1st Qtr
Sabbath School Lesson 2025
Amazing Love of God, Bible Study for Beginners, Faith and Forgiveness, Faith That Heals Relationships, How to Love the Unlovable, Obeying the Law, Sabbath School for Adults, SDA Sabbath School, Spiritual Growth Videos, Spiritual Lessons on Love, The Ten Commandments, YouTube Sabbath School
Dr. Brenda Davis PhD
0 Comments
God’s Love and Justice (Lesson 13) Love Is the Fulfillment of the Law
THE LAW OF GOD SPREADS LOVE
Supposed we lived in a world where every rule, every choice, every action was guided by one thing: Love.
That’s God’s design for our world. That’s why He gave us His law. His law isn’t about limits; it’s about love, love in action.
And when we truly get that, we don’t just obey His law—we become instruments of His love, spreading it wherever we go.
Want to become instruments of love? Keep watching!
Welcome to our final episode in our series on: God’s Love and Justice.
God is love, and how we understand it affects and how we respond to him and others.
Misunderstanding God’s love leads to negative thoughts and feelings that can harm our relationships with Him and everyone around us.
We examine how we can go beyond merely saying I love you to spreading love in the lives of others.
Before we begin, Let’s Pray.
God’s Love and Justice
(Lesson 13)
Love Is the Fulfillment of the Law
Part 1 Introduction
It is God’s purpose for us to be driven by one simple but powerful force, love. His law is not about restriction; it’s about love in action.
And when we truly understand this, we don’t just obey His law, we spread His love everywhere we go.
Just like we pay our bills, we are meant to “pay” love to others. The Bible tells us in Romans 13:8:
“Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8)
WOW! Did you get that? When we love, we are fulfilling God’s law.
God’s law is not about cold rigid rules as some may think, it is and has always been about love.
The story is told of a pastor who sat in a board meeting where they were discussing a member who was problematic.
Frustrated, someone on the board spoke up: “We can’t make decisions based on compassion.”
To the pastor, these words were disturbing. Troubled, he responded, “We can’t?
In his mind, the pastor wondered about this person’s understanding of God and His law.
If we take out compassion, then what’s left?
The very heart of God’s law is love. And love without compassion is not love at all.
Romans 13:8 makes it clear—when we love one another, we are fulfilling the law.
Sometimes, we separate love from the law, as if the law is about rules and love is about feelings. But that’s not how God sees it.
If love fulfills the law, that is if love is what the law is all about, then we should never see the law without love or love without the law.
In the Bible, love and the law go together—you can’t have one without the other.
The Divine Lawgiver is love, so His law reflects who He is.
God’s law as expressed in the Book Christ’s Object Lessons is a “transcript of His character” (Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 305).
That means His law is not a list of rules and regulations meant to control us.
It’s a guide to spreading love. It guides us in loving God and loving each other.
Every command, every instruction, is not about restriction but about us flourishing in this world.
God’s law is designed to teach us how to live in harmony with Him and with others.
It is love in action. God’s law serves as a manifestation of love, reflecting the nature of God as expressed by Himself.
So, the next time you think about obeying God’s law, don’t picture a courtroom—picture a family.
A family where every action is shaped by love, where rules are not burdens but blessings.
A family where love and law are one and the same.
God’s law has not been abolished. To abolish God’s law abolishes his character of love.
Further on in the Book Steps to Christ it talk of this law of love, saying:
In the Saviour’s life the principles of God’s law—love to God and man—were perfectly exemplified. Benevolence, unselfish love, was the life of His soul. It is as we behold Him, as the light from our Saviour falls upon us, that we see the sinfulness of our own hearts.—Steps to Christ, p. 28.
Thus, when we truly love, we don’t just follow God’s law—we bring His love to life. How do you spread love?
Read Exodus 20 focusing specifically on Exodus 20:1-17. Share your thoughts. Then continue to Part 2: The Law of Love
God’s Love and Justice
(Lesson 13)
Love Is the Fulfillment of the Law
Part 2: The Law of Love
God law is not a set of does and don’t, it is instead love in action. It is the type of love that binds us to him and one another. It binds heaven and earth together.
It is a love so deep that it shapes every human relationship and every connection with God Himself.
This love is not just a feeling, it is a way of life. When we love God, his law of love becomes the written the fabric of our existence, guiding us in how to love Him and how to love one another.
Thus, His law is not just a set of rules, it is the foundation of every meaningful relationship.
God’s ten commandments especially binds us with Him and one another.
From the very beginning, the basic principles of the Ten Commandment were already in place in the Garden of Eden.
It was these principles of love that governed the bond between Adam and Eve and our Creator.
And when sin entered, breaking that perfect harmony, God’s law remained to guide His children back to love, back to a relationship with him.
So, when God gave the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, they were not new.
The commandments were not the price of their salvation, because he had already delivered them from Egyptian slavery; they were the response to His love.
He wrote them in stone, creating a covenant relationship, a promise of God to be with them always as expressed in:
Exodus 6:7
“I will take you as My people, and I will be your God.” (Exodus 6:7)
And Leviticus 26:12
“I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.” (Leviticus 26:12)
They were never about do’s and don’ts—but about living love. (Pausre)
When we look at the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:1-17 we see something beautiful.
These commandments are not burdens—they are a blueprint for how to love.
They are divided into two parts aimed at showing our relationship with God and our relationships with one another:
The first four show how we love God—by honoring Him, worshiping Him alone, keeping His name sacred, and meeting him at the specific time He appointed.
The last six show how we love one another—by respecting life, marriage, honesty, and the value of each person.
The first four commandments deal with our relationship with God and the last six deal with our relationship with one another.
Thus, our relationship both to God and to each other is regulated by the principles of God’s law, his ten commandments.
Jesus confirmed this when He was asked about the greatest commandment.
He answered in Matthew 22:37 quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 which says
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:5)
His answer in Matthew 22:39 aligns with Leviticus 19:18 which says
18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:18)
while Matthew 22:39 says 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:39)
Therefore, the first four commandments guide us on how to love God fully, and the last six instruct us on loving others as ourselves.
And then in Matthew 22:40, Jesus clarifies their connection to the law and the prophets.
He says:
“On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 22:40, NKJV).
The entire law, every commandment, every instruction, given by God through the prophets all relate to love.
Love for God. Love for people.
Yet, how often we hear people say, “We don’t need the law—all we need is love”?
But how do you love if you lie to someone? If you steal from them? If you betray them, dishonor them, or take what belongs to them?
How do you love God if you worship other gods, misuse His name, or ignore the time He has set aside to meet with you?
God’s law is love in action. We cannot truly love without it.
Can you imagine a world where every person honors God and treats each other with love, kindness and respect.
“The law of God is an invitation to spread love. God wants us not just to say we love Him and others. He wants us to show it by living in obedience to His law of love.
These two great principles embrace the first four commandments, showing the duty of man to God, and the last six, showing the duty of man to his fellowman.
The principles were more explicitly stated to man after the fall, and worded to meet the case of fallen intelligences.
This was necessary in consequence of the minds of men being blinded by transgression.” —Ellen G. White Comments, in The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 1, p. 1104.
But was not the law of God abolished after Christ died? Read Romans 6:1–3 and Romans 7:7–12.
Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Then, View the next segment of this video, Part 3:The Law is Holy and Righteous and Good
Obeying the Law of God spreads love. For Love is the heartbeat of God’s law. It is the reason He created us, the reason He guides us, and the reason He sacrificed His Son for us.
God’s Love and Justice
(Lesson 13)
Love Is the Fulfillment of the Law
Part 3: The Law is Holy Righteous and Good
Thus, when we obey His law, we are not just following commands, we are living in His love.
And when we live in His love, we share that love with others. We spread God’s love!
In other words, God’s law is built on love. When we upholds His law, we are upholding His love.
This is why Jesus came to this earth. He came to this earth so that He could uphold the law while also extending His love and grace to us.
Speaking of Jesus love Romans 3:25-26 says:
25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:25–26)
What incredible love! Jesus did not come to get rid of the law. He came to fulfill it and to extend grace to us, so that even as sinners, we could still be saved if we place our faith in Jesus.
But some may ask: If we are saved by grace, do we still need to obey God’s law of love?
Paul answers this question in Romans 6:1–3 and Romans 7:7–12 particularly verse 12
Paul asks in Romans 6:1-2:
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?
2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?
3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? (Romans 6:1–3, NKJV)
Paul is clear that we are not to continue in sin so that grace increases. Rather, those who are in Christ by faith have been “baptized into His death” and are therefore to count themselves as dead to sin and alive to Christ.
Thus, when we come to Christ, we are baptized into His death. That means we abandon the old life of sin and sinning and start a new life in Jesus.
Grace does not make sin ok or acceptable. Instead, it frees us from sin’s control.
The law of God is not evil but (among other things) it makes sin and our sinfulness apparent to us.
That is why, Paul says in Romans 7:12 “…the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.” (Romans 7:12)
No, the law isn’t the problem—sin is the problem. The law helps us see our need for a Savior to deliver us from sin and evil.
The law is like a mirror—when we look into it, we see the dirt on our face.
Likewise, the law reveals our sins, but only Jesus can wash us clean.
It reveals, as nothing else does, our great need of salvation, of redemption that come only through Christ.
Notice what it says here:
“Man cannot hope to stand innocent before God, and at peace with Him through the merits of Christ, while he continues in sin.
He must cease to transgress, and become loyal and true. As the sinner looks into the great moral looking glass, he sees his defects of character.
He sees himself just as he is, spotted, defiled, and condemned. But he knows that the law cannot in any way remove the guilt or pardon the transgressor.
He must go farther than this.
The law is but the schoolmaster to bring him to Christ. Selected Messages, book 1, p. 213.
However the choice is ours, we must accept Jesus as our Savior and submit our will to his will.
That’s why faith does not cancel the law. Instead, Paul says in Romans 3:31:
“Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.” (Romans 3:31)
Jesus Himself made this clear indicating in Matthew 5:18 that He did not come to do away with the law but to fulfill all that was promised in the Law and in the Prophets.
“ ‘until heaven and earth pass away,’ ” not even “ ‘the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law’ ” (Matthew. 5:18, NASB 1995).
The law will never change because it reflects who God is. It reflects His love, His goodness, His truth.
Regarding the law The Bible says in Leviticus 19:2
“You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2)
In Psalms 19:7-8 it says:
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; (Psalm 19:7, 8)
In Psalms 119:142 it says:
“Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your law is truth.” (Psalm 119:142,)
And in Psalms 119:172 it says
172 My tongue shall speak of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness. (Psalms 119:172)
In showing the significance of His law of Love, God, Himself wrote the Ten Commandments with His own finger on tables of stone
Exodus 31:18
18 And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God. (Exodus 31:18).
Why on stone tablets? To show that His Law of Love is eternal. They are not just temporary rules; they are a reflection of God’s unchanging character and of His moral government, which is founded on love—a central theme of the great controversy and at the core of the battle between good and evil.
That is why Jesus said in John 14:15
“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15)
Obedience to God commandments is not about fear—it is about love.
When we truly love Jesus, we will want to follow Him. Not because we have to, but because we love Him.
Love and the law of God is inseparable. God’s law is love in action.
When we follow His commandments, we don’t just obey, we spread love. Love for God. Love for others.
Although He thought he was holy and righteous, Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again. What did he mean? “You must be born again” Read Jeremiah 31:31–34, John 3:1–21 and Hebrews 8:10. Share your thoughts.Then continue to the next segment of this video, Part 4: Law and Grace
(Lesson 13)
Love Is the Fulfillment of the Law
Part 4: Law and Grace
Many see law and grace as opposites, like two forces pulling in different directions.
But that’s not God’s purpose for it. The law is not against grace, and grace does not replace the law—they work together.
When we instruct our children to obey us, we may give them grace at times when they deserve punishment. But grace does not give them permission to disobey you again.
The sharp contrast between law and grace today would have puzzled ancient Israelites, who saw God’s giving of the law itself as a great display of God’s love.
To them, the law was not a burden but a gift of love and grace.
Unlike the false gods of surrounding nations, who were inconsistent and unpredictable, leaving the people confuse without a way of knowing what the “gods” desired or what would please them.
The God Almighty did something extraordinary. He gave his people clear instructions on what pleases Him.
No, these instructions were not to control them, but to bless them, to guide them. They were for their good, they were boundaries to keep the safe.
He wanted them to know the best way to live that would bring them peace, love, and unity.
His instructions on the way to live are for the ultimate good of all people, individually and collectively.
However, the reality is the law alone is not enough. It can show us what is right, but it cannot change the heart.
It can tell us when we are wrong, but it cannot save us from our sins.
That is why we need something much deeper—we need a new heart. We need a spiritual heart transplant.
The Bible promises us this in Jeremiah 31:31-34
It says in Jeremiah 31:31
“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.” (Jeremiah 31:31)
God knew that laws written on stone could only guide us—but He wanted to change us from the inside out. He said in Jeremiah 31:33
“I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (Jeremiah 31:33)
Nicodemus, although a religious leader, Jesus told him in John 3:1–21 you must be born again.
You see, the law can tell us what’s wrong, but only Jesus grace can change our hearts.
Paul echoed this truth in Hebrews 8:10:
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts.” (Hebrews 8:10, NKJV)
Thus, although, the Ten Commandments were written on stone by God’s own hand as expressed in Exodus 31:18, God’s ultimate plan is for them to be written on our hearts—to become part of who we are, to become a part of our DNA.
In other words, God’s law of love is not intended to be external but internal to our very being.
David understood this when he wrote in Psalms 37:30, 31:
30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, And his tongue talks of justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide. (Psalm 37:30–31)
So, if law-keeping alone cannot save us, then how are we saved? The Bible is clear:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8)
Thus, we do not keep the law to be saved. We keep the law because we are already saved.
We do not obey to make God love us—He already does! Instead, we obey because we love Him back. We obey because we love him and love others.
We are given this ability by accepting Jesus as our Savior and allowing the Holy Spirit to bring about change in our heart.
Though we are not saved by obeying the law, it is still necessary. It serves an important purpose:
It shows us our sinful condition. It is like a mirror which reflects our flaws.
As it says in Romans 3:20 “By the law is the knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20)
And Romans 7:7 “I would not have known sin except through the law.” (Romans 7:7, NKJV)
Therefore, the law helps us to see the need of a Savior.
Just as it says in Galatian 3:22-24
22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.
24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:22-24)
The law helps us see our spiritual condition. It with the aid of the Holy Spirit guides us in life—teaching us the best way to live according to James 1:22
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22)
The law reflects God’s character of love. It protects us, leads us, and reveals His perfect will for us. Nevertheless, the law itself cannot save us—only Jesus saves.
But we must accept Jesus as our Savior and believe that he can save us.
Therefore, our hope is in Jesus’ righteousness—His perfect life, His sacrifice, His victory.
The law only reminds us of our need for grace, and the Holy Spirit gives us the power to live in obedience to God’s commands.
Therefore, we do not obey out of fear, but out of love, humbly submitting our wills to God’s divine will.
Notice what is says about grace in the book Steps to Christ:
He who is trying to become holy by his own works in keeping the law, is attempting an impossibility. All that man can do without Christ is polluted with selfishness and sin. It is the grace of Christ alone, through faith, that can make us holy.
The opposite and no less dangerous error is that belief in Christ releases men from keeping the law of God; that since by faith alone we become partakers of the grace of Christ, our works have nothing to do with our redemption.
But notice here that obedience is not a mere outward compliance, but the service of love. . . . When the principle of love is implanted in the heart, when man is renewed after the image of Him that created him, the new-covenant promise is fulfilled. (Steps to Christ, pp. 59, 60)
How is this promise fulfilled and what role does the Sabbath play in the Ten Commandments. Read Romans 13:8-10, Matthew 23:23, 24, Deuteronomy 5:12–15 and Isaiah 58:13, 14.
Share your thoughts. Then, continue to the next segment of this video, Part 5:Love is the Fulfillment of the Law
God’s Love and Justice
(Lesson 13)
Love Is the Fulfillment of the Law
Part 5: Love is the Fulfillment of the Law
Obeying the law of God spreads love. What does love really look like? Is it just a feeling, a kind word, or a warm smile?
No, love is something more. It is far deeper. The Bible tells us that love fulfills the law. But how? How does true love go beyond emotions and words to become something that changes lives and honors God?
God’s law is not just a set of rules—it is a guide to love. And love is not just about avoiding sin—it’s about actively doing good.
The Bible makes it clear: Love and law cannot be separated. To love is to obey, and to obey is to love. Paul writes in Romans 13:8-10
8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. (Romans 13:8-10)
He makes the point that “he who loves another has fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8, NKJV)
Then, after listing many of the last six of the Ten Commandments, He drive his point home declaring that these (meaning the last six) are “all summed up in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Romans 13:9).
Paul repeats this idea in another letter Galatians 5:14
“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Galatians 5:14)
But what kind of love is Paul talking about? What does love look like when it fulfills the law?
Jesus gives us the answer in Matthew 23:23:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith.” (Matthew 23:23)
The Pharisees were careful about little details. They tithe even the smallest spices—but they missed the heart of the law.
Jesus in Matthew 23:24 called them blind guides because they focused on small matters while ignoring the bigger ones.
You see, the law is not just about following rules—it’s about living justly, showing mercy, and walking humbly.
But where do we see this in action? It’s found in one law in particular, the Sabbath.
Deuteronomy 5, shows that God gave the Sabbath commandment not only to remind Israel that He created them but also to remind them that He saved them from slavery, injustice and oppression.
Deuteronomy 5:15 says:
“And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.” (Deuteronomy 5:15)
So, the Sabbath is not just about resting—it’s about freedom. It’s a reminder that God delivers us, His people from slavery and oppression.
That’s why Isaiah in Isaiah 58:13-14 in regards Sabbath talks about turning from one’s own pleasure to call the Sabbath a delight by taking delight in the Lord.
This means the Sabbath is not just about doing what we want. Instead, it’s about finding joy in God and making the day special by focusing on Him. Isaiah 58:13,14 says
13 “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the Lord honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words,
14 Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 58:13–14)
But what does it mean to “call the Sabbath a delight”? The answer is found in the same chapter:
“Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him?” (Isaiah 58:7)
Okay, the Sabbath is about more than just resting—it’s about doing good.
It is about loving people, helping the suffering, and standing up for justice. Read Isaiah 58:3-10
Often, when we think of obeying God’s law, we often focus on what we should not do.
But true obedience is more than avoiding sin—it’s about actively doing good.
Love is not just about the sins we avoid; it’s about the works of love we pursue.
In other words, fulfilling the law through love involves not only being concerned about sins of commission but also about sins of omission.
It’s easy to believe we are faithful because we haven’t sinned in a big way.
But obedience is not just about what we don’t do, it’s also about what we do.
Loving others means more than just avoiding sin.
It means actively doing good—showing kindness, fairness, and mercy.
So, being faithful to God is not just about following rules; it’s about spreading love by living out His love in our lives every day.
Listen to what it says here:
The sin which is indulged to the greatest extent, and which separates us from God and produces so many contagious spiritual disorders, is selfishness. There can be no returning to the Lord except by self-denial. Of ourselves we can do nothing; but, through God strengthening us, we can live to do good to others, and in this way shun the evil of selfishness. … We should do this in the home circle, in the church, among those with whom we associate and with whom we do business. Right in the common walks of life is where self is to be denied and kept in subordination. . . . We should forget self in the desire to do good to others.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, p. 132.
How do we do this? Read James 2:1-9 Share your thoughts.
Then, continue to the next segment of this video, Part 6: Above All Love One Another
God’s Love and Justice
(Lesson 13)
Love Is the Fulfillment of the Law
Part 6: Above All Love One Another
We are called to—a love that fulfills God’s law, a love that goes beyond words and moves into action.
And when we live that love, we don’t just obey God’s law—we spread His love to everyone around us.
The law of God is not only about avoiding wrong but about doing what is right.
It calls us to reveal God’s love in every part of our lives—not just to those who are easy to love but to the world at large, a world that is desperate for real, Christ-like love.
James speaks of this in James 2:1-9. He says in verse 1:
“My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.” (James 2:1)
He warns against treating people differently based on wealth, status, or appearance.
He continues: In verse 9 saying
“If you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” (James 2:9)
James is clear—true faith does not look down on the poor, the weak, or the forgotten. Instead, he reminds us of the royal law:
“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well.” (James 2:8)
Loving others—truly, deeply, unconditionally—is the highest form of obedience.
Ellen G. White beautifully describes this principle saying in Desire of Ages:
“Love to man is the earthward manifestation of the love of God. It was to implant this love, to make us children of one family, that the King of glory became one with us. And when His parting words are fulfilled, ‘Love one another, as I have loved you’ (John 15:12); when we love the world as He has loved it, then for us His mission is accomplished. We are fitted for heaven; for we have heaven in our hearts.” (The Desire of Ages, p. 641)
Jesus came to make us one family, bound not by blood, but by love. And He left us with a command that sums up everything John 13:34
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (John 13:34)
Then Jesus in John 13:35 says:
“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35, NKJV)
The true mark of a follower of Christ is not just knowing the Bible or attending church.
The real proof of discipleship is love—love that forgives, love that heals, love that reaches beyond the walls of the church and touches the hurting world.
Therefore love is central to faith. The Bible tells us in 1 John 4:8
“God is love.”
8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. (1 John 4:8) (Pauser)
And 1 John 4:16 says
16 And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:16)
The point here is that loving God and loving others cannot be separated.
1 John 3:11 says
11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,
And 1 John 4:20 warns
“If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar.” (1 John 4:20)
In other words, we cannot claim to love God while mistreating others.
Instead, 1 John 4:21 teaches:
“And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.” (1 John 4:21)
True love is sacrificial. It is active. It is unshakable. That is why Peter wrote in 1 Peter 4:8:
“And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins.’” (1 Peter 4:8)
Loving like Jesus transforms us. It prepares us for eternity.
It perfects our faith and our character. Paul echoes this in Hebrews 10:24:
“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.” (Hebrews 10:24)
And in 1 Thessalonians 3:12
“And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all.” (1 Thessalonians 3:12)
This love changes hearts. This love fulfills the law. This love fits us for heaven.
Jesus did not just talk about love—He lived it. He touched the untouchable, forgave the unforgivable, and welcomed the outcasts. And He calls us to do the same.
Therefore, loving like Jesus means more than not doing wrong—it means actively doing good.
It means feeding the hungry, lifting the weary, welcoming the lonely, and showing grace, patience, and kindness to those around us.
Let us choose today to be more than hearers of the Word—let us be doers.
Let us be known by our love. Because when we love as Christ loved, we don’t just fulfill the law we spread love.
———————————————-
Thank you for watching this video. To be notified when my next video comes out, Subscribe to my YouTube Channel, SabbathSchoolDaily, by Dr. Brenda Ware Davis.
You can Watch other videos like this one @ SabbathSchooldaily.com
Get your free study guide for this series @ Sabbath.School or ssnet.org
Spread Love: Like, Share, and Subscribe.
Hebron Seventh-day Adventist Church
7902 Wheatly Street
Houston, TX 77088
hebrontx.adventistchurch.org
Watch Past and Present Lessons at SabbathSchoolDaily.com
Post Comment