I don’t understand how reading God’s will and trying to do it is adding to
what he said. The same Bible that says “Love one another” also says,
“Hereby do we know that we love him, if we keep His commandments” (I Jn
2:3). How is that adding to what He said? It is true that love motivates
me to do His will, but love without knowledge is lacking. True love desires
to know more about the object of that love and to please Him.
It is true that love the highest goal of God’s will. However, people most
often do not serve God from a good feeling about Him, but because of fear of
what He will do to them. Then after they have served Him and learned of
Him, they come to respect Him. Finally, after they have gained knowledge of
God they come to love Him. However, first obedience comes from fear.
The statement “there is no need of law if we love one another” is shocking
to me. Love cannot operate in the absence of law. There is no such thing
as “loving” in the absence of rules that define love. Where there is no law
there is no transgression, but neither is there love, for love is defined as
keeping God’s commandments (Jn 14:15). Love for brethren is seeking their
highest good, but “good” is defined by law. You cannot love without rules
to define what is good. Merely feeling good about someone has no relation
to true agape love, that is, seeking another’s best interests (Rom 1:32).
Love does not exclude law. Love requires law in order to operate.
Sometimes love is rebuking a brother for his actions or spanking a child
(Pvbs 13:24). Feeling good about someone has no place in this kind of love.
