"Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law."
Notice that within this quote, love is defined by how one acts toward others. The definition of "loving one's neighbor," is laid out in God's Commandments. Some would suggest that a born again believer is no longer under the Law, using Bible verses such as Romans 3:19; 6:14-15; 1 Corinthians 9:20-21; and Galatians 3:23; 4:5 to support their position, and they would be correct - to a point! However, what they miss is that those verses are not teaching believers that God's Law does not apply to them; they are teaching that our righteousness, our right-standing with God, is not something "we bring to the table" by obeying His Law, because we all fail, but that it is a gift given to us by Christ Himself. The same writer who wrote those verses, also wrote:
"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one" (Rom. 3:10). "For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God" (Rom. 10:3). "For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). "...that I may...be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith" (Phil. 3:8-9)!
Like Abraham, we receive soul-saving righteousness when we trust God's Word (Rom. 4:3; 10:8-13; Gal. 3:6). So the Law serves two purposes: it teaches us that we are unable to live up to God's standards (Gal. 3:24-25), and it reveals exactly how one loves his God by loving his neighbor (Ex. 20:2-17; Rom. 13:8-10)!
For a Christian to say that he does not have to obey God's Law, is a statement based in ignorance. Christ's "Great Commission" states: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, (go make disciples by preaching the Gospel - Rom. 1:22; 1 Cor. 15:1-4), baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you (love God by loving your neighbor - Gal. 5:13-14): and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen" (Mt. 28:19-20).
We are not "under" the Law, but it is a guide for how we are to live!
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