There are many
other passages which show what love looks like, for
instance Romans 12:9-21 or 1 Corinthians 13, but
this verse sums up love. It is the fulfillment of the
law. What? That’s it? Isn’t the law a bunch of rules?
Of course it is! For instance, The Ten
Commandments are basic yet fundamental set of
rules that God set for humans. What only a few
realize, is that these rules that God has set before us
are for our own benefit.
Love, both towards God and humans, sums up
each of the Ten Commandments, and if you’ve ever
taken Old Testament survey or you’re just a geek like
that, you would know that the first four
commandments concern people’s relationship with
God while the other six concern people’s
relationship with each other. Let’s first take a look at
the first four.
1. You shall have no other gods before me.
2. You shall not make idols.
3. You shall not misuse God’s name.
4. Keep the Sabbath holy. (In other words, set
aside a time to remember God.)
If you simply loved God, all of these
commandments would be so much easier to follow.
Why would you have other gods before God if you
loved Him with all your heart? Why would you make
idols? Why would you carelessly say God/Jesus’
name for menial things? And why would you not set
aside a special time to be with God? I want to bring
more focus on the fourth commandment. If you
truly love someone (romantically or not), do you not
desire to spend quality time with that person?

There’s no way someone will feel loved if you gave
that person only a few rushed minutes of your day.
God is pretty much the same (I recognize that
loving a God you can’t see can be challenging, but
that’s a faith issue which won’t be addressed in this
article). Ofte