Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

                                                                                                               Romans 13:8-10 

For some believers, the Christian life is centered on the idea of maintaining adherence to the law of God, and frankly, every born again believer in Jesus should desire to live a life that is pleasing to God. But what often gets overlooked is that under the new covenant, because of the work of Jesus on the cross, the law of God is now fulfilled in love. In fact, the Apostle Paul states, in no uncertain terms, that love is the fulfillment of the law. Every command that can be mentioned is now summed up in the one statement, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus gives us that same command when He stated the following: 

In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

                                                                                                                     Matthew 7:12 

It is not enough to only believe a specific doctrine rather those truths must be the driving force behind our treatment of others inside and outside of the church. When we love others the way that Christ loves us, we are fulfilling the law of God in our lives. James also states the same:

 If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.

                                                                                                                        James 2:8 

So how we love allows us to accurately assess our spiritual lives in four ways:

1. Loving others like Christ loves us demonstrates that we know God (1 John 4:7-8).
2. Loving others like Christ loves us means that we are fulfilling the law of God (1 John 3:23).
3. Loving others like Christ loves us signifies that we are living well (James 2:8).
4. Loving others like Christ loves us reveals the power of the Spirit in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23).

In addition to all of this, Paul reminds us that without love, nothing that we say, believe, or do ultimately matters. Consider the following: 

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

                                                                                                         1 Corinthians 13:1-3 

Love is not a side issue in the Christian faith; it is the main event! If we desire to live lives that are pleasing to God, that reflect His character and nature, and that fulfill His law, then we absolutely must love, unconditionally, unselfishly, and with abandon.