This has always been an issue from the very earliest days of the church. When Paul was writing to a group of Christians in Rome (most of whom he did not know), he wrote this: NLT© 2:14 Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. 2:15 They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.
Now Gentiles just means anyone who is not a Jew. So, Paul is really saying here that people who have never been subject to or have even heard these religious laws started doing them instinctively. If they had never heard of these laws, what caused them to start doing them? This is what "living loved and loving others" causes one to do. Love is the fulfillment of the religious laws. These laws just show what the byproduct of love really is.
Love was written on their hearts and so they started doing rightly. Love will guide, accuse and confirm their actions within the heart. So I believe that when people start behaving badly towards another, they are just really showing that they do not love those people.
If bad actions show that love is misplaced, then why do we focus on coercing laws upon them instead of guiding them towards love?
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