Topical Encyclopedia
The Law of God, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures, is a divine guide for righteous living and a reflection of God's holy character. The love of God's law is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, and it is intimately connected with the experience of peace in the believer's life. This entry explores the relationship between the love of God's law and the peace it produces, drawing from various biblical passages and theological insights.
Biblical FoundationThe psalmist declares, "Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing can make them stumble" (
Psalm 119:165). This verse encapsulates the profound truth that a deep affection for God's commandments results in a tranquility that transcends life's challenges. The peace mentioned here is not merely the absence of conflict but a holistic well-being that encompasses spiritual, emotional, and relational harmony.
The Nature of God's LawGod's law, as given in the Scriptures, is perfect, trustworthy, and righteous (
Psalm 19:7-9). It serves as a moral compass, guiding believers in paths of righteousness. The law reveals God's will and provides a framework for living in a way that honors Him. The love of God's law, therefore, is not a burdensome obligation but a joyful response to His divine wisdom and love.
The Role of Love in ObedienceThe love of God's law is more than mere adherence to rules; it is a heartfelt devotion to God's will. Jesus emphasized this when He said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" (
John 14:15). Love for God naturally leads to a desire to obey His commands, and this obedience is a source of peace. The apostle John echoes this sentiment: "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome" (1
John 5:3).
Peace as a Fruit of the SpiritThe peace that comes from loving God's law is a fruit of the Holy Spirit's work in the believer's life. As Paul writes, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness" (
Galatians 5:22). The Spirit empowers believers to love God's law and to experience the peace that accompanies such love. This peace guards the hearts and minds of believers, as Paul assures, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (
Philippians 4:7).
The Transformative Power of PeaceThe peace produced by the love of God's law transforms relationships and communities. It fosters unity and reconciliation, as believers are called to "let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, for to this you were called as members of one body" (
Colossians 3:15). This peace is a testimony to the world of the transformative power of God's love and law.
ConclusionThe love of God's law is a source of profound peace for the believer. It aligns the heart with God's will, empowers obedience through the Holy Spirit, and transforms relationships within the body of Christ. As believers cultivate a love for God's law, they experience the peace that surpasses all understanding, a peace that is both a gift and a calling.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Psalm 119:165Great peace have they which love your law: and nothing shall offend them.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Library
Attributes of Love.
... where this love exists. These, then, are implied in the love that constitutes
obedience to the law of God. Conscious peace of mind ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture xii attributes of love.htm
Article iii: of Love and the Fulfilling of the Law.
... Trusting in our own fulfilment of the Law is sheer ... that for Christ's sake we are
accepted with God, and justified by faith, not on account of our love and works ...
/.../melanchthon/the apology of the augsburg confession/part 6 article iii of.htm
Do are Then Make Void the Law through Faith? God Forbid; Yea, we ...
... makes all these things realities, it swings the mind loose from the clogs of the
world, and he beholds God, and apprehends his law and his love. ...
/.../finney/lectures to professing christians/do are then make void.htm
The Beatific vision. (Continued. )
... What a tyranny this law of sin exercises over the ... the exquisite happiness which this
vision of God's love produces in the ... we say of the smile of God, who is ...
/.../boudreaux/the happiness of heaven/chapter iv the beatific vision.htm
Love Worketh no Ill to his Neighbor; Therefore Love is the ...
... They have not the law of kindness on their lips ... our hearts full of love, and till
all our thoughts and all our lives are full of love to God and love to man ...
/.../finney/lectures to professing christians/love worketh no ill to.htm
Insensibility
... heart is the result of our believing the glad tidings of God's free love, in the ...
and humiliation, and self-examination, and dealing with the law, in order ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bonar/gods way of peace/chapter xi insensibility.htm
The Life of God
... as it is written, 'Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the
fulfilling of the law.' And God is perfect love, because He is perfect ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/sermons for the times/sermon xv the life of.htm
God's Restraining Power.
... and it is to love we owe the law and order ... which is the source of all Christian
brotherly love, will, on ... to the creating and upholding word of God alone"all ...
/.../selected sermons of schleiermacher/xii gods restraining power.htm
Attributes of Love.
... to God, it follows, that obedience to the law of God ... an attribute of benevolence,
or of pure love to God ... the highest happiness and well-being of God and the ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture xiii attributes of love.htm
The Saviour's Peace.
... and that just by these means a love at least ... a law to ourselves, though possibly
a better law than all ... idea of a soul constantly one with God,"whence should ...
/.../schleiermacher/selected sermons of schleiermacher/xviii the saviours peace.htm
Resources
What should Christians learn from the Mosaic Law? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the difference between the ceremonial law, the moral law, and the judicial law in the Old Testament? | GotQuestions.orgWhat was the purpose of the Levitical Law? | GotQuestions.orgLaw: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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