Keeping commandments not necessarily love The second error is the opposite of the first one. In fact, those of you who really liked my first point are the ones most apt to fall prey to the second error. It is also a mistake to say that keeping commandments is the sum and totality of love. After all, Paul does emphasize in this text that what we owe our neighbor is love, that love fulfills the law, that love sums up the commandments of the, and that love does no wrong to the neighbor. Love certainly involves the keeping of commandments, but love is more than the keeping of commands.
Love also involves the affections and motivations of the heart.
One can never claim to be loving while transgressing commandments. But one can be unloving even while keeping commandments, for love involves the affections and motivations of the heart. Indeed, doing these things seems to be a profound obedience to God's law. Most of us would be inclined to say that anyone who gave us all his money or gave up his life for our children must be acting in love. These actions are unloving if the motivation is to gain glory, honor, and praise for ourselves and if they lack affection for the people helped.