You can look at this a different way, I think. Take Romans 13:8
Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. To me this means that fulfillment of the commandments comes from love;
not that fulfillment of the law defines love. In Romans 13:9
You shall love your neighbor as yourself results in the commandments metioned earlier in the passage being kept; not that keeping the commandments
defines love.
It is the same with John 14:21 and 1John 5. He who loves God keeps the commandments.
Just my 2 cents.
love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. To me this means that fulfillment of the commandments comes from love; not that fulfillment of the law defines love. In Romans 13:9 You shall love your neighbor as yourself results in the commandments metioned earlier in the passage being kept; not that keeping the commandments defines love. It is the same with John 14:21 and 1John 5. He who loves God keeps the commandments. I agree completely. Allowing God's love to grow makes us naturally follow the ten commandments...that ability to love came from the death of Christ, which gave us access to God and his great love. In other words, if our spiritual and physical lives aren't conforming to the ten commandments, we don't know God's love or aren't allowing his love to work in us.