It often seems that people approach Scripture through different lenses. Some see it as a form of legalistic instruction manual. Others see it as a historical document. To anyone trying to understand the fundamental truths revealed in the Bible, it can seem confusing. In trying to do this myself, I noticed that Jesus basically states what all of Scripture is all about and, with that in mind, it’s clear throughout the rest of the Bible.
In several places, Jesus stated that all the “law and the prophets”, essentially all of Scripture, can be summed up by loving God with our whole being and loving others as we love ourselves. Love God and love others. In other words, the fundamental lesson of Scripture, at least according to Jesus, is to love. His statement implies that, when we try to understand anything in the Bible, we should look at it through this lens.
Although Jesus stated this clearly, it’s reasonable to ask, if this is really so foundational, whether the rest of Scripture exhibits this.
It turns out that one of the very earliest statements of God’s ways would seem to indicate so. In Genesis 18:19, when some angels visit Abraham, they discuss what is about to happen to Sodom and refer to Abraham’s chosen status that he might keep “the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice”. Although both words have a spectrum of meanings, the most immediate contexts suggest the focus of “righteousness” is a right relationship with God, whereas the focus of “justice” is seeking right relationships between people. It’s hard to imagine a better picture of being in right relationship than through love.
This passage is significant, not just for the specific application here, but because this pair is used throughout the Old Testament. All through the Prophets, these are used to describe God’s desire for the way people should live. Listen to just one example of this as Amos expresses God’s heart:
But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amos 5:24 (ESV)
This isn’t a picture of something special, but rather, the fundamental description of “the way of the Lord” described in Genesis, that Jesus would later describe as the first and second commandments.
Of course, the focus of the Old Testament often seems to be obedience to the Law. However, both the prophet and wisdom literature highlight the fact that God cares more about the heart than legalistic obedience:
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6 (ESV)
To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. Proverbs 21:3 (ESV)
A passage in Jeremiah illustrates, in fact, that not treating people justly is tantamount to worshipping idols. Speaking for the Lord, Jeremiah addressed the king:
Thus says the LORD: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. Jeremiah 22:3 (ESV)
The prophet then explained that if the king (the leaders) obeyed this, then they would prosper. But if they did not obey, then they would face judgment and, using a formula common in the Old Testament, restates their error as forsaking their relationship with God:
“ ‘And many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbor, “Why has the LORD dealt thus with this great city?” And they will answer, “Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God and worshiped other gods and served them.” ’ ” Jeremiah 22:8–9 (ESV)
In other words, treating people without justice looks like forsaking God’s covenant and worshipping other gods – pretty bad stuff.
Bringing this together – the way of God is described as righteousness and justice, the prophets consistently point to the necessity for righteousness and justice, and Jesus highlighted love as the foundation of Scripture. It is as if God’s very nature is love, which is, of course, what John wrote.
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8 (ESV)
From this standpoint, it seems like the best way to approach the Bible is as a revelation of God’s nature. Although bronze-age texts may sometimes be difficult for us to understand, the focus that Jesus gave us helps to guide us both in understanding the Word and recognizing how to apply it today. The foundation of God’s nature and thus the fundamental message of Scripture is love – love of God, and love of others. This is the bedrock upon which we can, and should, build our faith.
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