“Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” Romans 13:10
The word fulfil has two meanings. The first one is, “to bring into completion; to come to an end.” The second one is, “to carry out a task or duty.” Which meaning is meant here in the opening verse? Many nominal Christians use the first meaning stating that the Law was done away with—fulfilled, and love replaced the law. If you read the context of the entire Bible though, you can read that the Law of God is everlasting. There is no time when it is “completed” and has come to an end, but we are called to “carry out the duty” of keeping the law.
Can the two (law and love) be separate? Is there no love in the law?
If you go through the Ten Commandments, there is not one commandment that is devoid of love. If you love God, you will put Him first in your life. You will not have any idols that are more important to you than Jesus is, you will not take His name in vain and you will be prompt in meeting Him every Sabbath, giving Him your undivided attention at church.
If you love your fellow men, you will respect your parents. You will not kill anyone, steal from them or tell lies about them. You will respect your spouse, and not venture to desecrate another’s marriage, and you will be content with what you have—not coveting your neighbour’s goods.
But the law goes much further than the mere letter of the law, in which we keep ourselves unspotted from the world and sit back and do no harm to our neighbours, as the verse may seem to imply: “Worketh no ill to his neighbour.”
In Matthew 25:31–46, Jesus explained the true spirit of the law of love. The goal, or aim, of the law is to create loving service in the hearts of man towards God and his fellow men/women on this earth.
“Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave Me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took Me in: Naked, and ye clothed Me: I was sick, and ye visited Me: I was in prison, and ye came unto Me. . . . Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me.” Matthew 25:34–36, 40
Jesus here identifies Himself with His suffering people. It was I who was hungry and thirsty. It was I who was a stranger. It was I who was naked. It was I who was sick. It was I who was in prison. We then read that the King commends those who have done this humanitarian work in helping these suffering people. This is the fulfillment of the law of God—the law of love, never ending benevolence to our fellow human beings.
To do this work is to bear good fruit; and the next quote talks about “cheap fruits” as opposed to “genuine fruits”. “Prayers, exhortation, and talk are cheap fruits, which are frequently tied on, but fruits that are manifested in good works, in caring for the needy, the fatherless, and widows, are genuine fruits, and grow naturally upon a good tree. . . . When hearts sympathize with hearts burdened with discouragement and grief, when the hand dispenses to the needy, when the naked are clothed, the stranger made welcome to a seat at your fireside and to a place in your heart, angels are coming very near, and an answering strain is responded to in heaven. Every act, every deed of justice and mercy and benevolence, makes sweet music ring in heaven. The Father from His throne beholds and numbers them with His most precious treasures. ‘And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, when I make up My jewels.’” –That I May Know Him, p. 335
“Our heavenly Father lays blessings disguised in our pathway, which some will not touch for fear they will detract from their enjoyment. Angels are waiting to see if we embrace opportunities within our reach of doing good–waiting to see if we will bless others, that they in turn may bless us. The Lord Himself has made us to differ–some poor, some rich, some afflicted–that all may have an opportunity to develop a character. The poor are purposely permitted of God to be thus, that we might be tested and proved, and develop what is in our hearts.
“Every merciful act done to the needy, the suffering, is counted as though it were done to Jesus Himself. When you succor the poor, sympathize with the afflicted and oppressed, and befriend the orphan, you bring yourselves into a closer relationship to Jesus.” –That I May Know Him, p. 335 “Love is the basis of godliness. Whatever the profession, no man has pure love to God unless he has unselfish love for his brother.” –Maranatha, p. 101
Look at your life and compare it to these verses in Matthew 25. When was the last time you directly fed the hungry, gave a drink to the thirsty, gave clothing to the naked, took in the stranger, and visited those in prison? It sounds like we should all be out on the streets helping the homeless as some of the members in our local area have taken it upon themselves to do. This is noble work as there are many homeless people on the streets of every big city in the world. They need compassion and hope in Christ.
However, not everyone has the resources to do this direct work, but it can be done indirectly. Donations can be made; financial support given. “There are some who think that unless they are directly connected with active religious work, they are not doing the will of God; but this is a mistake. Everyone has a work to do for the Master.” –The Adventist Home, p. 245. “Long has God waited for the spirit of service to take possession of the whole church so that everyone shall be working for Him according to his ability.” –The Acts of the Apostles, p. 111
As we read these verses in Matthew 25, we often only think of the physical needs of a person. However, people may be physically well and rich, but have emotional and spiritual needs (“poor in spirit”, Matthew 5:3). These needs must also be met. All are important for the health and well-being of an individual. We are just as much doing the Lord’s work by addressing peoples’ spiritual and emotional needs as when we are meeting their physical needs. These verses address all three. Let us explore further:
“I was an hungered, and ye gave Me meat.” . . . There are millions of starving people in the world. We may not be able to give each of them a loaf of bread every day, but many countries have a Good Samaritan Department, whose duty it is to gather funds and direct them to places where they are needed to help the poor and needy. We certainly can donate. All “should be taught to deny themselves of such unnecessary things as candies, gum, ice cream, and other knickknacks, that they may put the money saved by their self-denial into the self-denial box, of which there should be one in every home. By this means large and small sums would be saved for the cause of God.” –Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 329. “Let everyone have a self-denial box in his home, and when he would spend pennies and shillings in self-gratification let him remember the needy and starving in Africa and India and those close by his own door. There are poor among us.” –Welfare Ministry, p. 273
Job stated: “I was a father to the poor: and the cause which I knew not I searched out.” Job 29:16
There are also many spiritually hungry people in the world. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:6
Although, due to the pandemic, it is not the best idea to go door-to-door, the Lord has other ways and means for us to search out those who are spiritually hungry. We need to search them out as did Job. It can be through the Internet, social media, through our co-workers, fellow students, or people we randomly meet while going about our daily duties. We cannot hide our light under a bushel. People who are in darkness and weary, will gravitate to the light and will desire to have light themselves also. “If you have received the grace of God, the
light is in you. . . . The light will shine forth to penetrate and dispel the darkness. You cannot help shining within the range of your influence.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 420
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” 1 Peter 3:15. Look for spiritually hungry people and feed them with the Word of God.
“I was thirsty, and ye gave Me drink”. . . Water is essential to life—pure clean water. Many people in the world do not have clean water to drink and different charitable organizations have taken it upon themselves to construct wells for clean water in their communities. “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.” Psalm 42:1 This may seem similar regarding those who are hungry for the word of God. Being thirsty, though, is more dire than being hungry. A desert wanderer may have been without food or water for days and when he reaches an oasis, his first thought is for water, not for food. It is a more serious emergency to be a few days without water as opposed to a few days without food. Quick action is necessary. You can live weeks without food, but only days without water. Jesus promised to give the woman at the well living water. “If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give Me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water.” John 4:10
Some are in such desperate straits and need the living water urgently. They may be facing death soon, perhaps terminally ill. They may be so depressed and be contemplating suicide. Or they may be facing some other threat that endangers their lives. These people need help from the Lord urgently and quickly. They need the living water. We may have only a brief moment to speak with someone and never see them again, and what we say, can be a “savour of life unto life.” 2 Corinthians 2:16. “The ambassadors of Christ have a responsible and sacred work before them. They are savors of life unto life, or of death unto death. Their influence decides the destiny of souls for whom Christ died.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, p. 60. The end of all things is at hand. We can see the calamities being fulfilled as prophesied in the Bible. Now is the time to go and sound the alarm. It is urgent.
“I was a stranger, and ye took Me in.” (Hospitality). . . . This does not necessarily mean that we are to invite every homeless person to our house to live in. We can certainly research the local resources that they may find shelter with government agencies and charitable organizations. The Lord may direct a few in our direction for us to help, but it will require faith and discernment to see who are genuine in their desire to make their lives better.
The use of hospitality to strangers is encouraged here. “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Hebrews 13:2. “Use hospitality one to another without grudging.” 1 Peter 4:9
Hospitality in this verse does not necessarily require an over-night stay and the concept is not exclusive to homeless people. When a new visitor walks into to church, they may be a stranger. Do you ignore them? Do you make them feel welcome? Do you invite them to your house for lunch? Do you call them during the week; encourage them and study with them, taking them in and making them feel a part of the family of God?
Growing up, my parents always invited visitors to lunch on Sabbath and out-of-town visitors were always welcome at our home. Our house and property belong to God and are to be used to benefit mankind.
At one time we “were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.” Ephesians 2:12. Those that are without Christ are strangers. We are still to show them love and do our utmost to “take them in.” Although, sadly, many may not want to come in, yet we are to have an open door and open heart to welcome strangers into the church and into our homes.
I was “Naked, and ye clothed Me”. . . .There are many people who cannot afford to purchase new clothes. And some who have more clothing than they could wear in one year. Not only are we called to give to those in need as the opportunity presents itself, but there are many thrift stores in some countries where the poor can purchase clothing for a fraction of the cost. If we donate what we do not need, what we have not worn for years, we are answering the call of Jesus to clothe the naked. If we hoard the clothing that we do not need, we are guilty of not clothing the naked.
The Spiritual lesson here is that people in the world sometimes look to the nominal Christians and see that their lives are no better than theirs. (I hope this cannot be said of us and that we do exemplify the life of Christ.) These “Christians” are naked. Thinking people in the world are longing for something better. They are also naked—devoid of the love of God and disheartened by the current state of society and the direction in which it is headed.
Then there are “religious” people trying to be saved by keeping the law and are hopelessly discouraged at their failures. They too are naked. They see the reality that all their “righteousnesses are as filthy rags,” (Isaiah 64:6) and they have lost hope.
These types of people need to be introduced to the hope that there is in Christ—the Righteousness of Christ—so that they may be clothed; their nakedness can be covered. While the law is good–without Christ in the law it is worthless. It cannot save us.
Jesus told a parable of a king who made a feast and offered clothing to the poor visitors. One man refused the garment and was cast out into outer darkness. (Matthew 22:1–14). We must put on the garment. Being clothed with the righteousness of Christ is the only way anyone can find hope. “In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.” Jeremiah 33:16. They can become an “heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” Hebrews 11:7. “This robe, woven in the loom of heaven, has in it not one thread of human devising.” –Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 311. Go and offer this clothing to the spiritually naked.
“I was sick, and ye visited Me”. . . . People in the world think a meat-based diet is very healthy. They do not realize the dangers it has on them, until they get very sick. Their sickness can come on, little by little, until it is very debilitating. It is good to visit sick people and help them, cooking for them, cleaning for them, and helping them with natural remedies, and teaching them how to live a more healthy life. Some have genetic ailments (inherited), some have cultivated ailments. Some may have no remedy, but the symptoms can be alleviated. Some can find healing through natural means.
There are those that are spiritually sick. They have been wounded by the world and their bad habits, or have inherited tendencies to sin. Some are sick and do not know it. People may backslide imperceptibly, little by little they may become spiritually sick and not notice. One little sin cherished, leads to another and another. “when evil is persistently cherished, it becomes a destroyer of the sinner.” –The Bible Echo, March 12, 1894. “It is transgression in the little things that first leads the soul away from God. By their one sin in partaking of the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve opened the floodgates of woe upon the world. Some may regard that transgression as a very little thing; but we see that its consequences were anything but small.” –Counsels on Health, p. 409–410. Little by little a soul can be straying away from God, and before they know it, they are at a far distance. When we see a spiritually sick person, we are to counsel them and encourage them to find healing in Christ. “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for Mine anger is turned away from him.” Hosea 14:4
People need to be shown their sin and be directed to the Master Physician for healing. They need to find healing and find ways to keep on the straight and narrow to avoid getting sick again. Do not sit back and watch them die from their spiritual sickness.
“Ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness.” Galatians 6:1. “By faith and prayer press back the power of the enemy. Speak words of faith and courage that will be as a healing balsam to the bruised and wounded one. Many, many, have fainted and become discouraged in the great struggle of life, when one word of kindly cheer would have strengthened them to overcome. Never should we pass by one suffering soul without seeking to impart to him of the comfort wherewith we are comforted of God.” –The Desire of Ages, p. 504–505
“I was in prison, and ye came unto Me” . . . Who are in prison? There are those who are behind prison bars and it is good to visit them and encourage them as many are feeling destitute. But there are also elderly people that cannot get out much, whether they are in a nursing
home, or still in their own homes. They may feel alone—in prison. No one visits them. They hardly can get out. While we have to be careful during this time of the pandemic, think carefully if there is a lonely person that needs regular visits, and try to find one person—the most appropriate one, who can safely visit this person, making the visits regular, to encourage them. Although there is the Internet, the face-to-face contact is very important to social health.
However, there are spiritual prisoners. Those also, who are bound in chains of their sins. This is one step further than those spiritually sick. These people seem evil and hopeless. Jesus met some, “And when He was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.” Matthew 8:28. And from Mark’s account, “Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped Him.” Mark 5:4–6
They had gone so far into sin that they were chained and could not free themselves. Only in Christ did they find freedom. We cannot deem anyone hopeless and we cannot judge anyone as having gone beyond the limit of God’s mercy. Their heart may be yearning for deliverance. We need to reach out to everyone. While there is life, there is hope. “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25
The bottom line Is: How you treat your brother is how you treat God. And who is your brother/sister? Every single person on this planet is related to you if you go all the way back to your ancestor Noah. “Connected with Christ, we are connected with our fellow men by the golden links of the chain of love. Then the pity and compassion of Christ will be manifest in our life. . . . It will be as natural for us to minister to the needy and suffering as it was for Christ to go about doing good.” –Maranatha, p. 101
“Each day do loving deeds and speak cheerful words. Scatter smiles along the pathway of life. As you work in this way, God will place His approval on you, and Christ will one day say to you, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant.’” –Lift Him Up, p. 346
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” Ephesians 3:17–19
A person may not be physically homeless on this earth, but they may be spiritually homeless. They may not have their names written in the book of life yet—they do not have a home in heaven yet. We need to help these homeless people also to obtain a heavenly home.
Whether you help someone with their physical needs, emotional needs, or spiritual needs, you can fulfil the law of Christ (as written in Matthew 25) by having unconditional love for all with whom you come into contact every day. May God help you to fulfil this law so that when the King returns He will say to you, “Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matthew 25:34. Amen
Wendy Eaton