Stewart (SDA) Posted March 20, 2009 Posted March 20, 2009 Originally Posted By: Gerry Cabalo 15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Right, six commandments! He who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Your reference to Romans 13 interests me. Why does Paul refer only to the last 6 commandments in this chapter? I believe that there is a reason for it. Paul in this chapter is writing about our duty to “the powers that be” -- about our duty to the State. He is effectively writing about man’s duty to man, and so the second table of the law is the one that he refers to. These 6 commandments define our relationship and our responsibility to all man-made institutions, and apart from these requirements there is nothing more for us to render to the State. Because those last six commandments are the ones that define our responsibility to other human beings, and because the State is NOT owed any duty that belongs to God, the first four commandments are not mentioned. _____________________________ (Of course there is no mention of God in the Book of Esther, but that lack does not mean that God is not very much involved in the events described in that Book. Even though the first four commandments are not mentioned in Rom 13, it does not mean that they are effectively "taken out of the way" or that they have in same way been made void.) Regards, Stewart. Quote
Stewart (SDA) Posted March 20, 2009 Posted March 20, 2009 Right, six commandments! He who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law... Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. No Seventh Day Adventist would disagree that Love is the fulfillment of the law. No question about it, love does fulfill the law of God because “love does no harm to his neighbor”. But our area of difference lies in what it actually means to “fulfill” the law. Jesus prayed near the end of His ministry here, “And now I come to Thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have My joy fulfilled in themselves. (Jn 17:13) The Greek word rendered “fulfilled” in this verse is the same word rendered “fulfilled” in Rom 13:8 which talks about the fulfilling of the law. Does Jesus mean that once His people have His joy abiding in them, that that joy will then come to an end? Obviously this is not His meaning. __________________ As SDA's we say that when the requirements of a person are “fulfilled”, those requirements are being “met”. But this does not mean that those requirements have come to an end. Again, when the requirements of the law are “fulfilled” those requirements are “accomplished”. It is not saying that love is a substitute for the keeping of the law, love is the fulfilling, or the keeping, of the law. Some have also taken the view that the “end” of the commandment is the “finishing” of them, but the view held by us is that the “end” of the law is the “objective” of the law. But once the objective is gained, does it mean that the standard is made void? No. _____________ Ephesians 2:3 refers to “fulfilling the desires of the flesh”. What does this mean? I think the meaning is clear -- the unsanctified desires of the flesh are not only being entertained, those desires are being acted on. But it is also clear that the word “fulfilled” it is not being used to say that those desires have in some sense come to an end among the people being referred to. Regards, Stewart. Quote
Robert Posted March 21, 2009 Posted March 21, 2009 Originally Posted By: Robert Right, six commandments! He who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. [/quote'] Because those last six commandments are the ones that define our responsibility to other human beings, and because the State is NOT owed any duty that belongs to God, the first four commandments are not mentioned. Okay, but there's a major problem with this idea! Paul says that this "love is the fulfillment of the law". He doesn't say it fulfills half the law. The same is true in Gal 5:14 The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Quote
Robert Posted March 23, 2009 Posted March 23, 2009 But isn't loving our neighbor only half of the picture? Gal 5:14 states that the last six fulfills the ENTIRE law under the NC. The first four are replaced by faith. Quote
Moderators Gerr Posted March 23, 2009 Moderators Posted March 23, 2009 Quote: The first four are replaced by faith. Scripture, please? Quote
Robert Posted March 23, 2009 Posted March 23, 2009 Quote: The first four are replaced by faith. Scripture, please? I've already given scripture. Re-read..... The fact is many SDA impose the Sabbath as the Judaizers did circumcision. Sad.... Rob Quote
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