February 13, 2006
Matthew 22:36-40 (see also, Mark 12:28-31; Luke 10:26-28)
Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Matthew 7:12
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them, for this is the law and the prophets.
Romans 13:8
Owe no man anything but to love one another; for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
James 2:8
If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well.
Galatians 5:14
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
Galatians 6:2
Bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 5:22, 23:
But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Galatians 3:23-25
But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Romans 13:10
Love worketh no ill to his neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
John 13:34
A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another.
Romans 10:4
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth
Romans 7:6
But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.
Romans 7:4
Ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God.
Galatians 5:18
But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Galatians 2:16
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ… for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
1 Corinthians 7:12, 6 (Regarding sexual taboos and rules presented by Paul
This speak I, not the Lord…
But I speak this by permission and not of commandment
Colossians 2:20-22
Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world… why are ye subject to ordinances… commandments and doctrines of men?
See Matthew 5:38-47
James 4:17
Therefore, to him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
1 Corinthians 10:23 (also 1 Corinthians 6:12)
All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient; all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
Titus 1:15
Unto the pure, all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving, is nothing pure: but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
In presenting our views on the acceptability of sexual relations under the Law of Love between consenting adults, regardless of their marital status, the question inevitably arises, "What about adultery?"
In support of the view that such relations would be adulterous, some cite the Biblical story of the woman who was caught in the act of committing adultery and brought by the religious leaders to Jesus with the intention that she be stoned to death. They said to Jesus: "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do You say?"
Jesus responded, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Convicted by their own consciences, one by one her accusers left. Jesus ultimately told the woman, "Go and sin no more" (John 8:4-11).
In commanding her to sin no more, the interpretation of some is that Jesus was in effect saying that adultery was a sin. We agree that it was a sin for her because she was under the Mosaic Law and Jesus' fulfillment of the law by His death on the cross had not yet been accomplished. Nevertheless, Jesus superceded the Mosaic Law, which condemned the woman to death by stoning, by saying she did not have to suffer that punishment: "Neither do I condemn you" (John 8:7).
Our position as believers is different from this woman's, however, because the New Testament makes it clear that as Christians saved by grace, we are no longer bound to the Mosaic Law. Paul explained, "If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law" (Galatians 5:18). If we are acting in accordance with the guidelines and restrictions of the Law of Love in that "love does no harm to its neighbor" (Romans 13:10), then there is no sin.
In stating our beliefs above, it is not our intent to assert that adultery no longer exists in the world today, or that all Christians must preach and practice the sexual aspects of the Law of Love. We acknowledge that the world is rife with adultery. To not be classified as adultery, the act has to fall within the guidelines of God's Law of Love, as previously stated, and one must have received Jesus' freedom from the Mosaic Law by accepting His gift of salvation through grace.
Many spouses in secular society engage in furtive extramarital affairs, contrary to the desires or knowledge of their spouses. These relationships result in broken trust and hurt feelings, often destabilizing marriages and resulting in broken families. Such behavior is unacceptable in our fellowship, as it violates the basic principles of the Law of Love. Stepping outside of the stipulated boundaries of the Law of Love contravenes The Family's Charter (273-307). Although we are not bound to the Mosaic Law, our sexual interaction with others must be carried out in accordance with Jesus' Law of Love and must not hurt or offend others. If the guidelines for married members having the willing consent of their spouses, hurting no one, and doing all things in love are not followed, then such behavior would be considered sin.