No. 37. >> Why does Paul mention that love is the fulfillment of the law in Romans 13:10. Paul isn't trying to re-establish the law here, is he? >>PROFESSOR DAVID I. M. LEWIS: Josh, that's another interesting question you ask about the exhortation section here. Because, again, there are some interpreters of Romans who believe that Paul is, in fact, re-establishing the law here in this section of Romans 13. Josh, let's read together this section, namely, especially Romans 13:8 through 10. This comes right after Paul's exhortation of how we should obey the governing authorities. And then he begins to speak again about our relationship to our neighbor in general. Not just to our government. But to our neighbor. Whether he's Christian or non-Christian. And Paul says: Owe no one anything except to love each other. For the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet, or any other commandment are summed up in this word: You should love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. Okay. So here Paul discusses love for a second time in this great exhortation section of Romans. And now interesting, there are some scholars believe that Paul in a sense here is telling us that the law does still apply to the Christian life. Josh, you remember that I've mentioned the new perspective on Paul. Well, EP Sanders, one of the scholars associated with the new perspective, actually sees that Paul is kind of speaking in paradox or even contradiction. Where in one place he says that the righteousness of God has been revealed apart from the law. And that Christ is the end of the law. But then Sanders believes that Paul still believed that the law had a place in the Christian life. And we were still obligated to keep the law. Only for Sanders he would focus more upon what they call the moral law. And Sanders in his reading of Romans argues that here we see that Paul is in fact re-establishing the law. And so your question is not such an empty question. Because some people believe that in a sense Paul is kind of here telling us: Well, you Christians really do need to live according to the law inspite of everything I've said thus far. And of course that would not be a Lutheran reading of this. We generally don't think it that Paul is contradicting himself. So what's going on here? Well, again, I would say this would be an example of the third use of the law. Now, remember, the law is curb, mirror and guide. We've seen all three uses in the book of Romans. The curb in Romans 13:1 through 7. The government has the authority to execute God's wrath upon criminals, to keep sin in line, to keep it in bounds, to punish crime. Second use: Romans 3:20: Through the law comes the knowledge of sin. And now third use here in Romans 13 Verse 8 that the law is a rule or a guide to Christians. So nowhere here is Paul saying that we have to do this in order to establish our righteousness before God. Or we have to do this to earn God's love and favor. This whole exhortation section again is coming from God's mercy. So here Paul is actually doing what I think Luther does. Luther says that: What use does the law have now? Well, we're not under the law. It serves a pedagogical purpose. It's a teaching aid. So Paul here in talking about love and exhorting love: Owe no one anything except to love one another, he's using love as a pedagogical tool and pointing out that really love in and of itself is what fulfills the law. Consider that whole second table of the law. Thou shall not kill. Thou shall not commit adultery. Thou shall not steal. All of this is fulfilled when you love your neighbor. Because if you love your neighbor, you would never do any of these sins against him. And so in a way Paul is making the point that what we were unable to do when -- before Christ came and we did not believe in him, when we were under sin, it is now possible to do in this life that's led by the power of the Holy Spirit. And he's not re-establishing the law and putting us under the law. He's simply using the law as a pedagogical tool and making the point that as Christians I'm exhorting you to love one another. And in fact love actually fulfills what the law says. And what you were unable to do when you did not have the Holy Spirit, now you are able to do. And so, therefore, Paul exhorts us to: Owe no one anything except to love. Note this is a place where Paul does speak the same as Jesus. When Jesus is asked about the greatest commandments, he quotes two words. One word he quotes from Deuteronomy Chapter 6: You will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your strength. And then he quotes that word from Leviticus: You will love your neighbor as yourself. And now Paul references that same commandment: You will love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law. No, Paul is not re-establishing the law. But I think he's doing what Luther says. He's using that command as a pedagogical aid to show the place and the importance of love in the Christian life. A life that flows from God's grace, is lived in the Gospel, and is led by the Holy Spirit. And so Josh, no, the law is not reestablished. This continues to be exhortation, not command.