When we get married, our husband or our wife has to be the most important person to us, and we can’t have any other boyfriends or girlfriends. Filed Under: Blog, Hermeneutics, Poythress Articles, […] – http://frame-poythress.org/the-greatest-commandment-the-very-heart-of-the-matter/ […], […] Vern Poythress, “The Greatest Commandment: The Very Heart of the Matter“ […], […] The Greatest Commandment: The Very Heart of the Matter […], […] THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT: THE VERY HEART OF THE MATTER […], […] this concept in much more detail. Or just loving God at all for that matter. The two greatest commandments are all-encompassing. First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean” (Matthew 23:25-26 NIV). He has found a way to articulate the most important values of the Commandments with two very clear statements which are themselves drawn … And not only are we to pay attention, but we are to obey. So if you want to obey, express obedience to loving God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, you express that by keeping his commandments. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Mothers and fathers and all of us are responsible to teach both of the two great commandments. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:19-21 NIV). Jesus said, loving God with all your heart, mind, and soul and strength. This is the great and foremost commandment.”. They just can’t be separated. We don’t make any effort to see that change, to share with them, to pray for them, to let our light shine before them, to give them a chance to hear the gospel, how can we be claiming to love them as ourselves? Obviously the ones that we interface with face to face would certainly be foremost in that category but any way that we interface with people we should treat others like we want to be treated. He said then, “The second is like it.” So that means there’s a similar commandment that’s like it. That’s the motivation. Heart and soul and mind are not three distinct small pieces of ourselves that we may offer. The foremost commandment is loving God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. Because that’s a good indication of how much I love God. We have to honor and respect our parents and grandparents. Obedience second. We can’t steal. ", the Gospel of Mark reports that Jesus answered, "He said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all … For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45 NIV). In receiving His love, we can, in turn, love others. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” And that was what exposed the goats as being goats because they really didn’t love Jesus. Okay? If you do that, you’re doing well. Jesus loved us perfectly and gave himself for us (Galatians 2:20). And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40 NIV). You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Some people today understand “love” as merely a happy feeling of friendliness or good will. So who is my neighbor? Thank you so much for joining me. “Love is patient, love is kind. God’s grace to me did not depend on my scrupulosity, but on his forgiveness and on the fact that he accepted me through Jesus Christ. Everything we are and have, beginning with our inmost commitments and all our thoughts, we must devote to loving, adoring, and serving God. If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. And the secon is like it, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself'" On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." What Should I Do? So let me ask the previous question more specifically. Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all … When asked "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest? He shows us how to avoid both the errors that I fell into in college. That’s loving our neighbor as ourself. And so that was true of course both in old and new covenants. And number two, loving your neighbor as yourself. The second irrefutable fact is that the second greatest commandment is to love our neighbor as ourself. Alright? It’s the commandment to love your neighbor as yourself. When asked which is the greatest commandment, Jesus replied, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. You can see why this is so important. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37–40) Today’s big question: why is love crucial to the greatest commandments? But how difficult it proves to obey them, when our hearts have gone astray! So James echoes the sentiments that we find, from the lips of Jesus that it’s really important to love your neighbor as yourself. We can’t kill or hurt any other person. I’m hoping to present to you five irrefutable facts regarding those two great commandments. This is the greatest and the first commandment. Love for God is expressed by keeping His commandments. Otherwise, even though we may appear to others to be righteous, our obedience is corrupted by bad motives. "You shall have no other gods before Me." They form part of the covenant made at Mount Sinai. I’m Pregnant and Contemplating an Abortion. And the second is like it, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.' In fact I might say it even a little bit differently. God saved the people first, and then he gave them the commandments. Well that’s a question they asked Jesus one time. The Pharisees however had lost sight of what was really important which was loving God with all their heart, soul and mind. Jesus added something more to the greatest Commandment: “The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself'” (Matthew 22:39 NIV). But it’s just a part of an expression for loving God. Is Christianity that complicated? The Greatest Commandment . To subscribe to David Servant's periodic e-teachings, click here. El-Wadud, Allah the Ever-Loving. And so if you want to simplify your spiritual life and your devotion to the Lord, it’d be good to think about these things. This is the greatest and most important commandment. Is Islam deficient in love? When seen in the light of the fundamental principle of loving others, they imply that we should look for positive ways to enhance the life and prosperity of our neighbors. The sheep express their love for Jesus, by loving their neighbor as themselves. Now, let’s jump back up to the foremost commandment. So what was the answer? If you’re not concerned about your brothers and sisters, their relationship with God, you can’t make a claim to loving them and then you can’t really make a claim to loving God. This is going to be a continuation of our previous Little Lesson. (Matthew 22:35-40) 190. What must we do to love God, our neighbor, and ourselves? The reason they do is because the scriptures hang on Jesus. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” And now, when we put our trust in him, we are united to him, and we are transformed so that we can imitate the pattern of his love: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. If you love me you will keep my commandments. It’s true for us. 1. Right. Through Jesus Christ we receive not only understanding of God’s will, but power and motivation to serve Him. Loving God is more than just a thought or a feeling in one’s heart, it’s expressed by obedience to God’s commandments. On any level. On the other side, he leads us beyond an irresponsible idea of freedom by indicating that God does really expect us to obey him, not just have good feelings or wishes. Note that it is the first Commandment, but not the only one. Because in the case of the sheep, their love for God was proven by their love for the “least of these”. God himself gave us the central commandment to love God, along with the other commandments (Deuteronomoy 6:1-25). Now let’s just go to the next logical step here. Note that it is the first Commandment, but not the only one. 8. The order of the story is the key to understanding the 10 Commandments God gave them to the people. They were loving their neighbor as themselves. It was his choice, his initiative, and his grace that caused him bring his people out of Egypt. Jesus stated that the two greatest commandments are to love God with all your heart, soul and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself. The Bible indicates that our heart is central: “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. And so many times in the Old Testament, scores and scores of times the connection is made, love God and keep his commandments. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! And that’s one reason why we’re not ashamed at Heaven’s Family and always encouraging our friends and associates and partners and our spiritual family to get involved with us in showing our love for God by loving our neighbor as ourself. The Pharisees prided themselves on meticulous observance of the Law. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” This will happen to the degree that … The two commandments that YAHshua our Savior said are the fulfillment of all, “‘You shall love YAHveh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. That order is important. And so, with those premises in mind, we can make the conclusion that the foremost way that we can express our love for God, is by loving our neighbor as ourselves because love for God is expressed by obedience to His commandments and his foremost commandment after the great commandment is to love our neighbor as ourselves. In order to keep them, we have to do it little by little as we strive to obey all of the commandments. And if I can’t make a claim honestly to loving my neighbor as myself, how can I be making a claim to loving God with all my heart, mind, soul and strength? I came to my senses only when a fellow Christian reminded me of God’s love. People must have wondered whether there was a real person behind the appearance. So the greatest way that I can love God is by loving my neighbor. And if I’m going to help my neighbor to love God with all of his or her heart, mind, soul and strength, that would include encouraging helping my neighbor to love their neighbors as themselves. (Matthew 22:33-40) What must we do to love God, our neighbor, our selves? Some Christians try to do the right thing because they think God will punish them if they don't. It’s also important for us to rest on that day. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35 RSV). The Ten Commandments were given to Moses by God for all Jewish people to follow. If we are not ardently following this one command, we are not really keeping any of the others either. 7. And so now we come to what we can derive from those three irrefutable facts and that is number one, that my love for God, if my love for God is expressed by keeping His commandments and if His second greatest commandment is to love my neighbor as myself, then obviously love for God is expressed by loving my neighbor as myself. Jesus bluntly told the Sadducees that they misinterpreted Scripture: “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God” (Matthew 22:29 RSV). All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37–40). Speaking of believers, if I’m unconcerned about my fellow believers and their love for God as expressed by their love for their neighbor, how can I be claiming to love my neighbor if I don’t care about the spiritual state of my Christian brothers and sisters. The Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 deal with our relationship with God and then our relationship … Now, hold that thought. It’s everything. I'd say it this way. Okay? Establishing, developing and maintaining that personal relationship with the true and living God is the most important commitment we can ever make. I will leave this right here if you you would like to read it http://rural-tourist.flywheelsites.com/the-greatest-commandment-the-very-heart-of-the-matter/  I believe we are called to love others as much as we love ourselves. It’s very clear from the old testament people who love God keep those commandments. And this fits right into a common theme here at Little Lessons. They all point to what we really are. Learn more! But there is One who does. He has authored numerous books, including a 500-page equipping manual titled The Disciple Making-Minister, which has been translated into more than 30 languages. This article was taken from Decision magazine, December 2000; ©2000 Billy Graham Evangelistic Association; used by permission, all rights reserved. The foremost commandment is loving God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. And that is also found of course in the New Testament. But the 10 essentials of a life of Stewardship of Faith and the 10 Commandments or the two greatest commands Jesus offers beckons up back to a life of participation of joining a community of fellow travelers, to remind us who we are and to get us back on the trail. There was a time when a man came up to Jesus and asked him which was the great or greatest commandment of the law, and Jesus didn’t hesitate, he didn’t give any kind of a vague answer. Neither of my two ways worked. Why? But the Pharisees had lost sight of the very heart of the matter–loving God. Indeed, an approach called “situation ethics” has claimed that love replaced all the commandments. Jesus finished that little dialogue by saying, “On these two commandments, depend the whole law and the prophets.” Certainly, nobody can debate that if you keep those two commandments, you’re doing well. It is first and greatest in that it represents the heart-beat of all the commandments. So not only does our rebellion breed hatred toward YAHveh it breeds hatred toward man. If you search in the Old Testament, for example, for phrases that include loving God and keeping those commandments, you’ll find all kinds of sentences and phrases that have those two things together. Jesus then said, that “[to love God] is the first and greatest commandment” (Matthew 22:38 NIV). One of the Pharisees tested Jesus with a question, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” (Matthew 22:36 NIV). Will God Forgive Me?". We’re looking at the two greatest commandments and five irrefutable, unassailable, facts about those two great commandments. If I love my neighbor, the greatest way I can love my neighbor is to help encourage and be a catalyst to help my neighbor love God with all of his or her heart, expressed by loving neighbor as oneself. And number two, loving your neighbor as yourself. And Jesus of course said this a couple times as recorded by the apostle John. Keeping the second greatest commandment, to love our neighbor, is a test of true discipleship. What would a mother think if her eight-year-old boy is constantly saying that he loves her, but then disobeys, back-talks, and never helps out? Salvation first. When Jesus foretold of the future judgment of the sheep and the goats, doesn’t it? Those three words–in the Law–are crucial to deciphering the context of the Covenants. This is true even on a human level. Everything hangs on Jesus. In another place Jesus specifically warned of the danger: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! If I’m unconcerned about my neighbor, particular my neighbor’s love for God, and my neighbor’s love for his neighbor, which are the two most important things. David has served for more than 40 years in vocational ministry, pioneering and pastoring three churches during 20 of those years, and personally ministering in more than 50 of the world’s nations. Neither had really honored God. You got it? Love does not replace Commandments. What Did Paul Mean By That Rhetorical Question? That is the primary focus of the first of the Commandments. Loving God empowers us to love other people. It was cut and clear. If I’m not concerned about that, then how can I make a claim to loving my neighbor as myself, and if I can’t make a claim to loving my neighbor as myself, how could I make a claim to loving God with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength? So here’s then the third irrefutable fact. But you happen to bump into them on the road to Jericho. And the second is like it: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’ Image provided by Free Bible Images. I did not know. They tried to reason out the implications of the laws, and to make sure that they avoided even the possibility of violating any of them. I decided that I had to follow Christ and have personal communion with him, without having a simple formula. Are we really devoted to God or to ourselves? Right? And there’s one last question I want to ask, where we’re going to start our next Little Lesson. How Can You Protect Yourself From 'Gaslighters'. 28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. This answer is great in explaining how the two greatest commandments can be used to summarize the Decalogue. So you’re seeing that the true follower of Christ here is the lover, the lover of neighbor and therefore the lover of God. Only in this way is our obedience genuine. In this instance, He is speaking with another expert in religious law, and after the man declared the importance of those two commands, he asked Jesus a question. Fourteen Words to Fix or Upgrade Your Marriage, "I’ve Had an Abortion. Jesus is the only person in the flesh who was capable of obeying and fulfilling the requirements of the Law. He saved them first by his gra… That is, if we truly love God, we will keep all the other commandments as well as this greatest one. If I had known it, I could have received decisive guidance from a passage in Matthew where Jesus indicates how to serve God. The Great Commandment (or Greatest Commandment) is a name used in the New Testament to describe the first of two commandments cited by Jesus in Matthew 22:35–40, Mark 12:28–34, and Luke 10:27a.. The Ten Commandments represent God’s own summary of our duties toward Him. Okay. He is also founder and president of Heaven’s Family, a Christian nonprofit that is advancing Jesus’ kingdom in more than 40 nations around the world. Without love for God, the external observance of the commandments becomes an empty form. Feeling myself free because of God’s love, I decided to do what I wanted, regardless of what anyone thought. In one place he said ‘and this is the love of God that we keep his commandments.’ So you can’t separate those. Used with permission.]. People who keep those commandments love him. You know the story of the good Samaritan. So who is my neighbor? Jesus criticized the Pharisees and the scribes because they transgressed the Commandment of God for the sake of their traditions (Matthew 15:3). Really loving God means honoring Him, revering Him, and paying close attention to His desires as expressed in the Bible. I went from one extreme to another. For awhile I devoted myself fanatically to obeying commandments. Okay and then a fifth conclusion could be drawn from all of these irrefutable facts. You’re likely to be keeping all the commandments that are found within the law and the prophets. That’s loving God. When we hear the term “commandment,” we often think of the Ten Commandments outlined in Exodus 20. These are the two most important commandments taught by Jesus. The example of the Pharisees shows that when we fail to be in communion with God personally, and to love him fervently, we also become prone to misinterpret the Bible. What wise direction Jesus gives! However, the Bible gives us a clear description of how God defines love in 1 Corinthians 13. In Luke 10, we find another example of Jesus affirming the commandments to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and to love your neighbor as yourself as the greatest commandments. For the women of the Church, President Spencer W. Kimball described that duty in this great prophecy: “Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world … will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. When Vickie and I were first married, we were fortunate to have developed the desire to be pro-active in keeping God's commandments. And that’s irrefutable because that’s what the Bible says. I have to be concerned. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37 NIV). Loving God means receiving cleansing inside first. In fact, the foremost way that I express my love for God is by loving my neighbor as myself. Ultimately, the purpose of these lessons is to help us examine ourselves to see how well we’re doing at keeping these two most important commandments. As a matter of fact, the whole law can be summed up into two commandments. That is, if we truly love God, we will keep all the other commandments as well as this greatest … On top of it all, I was miserable. Right? My neighbors consist of believers and unbelievers. Without that love for God, the external observance of the Commandments becomes worthless, empty and legalism. Jesus said, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Okay? 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. Because while the scriptures hang on these two commandments. You see, that's why this matters. That was the proof that they loved Jesus. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." Well the foremost way I could love my neighbor is by helping my neighbor, encouraging my neighbor, admonishing my neighbor, doing whatever I can to help my neighbor love God with all of his or her heart, mind, soul and strength. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. The focus on love helps us not to settle for a minimum concern for neighbors, but to reach out to them. And that’s why our key, foundational passage of scripture is Jesus’ foretelling of the future judgment of the sheep and the goats. He saved them, because he loved them. And John said this all over his first epistle. I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. However, the Jewish rabbis determined that the Law consisted of 613 commandments… And if we can’t be claiming to love them as ourselves how can we be claiming to love God? Seven Strange Scriptural Sexual Stories, Part 1. The greatest way that I can love my neighbor as myself is by helping my neighbor to love God with all of his or her heart, mind, soul, and strength. God came to Israel before they knew him and before they worshiped him. And this is God, so to please Him, we’re obviously going to obey Him. The Bible warns, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. And it’s second only to that first commandment. Jesus gives us two commandments that summarize all the laws and commands in Scripture. And if we look at it from a little different angle, what’s the foremost way that I could love my neighbor in light of all of that truth? God bless you. We know it is wrong to murder, steal, and cheat; but are there a million laws we should be trying to keep, or how do we know if we are doing the right thing? 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. And I hope that we’ll see momentarily why Jesus didn’t stop there. The second irrefutable fact is that the second greatest commandment is to … We have to work for or ask for what we want. Third irrefutable fact love for God is expressed by keeping His commandments. When we read the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), we begin to see some of the deep implications of God’s commandments, and we need to ask ourselves, “Who can do all this?”  “How can I measure up to a standard that asks for perfect motivations as well as full outward obedience? Now, on our last lesson I closed with this question which is what I want to elaborate on in the time that I’ve got left in today’s Little Lesson and that is this. And so I … oh I just need to love Him more with all my heart, with all my mind, with all my soul and my strength. Loving God heart, mind and soul and strength. The Two Commandments Matthew 22: 37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. We’re all concerned about each other’s spiritual health and relationship with God. From songs to movies to novels, everyone has a different definition of love. This is the greatest and the first commandment. I think His answer was pretty clear. How valuable to have God lay out His instructions in a space of only 17 verses. And Jesus is the one who demonstrated these things. How could I have forgotten such a basic truth?! And so our neighbors are people that we would interface with. But that is not a Biblical conception of loving God. We express our love for God is to … this is the only person in the law and the.. Scripture that we may appear to others to be keeping all the law is the first foremost! Couple times as recorded by the apostle John these are the first of... The Prophets depend on these two commandments that Jesus spoke of are so important [ to love God love brother... And Jesus of course both in old and New Covenants within ethnic groups that maybe your group is a... 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