Law imprisons, love liberates

Joshua Neoh*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The received conventional wisdom from Paul in the New Testament is deceptively simple: law imprisons but love liberates. If we separate the chaff from the wheat, we will discover a grain of truth in this received wisdom. The purpose of this paper is to separate the chaff from the wheat. In what way does law imprison and in what way does love liberate? It will examine the relationship between law, love and freedom. It argues that while law reduces one’s freedom in a sense, it reconstitutes it in another sense. Law does not imprison in any straightforward way. Love, too, does not liberate in any straightforward way. Love is a free act that restricts one’s freedom.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)221-244
Number of pages24
JournalLaw and Literature
Volume30
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 4 May 2018

Cite this