Sabbath School Summary

By Elder Dr Masimba Mavaza

Love Is the Fulfillment of the Law

Lesson 13

Memory Text: “Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:8, NKJV).

Introduction

While they were dealing with a problematic member, someone on the church board said to the pastor, “We can’t make deci-sions based on compassion.” We can’t? The pastor wondered what this person’s understanding of God and of God’s law must have been. Compassion certainly needs to be central in how we deal with people, especially erring ones. Compassion is part and parcel of love, and as Romans 13:8 tells us, to love one’s neighbor is to fulfill the law.
If love is indeed the fulfillment of the law, then we should be careful not to think of law in a way that is separate from love or to think of love in a way that is disconnected from law. In Scripture, love and law go together. The divine Lawgiver is love, and accordingly, God’s law is the law of love. It is, as Ellen G. White put it, the transcript of God’s character. (See Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 305.)
God’s law is not a set of abstract principles but commands and instructions intended for our flourishing. God’s law is, in part, an expression of love as God Himself expresses it.

SABBATH:
God’s law is the law of love & is the foundation of the government of God. Its two great principles are love for God & love for man. For us to be able to love God, we must be compassionate. While addressing a problematic church member, a board member stated to the pastor, “We can’t make decisions based on compassion,” prompting the pastor to question their understanding of God and His law (Rom. 13:8, COL, p. 305). Love is a verb; the fulfillment of the law.

The Law of Love

SUNDAY:
God has loved us with untold love that stems from His law. Love is the basis of creation & redemption. In Eden, God’s law of love existed & it governed the relationship between God & people & between people themselves. That’s, God saved Israel from slavery based on His law of love even before they were written as 10 commandments in stone for Israel (Exod. 20). The first 4 tell us how to love God & the last 6 tell us how to love others (Lev. 19:18, Matt. 22:37, 40). God’s love & law are one.

The Law Is Holy and Righteous and Good

MONDAY:
When God upholds the law, He upholds love. That’s why Jesus died to save sinners to uphold the law & at the same time offer grace to all. That’s, it’s false to say that grace & redemption cancel the law (Rom. 6:1-3, 7:7-12). Paul writes that we’re not to continue to sin so that grace increases but to avoid sin; the transgression of the law. Christ came to fulfill the law (Rom. 3:31, Matt. 5:18). The law shows how God is holy & love (Lev. 19:2, Ps. 19:7, 119:142, 172).

Law and Grace

TUESDAY:
God’s love & justice can be seen in His law & grace. Ancient Israel saw the giving of the law itself by God as a great display of His grace. This is because other gods were unpredictable. But the God of the Bible revealed what pleases Him to the people & this was for their good. The law was penned by God on stone but it was also to be inked in the heart (Jer. 31:31-34, John 3:1-21, Heb. 8:10). It shows us our sins but can’t save (Eph. 2:8, John 14:15, James 1:22-25, Rom. 3:20, 7:7, Gal. 3:22-24).

Love Is the Fulfillment of the Law

WEDNESDAY:
Scripture tells us that to love is to fulfill the law. Paul lists many of the last 6 commandments & sums it all up as “love your neighbor as yourself” (Rom. 13:8-10, Gal. 5:14). This kind of love manifests in the form of justice, mercy, & faith (Matt. 23:23, 24, Deut. 5:12-15, Isa. 58:13, 14). The Sabbath commandment in particular shows how God saved Israel from slavery. That’s, the Sabbath is not only a memorial of creation but also deliverance from oppression (Isa. 58:3-10, 13, 14).

Above All, Love One Another

THURSDAY:
God’s law of love does not just tell us to refrain from evil. It also prompts us to do acts that reveal God’s love to others; not only church members but everyone (James 2:1-9). We’re not to be impartial & indifferent in showing love. Love for God in heaven can be demonstrated by love for man on earth. This is one reason why Christ became one of us to show pure love for all souls (DA, p. 641, John 15:12, 13:34, 35, 1 John 4:8, 16; 3:11; 4:20, 21; 1 Pet. 4:8, see also Heb. 10:24, 1 Thess. 3:12).

Further Thought

FRIDAY:
The anthem of those who love God will be “how do we save souls that are ready to perish?” Their interest is in rescuing the perishing & caring for the dying. We have an assurance that those who care for the needy & sin-sick souls will also be cared for by Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd. We’re colaborers together with God. He has need for you.

—Ellen G. White, “The Least of These My Brethren,” pp. 637–641, in The Desire of Ages.

Keywords

COL- Christ’s Object Lessons

DA- The Desire of Ages

Discussion Questions

📌 Read 1 Corinthians 13:4–8. How does 1 Corinthians 13 shed light on the kind of people we ought to be?

📌 What separates the sheep from the goats in Matthew 25:31– 46? How can we understand what Jesus says here in a way that does not teach salvation by works?

📌 What does it mean to you that “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” (see Thursday’s study)? What does this reveal about the nature of God and the nature of heaven itself? How can we live more like citizens of heaven here in this respect, relative to spreading God’s love in a way that brings light and justice to the oppressed?

📌 What practical steps should be taken in your local church to reflect God’s concern for love and justice in your local community? What are you doing well in your community? What do you need to improve and focus on more? What tangible steps can you take individually and collectively to act on what we have studied about God’s love and justice?

For March 22–28. Happy 13th Sabbath!

The lesson for quarter two is entitled “Allusions, Images, Symbols: How to Study Bible Prophecy.”