Introduction: Are emotion and logic opposed to each other?
Do you think less or more of someone who makes decisions
based on emotion rather than logic? If you answer, “Yes, I
think less of emotion based decisions,” should decisions
always be based on logic rather than emotion? The matter is
complicated because being rational improves the emotional
outcome for everyone. When I was growing up, my father
taught me that doing something because my peers were doing
it was not a sufficient reason. For many things giving in to
peer pressure did not matter. But when peer pressure was
opposed to doing the right thing, I generally did the right
thing and I never regretted the outcome. Is the law
connected to love in that same way? Meaning that if you keep
the law you promote love? Let’s jump into our study of the
Bible and learn more!
I. The Love Connection
A. Read Matthew 22:36-40. On what do all “the law and
Prophets” depend? (On two commandments which
require love.)
1. Does this seem logical to you? Love is an
emotion. You can obey a commandment whether
you like it or not. Obedience is not an
emotion.
2. Is this saying that we cannot properly obey if
we do not love?
B. Read Exodus 20:2-7. Can you explain how these four
commandments are related to love?
1. Can you command love? (While you could command
it, the result is not love. Love is an
emotion.)
a. Are these four commandments compelling
emotion? (No. They are commanding or
prohibiting actions.)
b. Can that shape your emotion?
C. Look again at Exodus 20:5-6. God says He punishes
those who serve other gods, but He loves those who
love Him and keep His commandments. How is love
connected to obedience in these verses?
1. Notice that God repays “hate” with the results
of “iniquity,” and “love” with love. Is that
an example we should follow? (We just studied
Matthew 5:43-46 which tells us not to do that,
and states that God does not do that.)
a. How do you resolve this apparent
conflict? (The resolution seems to turn
on Matthew 5:45 which says that God gives
“common grace” to bad people. At the same
time, Exodus 20:5 states that those who
hate God suffer from their actions. What
I understand this to say is that sin has
natural consequences. Obedience has
natural consequences.)
D. These days I am told that we should ignore
violations of God’s law based on the greater value
of God’s love? Is that logical? (No. Love and
obedience are connected. It is not that God stops
loving the sinner (and we should not stop loving
the sinner), but the logic of the matter is that
sin harms the sinner. To encourage the sin is to
encourage greater harm. That is not love.)
E. Read Romans 13:8-10. What do these verses say
results from love? (That we refrain from doing the
harmful things listed in the last six of the Ten
Commandments.)
1. My concern is that it does not say the
reverse, that if we refrain from doing those
harmful things we love our neighbor. Should it
say the reverse? Or is there a reason it does
not say the reverse? (I fear there is a
reason. It would be great to just check off
the boxes and then say, “I proved that I
love!”)
II. The Sin Connection
A. As the reader can see, I have been hoping that the
Bible texts we just studied would conclude that if
we obey God, then that demonstrates that we love
God and our neighbor. Unfortunately, the texts do
not seem to say that. Instead, they say that if
you love you will obey. Read Romans 7:5-6. What
darker message do we read on the subject of
obedience bringing love? (This tells us that if we
try to keep the law our “sinful passions” arise,
not our love!)
B. Read Romans 7:7-10. Does the law cause sin rather
than love? (Read these verses closely. They do not
say that the law caused sin, rather they say that
the law produced an awareness of sin. Sin then
caused us to want to violate the law.)
C. Read Romans 7:11-13. What good is the law? These
verses say that the law is “holy and righteous and
good.” How is that? (Read Romans 7:15-19. The law
shows how terrible we are. We want to do good, but
we do what is wrong.)
III. The Road to Love
A. Read Romans 8:1-4. How is it that we are free from
the grip of sin? (Jesus obeyed for us. “God has
done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could
not do.”)
1. What is the logical response to Jesus saving
us by doing what we “could not do?”
(Gratitude. Love.)
B. Go back and read Matthew 22:37-40. Does this now
make logical sense? (Yes. We love God because He
has saved our life. We love Him because of what He
has done for us. That should spur us to show love
for others. Why? Because we appreciate God’s love
for us.)
C. Read Jeremiah 31:31-33. In what way is the law
within us? (It is written on our hearts. This
tells us that what Jesus has done for us changes
our hearts.)
D. Read Hebrews 10:12-18. These verses specifically
link Jesus’ sacrifice to our perfection. What do
you think it means to have the law in your “heart”
and the law written on your “mind?” (Instead of
the law stimulating us to sin, instead we have an
attitude to avoid sinning. We know as a matter of
love and logic that sin is not a good thing.)
E. Re-read Hebrews 10:15, Romans 8:4 and then read
Romans 8:9-10. How important is the Holy Spirit to
this new attitude? (He is central. He is what
writes the law on our hearts and our minds.)
IV. The End of Bias
A. Read James 2:1. Should our hearts be free of bias
and prejudice? (Yes. It is inconsistent with our
faith.)
B. Read James 2:2-4. Why would we be partial to the
rich? (They can do a lot for our church.)
1. Are these distinctions wrong? (James calls
them “evil.”)
2. Do you know those who have a bias towards the
poor? Is that also wrong? (James says we
should not have any bias.)
C. Read James 2:5-7. Does James seem to be biased
against the rich? (He does!)
D. How about you? Are you biased against people who
are not like you in terms of money, education, or
color?
1. Is one bias fine and another not?
E. When my wife and I bought our first home it was
very small, but our cars were new. One day I
realized the foolishness of this and we switched.
We purchased a very nice home and we drove old,
inexpensive cars. We had very stringent car
inspection laws where we lived. But we discovered
an inspector who loved the poor and disliked the
rich. When my wife brought our cars to him, he was
very lenient with us. One day our next door
neighbor brought his new Lincoln in for inspection
when my wife was at the garage. When our neighbor
greeted my wife, the inspector asked how she knew
him. The inspector knew where the Lincoln owner
lived. My wife confessed he was our next-door
neighbor. Thankfully, she had developed a
friendship with the inspector so that he was still
kind to us when inspecting our old cars.
F. Friend, we are all like the inspector, we harbor
bias and prejudices in our heart – even though we
might not recognize it. It is the love of Jesus,
and His loving deeds for us that can break our
sinful attitudes. Our sinful attitudes will be
replaced with a Holy Spirit guided love that turns
our hearts to God and gives us an attitude of
proper treatment towards others. Will you accept
Jesus’ sacrifice on your behalf? Will you ask the
Holy Spirit to change your mind and heart? Why
not do that right now?
V. Next week we begin a series of studies on Bible
prophecy.
Copr. 2025, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are
from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing
ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All
rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within
parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail,
but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this
link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the
Holy Spirit as you study.
