Abrahamic Faiths: Love and the Law (ritual, moral, Torah, gospel)

[lunamoth]

Love God and Love each other, these are the two great commandments. In them we can see all of the ten commandments, and in the Sermon on the Mount takes the relationship between the Law and Love to radical extremes.

What do you think? Which is more important and what is going on when the two seem to conflict? Which one trumps the other? Why?

What is our relationship with the Law and has this changed over time? What do we mean when we say God is Love?

Use of scripture from the various Abrahamic Faiths is encouraged as you answer these questions.

peace,
lunamoth

[FerventGodSeeker]

[quote]

Originally Posted by lunamoth

Love God and Love each other, these are the two great commandments. In them we can see all of the ten commandments, and in the Sermon on the Mount takes the relationship between the Law and Love to radical extremes.

What do you think? Which is more important and what is going on when the two seem to conflict? Which one trumps the other? Why?

When the two "seem" to conflict, I don't believe they really do. The essence of the Law is Love; as you already pointed out, the Law can be summed up in the two commandments of Love.

What is our relationship with the Law and has this changed over time?

When Christ died and rose again, He abolished the Mosaic ceremonial law that the nation of Israel was under in the Old Testament (Scriptures upon request). However, because the Church is the spiritual Israel, we are still under the moral law of the Old Testament (seen in the fact that many of them are reiterated in the New Testament, sometimes even quoted from the Old).

What do we mean when we say God is Love?

God is Love in the sense that Love is an aspect of God. Just as God is eternal, holy, Spirit, etc, God is Love.

FerventGodSeeker

[Aqualung]

Originally Posted by lunamoth

Love God and Love each other, these are the two great commandments. In them we can see all of the ten commandments, and in the Sermon on the Mount takes the relationship between the Law and Love to radical extremes.

What do you think? Which is more important and what is going on when the two seem to conflict? Which one trumps the other? Why?

What is our relationship with the Law and has this changed over time? What do we mean when we say God is Love?

Use of scripture from the various Abrahamic Faiths is encouraged as you answer these questions.

peace,
lunamoth

Loving each other is the most important. This is how to live the law. We show our love towards God by loving each other. If we love each other, we will be following the laws. If we love our parents, we will honour them. If we love our children, we will bring them up in the faith. If we love strangers, we will be more willing to preach the gospel to them. It is through loving each other that we fulfill the law and show our love to god.

[jewscout]

Originally Posted by lunamoth

Love God and Love each other, these are the two great commandments. In them we can see all of the ten commandments, and in the Sermon on the Mount takes the relationship between the Law and Love to radical extremes.

What do you think? Which is more important and what is going on when the two seem to conflict? Which one trumps the other? Why?

What is our relationship with the Law and has this changed over time? What do we mean when we say God is Love?

Use of scripture from the various Abrahamic Faiths is encouraged as you answer these questions.

peace,
lunamoth

well i think this is directed more at christianity than any other of the Abrahamic faiths...

[lunamoth]

Originally Posted by jewscout

well i think this is directed more at christianity than any other of the Abrahamic faiths...

This is an interesting point Jewscout. Why? The love commandments are part of Judaism before they are part of Christianity and so also part of the foundation for all Abrahamic religions.

lunamoth

[jewscout]

Originally Posted by lunamoth

This is an interesting point Jewscout. Why? The love commandments are part of Judaism before they are part of Christianity and so also part of the foundation for all Abrahamic religions.

lunamoth

yes to love thy neighbor and the Shema of which you speak of are part of Judaism, in fact central parts...

but the concept of "G-d is Love" is not to be found anywhere in the Torah or Tanach, that is something that christianity created.

tho G-d does love and we are to love Him in Judaism, i think a word that might better describe the jewish perspective of HaShem is "Just"...tho i could be wrong on that but that's just the way i see Him through what i've learned studying Judaism.

for example, when Abraham pleaded w/ HaShem to spare Sodom and Gemorah he appealed to His sense of Justice, not Love.

[michel]

I must admit that I see the "love thy neighbour" as being the central focus; and, love thy neighbour (to my mind) means that you are automatically loving God.

To my mind, the two are the same. I agree though that I see love as being the main message.

[lunamoth]

Originally Posted by jewscout

yes to love thy neighbor and the Shema of which you speak of are part of Judaism, in fact central parts...

but the concept of "G-d is Love" is not to be found anywhere in the Torah or Tanach, that is something that christianity created.

tho G-d does love and we are to love Him in Judaism, i think a word that might better describe the jewish perspective of HaShem is "Just"...tho i could be wrong on that but that's just the way i see Him through what i've learned studying Judaism.

for example, when Abraham pleaded w/ HaShem to spare Sodom and Gemorah he appealed to His sense of Justice, not Love.

God IS perfectly just and perfectly love, but we fall short in both. Certainly the law is given to help us be just (don't take what does not belong to you, give God and others their due), which is when you think about it a manifestation of love.

2c,
lunamoth

[jewscout]

Originally Posted by lunamoth

God IS perfectly just and perfectly love, but we fall short in both. Certainly the law is given to help us be just (don't take what does not belong to you, give God and others their due), which is when you think about it a manifestation of love.

2c,
lunamoth

i don't have to love someone to deal justly w/ them...hell i don't even have to like them! but i can still be fair and just in my actions. I don't think that's necessarily love, i'm not doing it out of an act of love, i'm doing it because it's the right thing to do.

and you talk about the law...where is the love in not eating cheeseburgers? How is that love? Respect i can see, but love?

[lunamoth]

[quote=FerventGodSeeker]

When Christ died and rose again, He abolished the Mosaic ceremonial law that the nation of Israel was under in the Old Testament (Scriptures upon request). However, because the Church is the spiritual Israel, we are still under the moral law of the Old Testament (seen in the fact that many of them are reiterated in the New Testament, sometimes even quoted from the Old).

Interesting FGS, I've never heard it explained quite this way before. So you think there were God-given laws that Christ abrogated? My take on it is that the law remained but our relationship with the law changed in that we were reminded and invited to follow the law with love as our guide. So if there is a situation where love and the law seem to conflict (because we are imperfect) then the safer bet is love/compassion/mercy.

2c,
lunamoth