A Pharisee lawyer asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was. Jesus replied:
“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Matthew 22:37-40 (KJV)
A friend in the youth group told me that they were talking about this once; and one of the youth leaders said that basically if you obey this command–if you love–then you can get everything else right.
I think that’s a really good thought. And it’s true! All the other commands in the Bible are based on these two commands. The Bible says to not worship idols, to tithe, to memorize Scripture, etc.–and if you love God, then that’s what you want to do. The Bible says to not steal or covet others’ possessions, to not lie to or about others, to treat others as you want to be treated, etc.–and if you love your neighbor as you love yourself, then that’s what you want to do.
If we learn to love, to love completely/unconditionally/willingly, then obeying the other commandments in the Bible is easy!
“On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” -Matthew 22:40 (KJV)
