A wise man once wrote:
1 Corinthians 13:1-3- “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing”
Indeed, Yahweh is love. The entirety of Yahweh’s word is centered on His love for us, how we are to love Him and how we are to love each other.
Some have accused me of being legalistic. In truth, I know that if our motives are not love then we are nothing. Though we call on His name, observe the Sabbath day and do what may appear to be the right things, if have not love we are nothing.
Though we may have great knowledge of scripture and bring thousands to the Savior’s feet…if we have not love, we are nothing.
And though we may seem to give our whole life to Yahweh, even becoming martyrs for His name’s sake…if we have not love, truly we are nothing.
The whole of Yahweh’s word must be read with LOVE being the backdrop and the context of what we are reading.
1 Timothy 1:5- Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, 6 from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, 7 desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm. 8 But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully,
His law tells us how to love. Truly, the law is holy and spiritual and good. If we love Him, we keep His commandments, thereby learning how to be holy, just and good.
There is not a commandment written that does not tell us how to love. If we love Yahweh, we will worship Him in the way He wants us to rather than man-invented ways. If we love our neighbor, we will treat them as we would want to be treated. As Yahushua said, the whole law can be summed up in two commandments:
Matthew 22:36-40- “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Yahushua said to him, ” ‘You shall love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 “This is the first and great commandment. 39 “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Indeed, the whole law of Yahweh hangs from these two commands. Man can attempt to sever the law from these commands to love by ignoring the fact that the law is all about loving Yahweh and loving our neighbor -or he can sever the law from these commands by saying the law no longer is applicable to us. But Yahushua never severed love from Yahweh’s law.
In fact, those two commands are from the law (Deut. 6:5, Lev 19:18). His law, His Messiah (who is the Word made flesh [John 1:14]), and His love are one.
And truly, love is the most important thing.