more about the freedom of Christ

I can't help but think that just when I know God I don't. The Lord is wiley. He is sneaky. He doesn't conform to our so-so notions of what true righteousness is. Honestly, I hesitate to use the word because of the preconceptions that come along with religious verbage. Saints and sinners alike use the word, but nobody takes the time to explain their meaning, much less the meaning of the Holy One, Blessed be He. How does God define righteousness and does God's meaning ( of anything really) correspond with the meanings we tend to give such an exalted turn of phrase?

And He said to him, "'YOU SHALL LOVE ADONAI YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' "This is the great and foremost commandment. "The second is like it: 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' "On these two commandments depend the whole Torah and the Prophets."
(Mat 22:37-40)

If we can agree that God thinks righteousness has something to do with 1. being good and 2. doing what He says (My gut says to go with these, and I have no argument for these other than my own fundamental definitions). Then, most of righteousness is wrapped up in this-- love. Later, in 1st John, love is explained and defined and elucidated. I think I might try and start there in my search for what words mean. Love is primal to the Christian Religion. Life and Time and History stands on nothing but the awesome Love of God. In fact the point of life is love, and the point of love is God. So good deeds, freedom from sin, and the external markers of the Christan life kind of rest on that. If I want to live as a Christian, then Love, not religion or power or faith or prophecy is central to our existance. Love Conquers All. Love is life.

So what is love then?

Daniel