---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Thus moral theology leads us four steps…"
description: "\"Thus moral theology leads us four steps deeper than law. To fulfill the moral law, we need love. To get love, we need union with God. To get union with..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/peter-kreeft-820_birth_thus-moral-theology-leads-us-four-steps_567539.png"
---

#  Thus moral theology leads us four steps deeper than law…

![“Thus moral theology leads us four steps deeper than law. To fulfill the moral law, we need love. To get love, we need union with God. To get union with God, we need the new birth. And to get the new birth, we need faith.” quote by Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/peter-kreeft-820_birth_thus-moral-theology-leads-us-four-steps_567539.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/peter-kreeft-820_birth_thus-moral-theology-leads-us-four-steps_567539.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/peter-kreeft-820_birth_thus-moral-theology-leads-us-four-steps_567539.png)

> “Thus moral theology leads us four steps deeper than law. To fulfill the moral law, we need love. To get love, we need union with God. To get union with God, we need the new birth. And to get the new birth, we need faith.”

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Moral law requires love, which comes from union with God, achieved through new birth and faith.

**In simple terms:** Love and faith are needed to fulfill moral law.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate faith to love and obey moral law.

Themes

faith love morality spiritual growth

Mood

thoughtful inspirational

Type

theological philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal decision‑making
- spiritual counseling
- education
- community service

Key Concepts

theology ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- How does faith shape your moral choices?
- Can love exist without spiritual union?

A Different Perspective

Faith may be challenging for non‑believers; requires personal commitment.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Deeper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeper/) [Deeper Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeper-law-3238300/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Four](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/four/) [Fulfill Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fulfill-moral-4090813/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Moral law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-law/) [Moral Theology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-theology-4691477/) [Need love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/need-love/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [New Birth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-birth/) [Steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps/) [Theology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theology/) [Unions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unions/)

## Related quotes

> [It is past time for the U.S. government to fully fulfill our moral obligation to those who have fought for freedom and democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-ryan/it-is-past-time-for-the-u-s-government-to-fully-fulfill-our-moral/)

[Tim Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-ryan/)

> [When someone has found not just another person they can live with but a person they can't live without, they should have an equal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-shorten/when-someone-has-found-not-just-another-person-they-can-live-with-but/)

[Bill Shorten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-shorten/)

> [“Listen to his dangerous and inclusionary thinking: “My Father's sun shines on the good and the bad, his rain falls on the just and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rohr/listen-to-his-dangerous-and-inclusionary-thinking-my-father-s-sun/)

[Richard Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rohr/)

> [“The intellectual climate of the 1970s, for which the 1950s had already paved the way, contributed to this. A theory was even finally developed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-intellectual-climate-of-the-1970s-for-which-the-1950s-had-already/)

[Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/)

> [If we simply preach the effects of redemption in the human life instead of the revealed, divine truth regarding Jesus Himself, the result is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/if-we-simply-preach-the-effects-of-redemption-in-the-human-life/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/we-here-highly-resolve-that-these-dead-shall-not-have-died-in-vain/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [“In short, we must emerge from this crisis in our republic with a new birth of freedom, rooted in the knowledge that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-mcghee/in-short-we-must-emerge-from-this-crisis-in-our-republic-with-a-new/)

[Heather McGhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-mcghee/)

> [“The morning sun brings tender joy With happiness awakes the earth; The dew kissed flowers it's light employ Their petals open in new birth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-thompson/the-morning-sun-brings-tender-joy-with-happiness-awakes-the-earth-the/)

[Paul Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-thompson/)

> [“Drastic change creates an estrangement from the self, and generates a need for a new birth of a new identity. And it perhaps depends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-e-gerber/drastic-change-creates-an-estrangement-from-the-self-and-generates-a/)

[Michael E. Gerber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-e-gerber/)

> [The function of the artist is to disturb. His duty is to arouse the sleeper, to shake the complacent pillars of the world. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-bethune/the-function-of-the-artist-is-to-disturb-his-duty-is-to-arouse-the/)

[Norman Bethune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-bethune/)

> [“Simply stated, it is flat-out wrong to say God does not put His laws into our hearts as believers and that commandments and rules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-l-brown/simply-stated-it-is-flat-out-wrong-to-say-god-does-not-put-his-laws/)

[Michael L. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-l-brown/)

> [As lonely and sad as I am today, your return will cause a new birth in me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-jones/as-lonely-and-sad-as-i-am-today-your-return-will-cause-a-new-birth-in/)

[Jon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-jones/)

> [“Maybe the God we see, the God who calls the daily shots, is merely a subGod. Maybe there’s a God above this subGod who’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/maybe-the-god-we-see-the-god-who-calls-the-daily-shots-is-merely-a/)

[George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/)

> [“If the older churches often found themselves unable to cope with growth and mobility, the newer sects—especially the Separates and the Baptists—did not. Nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-middlekauff/if-the-older-churches-often-found-themselves-unable-to-cope-with/)

[Robert Middlekauff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-middlekauff/)

> [What began as a bitter dispute over Union and States' Rights, ended as a struggle over the meaning of freedom in America. At Gettysburg…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-catton/what-began-as-a-bitter-dispute-over-union-and-states-rights-ended-as/)

[Bruce Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-catton/)

## More by Peter Kreeft

> [“I strongly suspect that if we saw all the difference even the tiniest of our prayers to God make, and all the people those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/i-strongly-suspect-that-if-we-saw-all-the-difference-even-the-tiniest/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [The most total opposite of pleasure is not pain but boredom, for we are willing to risk pain to make a boring life interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-most-total-opposite-of-pleasure-is-not-pain-but-boredom-for-we/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [God's love is as objective as light. Because the sun in a sense is light, or the source of light rather than being lit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/god-s-love-is-as-objective-as-light-because-the-sun-in-a-sense-is/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [The self is like a baseball. Throw it back to the divine pitcher who pitched it to you in the first place, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-self-is-like-a-baseball-throw-it-back-to-the-divine-pitcher-who/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [How will the Tower of Babel be undone? How will we understand each other in Heaven? Will we all speak English or Dutch or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/how-will-the-tower-of-babel-be-undone-how-will-we-understand-each/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [Humility is the marriage bond of Heaven. Pride is the frigidity of Hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/humility-is-the-marriage-bond-of-heaven-pride-is-the-frigidity-of-hell/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [“Socrates says we must be either fools because we think we are wise, or wise because we know we are fools. Christ says we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/socrates-says-we-must-be-either-fools-because-we-think-we-are-wise-or/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [No sane person wants hell to exist. No sane person wants evil to exist. But hell is just evil eternalized. If there is evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/no-sane-person-wants-hell-to-exist-no-sane-person-wants-evil-to-exist/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [Science only answers the question, How does it work? Or at most, What's there? Science asks what and how, philosophy asks why, myth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/science-only-answers-the-question-how-does-it-work-or-at-most-what-s/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [The most compelling evidence for God's existence is Christ. If God does not exist, then Christ was the biggest fool who ever lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-most-compelling-evidence-for-god-s-existence-is-christ-if-god/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [“One moment of prayer, of weak worship, confused contrition, tepid thanksgiving, or pitiful petition will bring us closer to God than all the books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/one-moment-of-prayer-of-weak-worship-confused-contrition-tepid/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [God's interventions are miracles: events that cannot happen by merely natural agents but only by a supernatural agent. They no more interfere with our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/god-s-interventions-are-miracles-events-that-cannot-happen-by-merely/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [“And what is consensus? It means a majority of the individuals in a society coming together and agreeing to make their values into laws,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/and-what-is-consensus-it-means-a-majority-of-the-individuals-in-a/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [Love is the binding force on every level of existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/love-is-the-binding-force-on-every-level-of-existence/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

> [We can't believe what we believe to be untrue, and we can't love what we believe to be unreal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/we-can-t-believe-what-we-believe-to-be-untrue-and-we-can-t-love-what/)

[Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

[Explore all 361 Peter Kreeft quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/)

## More Birth quotes

> [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/)

[Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/)

> [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [The greatest mystery in life is not life itself, but death. Death is the culmination of life, the ultimate blossoming of life. In death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-greatest-mystery-in-life-is-not-life-itself-but-death-death-is/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/guns-have-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-juvenile-violence-the-causes/)

[Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/)

> [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year. It was the Lord speaking to us all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/it-was-no-accident-no-coincidence-that-the-seasons-came-round-and/)

[Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/)

> [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/)

[Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/)

> [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/)

[Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/)

> [Always keep the smile, because the smile is the beginning of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-imad/always-keep-the-smile-because-the-smile-is-the-beginning-of-love/)

[Adam Imad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-imad/)

> [The wailing of the newborn infant is mingled with the dirge for the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/the-wailing-of-the-newborn-infant-is-mingled-with-the-dirge-for-the/)

[Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/)

> [I gave birth to most of them MC's... So when it comes around to the month of May, Send me your royalty check for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxanne-shante/i-gave-birth-to-most-of-them-mc-s-so-when-it-comes-around-to-the/)

[Roxanne Shante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxanne-shante/)

> [“A Beautiful verse takes birth when "U"n"I" VERSE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajesh-walecha/a-beautiful-verse-takes-birth-when-u-n-i-verse/)

[Rajesh Walecha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajesh-walecha/)

> [“There is no born evil, only a corruptible canvas darkened by a formidable perpetrator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yefon-isabelle/there-is-no-born-evil-only-a-corruptible-canvas-darkened-by-a/)

[Yefon Isabelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yefon-isabelle/)

> [I've always thought that the most extraordinary special effect you could do is to buy a child at the moment of its birth, sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-most-extraordinary-special-effect-you/)

[Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/)

[Browse all 6,183 Birth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birth/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Thus moral theology leads us four steps deeper than law. To fulfill the moral law, we need love. To get love, we need union with God. To get union with God, we need the new birth. And to get the new birth, we need faith.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Peter Kreeft"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/thus-moral-theology-leads-us-four-steps-deeper-than-law-to-fulfill/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Birth"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/thus-moral-theology-leads-us-four-steps-deeper-than-law-to-fulfill/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/peter-kreeft-820_birth_thus-moral-theology-leads-us-four-steps_567539.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/peter-kreeft-820_birth_thus-moral-theology-leads-us-four-steps_567539.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/peter-kreeft-820_birth_thus-moral-theology-leads-us-four-steps_567539.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Thus moral theology leads us four steps deeper than law. To fulfill the moral law, we need love. To get…” — Peter Kreeft",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Peter Kreeft",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Thus moral theology leads us four...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/thus-moral-theology-leads-us-four-steps-deeper-than-law-to-fulfill/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/thus-moral-theology-leads-us-four-steps-deeper-than-law-to-fulfill/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
