456. The Connection between Loving God and Loving Our Neighbor

People generally know that the law proclaimed on Mount Sinai was written on two tablets, one of which was about God and the other about humankind. People also know that in Moses' hand the two were a single tablet: the right-hand side contained writing concerning God, and the left-hand side contained writing concerning humankind, because if it was set before people's eyes in this way, the writing on both sides would be seen at once. Therefore the sides faced one another like Jehovah talking with Moses and Moses with Jehovah, face to face, as we read [Exodus 33:11; Deuteronomy 34:10].

The tablets were made in this way so that together they would represent God's connection to people and people's reciprocal connection to God. For this reason the law written there was called "the Covenant" and "the Testimony. " The term "covenant" refers to the partnership and "testimony" refers to the life that follows the points agreed upon.

The union of the two tablets shows the connection between loving God and loving our neighbor. The first tablet covers all aspects of loving God; they are primarily that we should acknowledge one God, the divinity of his human manifestation, and the holiness of the Word; and that in worshiping him we are to use the holy things that come from him. (The fact that the first tablet covers the above is clear from the comments made in chapter 5 on the Ten Commandments [291-308].)

The second tablet covers all aspects of loving our neighbor. The first five of its commandments relate to our behavior, or what are called our "works. " Its other two commandments relate to our will and to the origins of goodwill: they tell us that we should not covet what our neighbors have, and that by not doing so, we have their well-being in mind.

On the point that the Ten Commandments contain everything about how to love God and how to love our neighbor, see 329, 330, and 331 above. That discussion also shows that in people who have goodwill the two tablets are connected.

262. The fact that the Lord fulfilled everything in the Word is clear from passages where it says that he fulfilled the law and the Scripture, and completed all things. For example,

Jesus said, "Do not think that I came to dissolve the Law and the Prophets. I did not come to dissolve them but to fulfill them. " (Matthew 5:17-18)

Jesus went into the synagogue and stood up to read. He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, "The spirit of Jehovah is upon me; this is why he anointed me. He sent me to preach the good news to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release for the bound and sight for the blind, to preach the welcomed year of the Lord. " Afterward he rolled up the scroll and said, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. " (Luke 4:16-21)

To fulfill the Scripture that said, "The one who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me. " (John 13:18)

Not one of them was lost except the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. (John 17:12)

To fulfill the Word that said, "Of those whom you gave me, I did not lose one. " (John 18:19)

Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword away in its place. How then would the Scripture that this must occur be fulfilled? This has happened in order to fulfill the Scripture. " (Matthew 26:52, 54, 56)

The Son of Humankind is leaving as it was written of him, so that the Scriptures would be fulfilled. (Mark 14:21, 49)

In this way the Scripture was fulfilled that said, "He was reckoned among the unholy. " (Mark 15:28; Luke 22:37)

They divided his clothes among themselves, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: "On my inner garment they cast lots. " (John 19:24)

After this, Jesus knew that all things were now completed so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. (John 19:28)

When Jesus had received the vinegar he said, "It is complete," that is, fulfilled. (John 19:30)

These things happened to fulfill the Scripture that "You will not break a bone in him;" and furthermore another line in Scripture says, "They will see the One whom they pierced. " (John 19:36-37)

Before the Lord left, he taught his disciples that the whole Word was written about him and that he had come into the world to fulfill it, as the following words indicate:

He said to them, "You are foolish and slow at heart to believe all the things that were spoken by the prophets. Was it not fitting for Christ to suffer and enter into glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted [points] regarding himself in all the Scriptures. (Luke 24:25-27)

Further, Jesus said,

It was right for all the things written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and Psalms to be fulfilled. (Luke 24:44-45)

The following words of the Lord make it clear that in the world he fulfilled everything in the Word down to the least detail:

Truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one little letter or the tip of one letter will pass from the law until all of it is fulfilled. (Matthew 5:18)

From the statements just made you can now clearly see that the Lord's fulfilling everything in the law does not mean that he fulfilled everything in the Ten Commandments; it means that he fulfilled everything in the whole Word. You can see that "the law" means everything in the Word from the following passages: "Jesus said, 'Is it not written in your law, "I said, 'You are gods'"?'" (John 10:34; the passage quoted is written in Psalms 82:6). "The crowd replied, 'We have heard from the law, Christ remains forever'" (John 12:34; the passage quoted is written in Psalms 89:34-37; 110:4; and Daniel 7:14). "To fulfill the Word that is written in their law, 'They hated me for no reason'" (John 15:25; the passage quoted is written in Psalms 35:19). "It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for the tip of one letter of the law to fall" (Luke 16:17). The "law" in these passages means the whole of Sacred Scripture, as it does a number of times elsewhere.