The Great Commandment represents the foundational principle of Christian ethics and spiritual life. Jesus identified these two intertwined commands as the greatest of all, providing a framework for understanding the entire moral law and guiding believers in their relationship with God and others.
The Two Greatest Commandments
Jesus taught that the greatest commandment is to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these" (Mk 12:30-31). These commands flow from one another—without a right relationship with God, our relationships with others cannot be properly ordered.
Loving God means loving others
Love is outworked in practical action. Towards God, "Love for God is obeying what He says" (1 Jn 5:3). Towards others, it means "doing to others as you would like them to do for you" (Lk 6:31)—the golden rule that should govern our lives. When uncertain, we should consider which option best demonstrates love for God and others.
When asked how to "inherit eternal life," Jesus answered that it is by keeping these two commandments, which summarize the Ten Commandments and Old Testament moral laws (Mt 22:40; Lk 10:25-28). They reveal that the heart of God's law is relational, focusing on love rather than mere rule-keeping.
The command to love God completely and to love others as ourselves reveals the interconnectedness of vertical and horizontal relationships. Our love for God fuels our love for others, while our love for others demonstrates the reality of our love for God. This dual focus prevents both legalism and sentimentalism.
Human Inability and Divine Grace
Despite the clarity of these commandments, we often fail to keep them. We can never be righteous before God by our own efforts. Attempting to live by external rules without the right foundation with God is futile, like cleansing the outside of the cup while ignoring the filth within (Mt 23:25-26).
Our challenges lead us to return to the cross
God's grace does not lower the standard of love but provides the means to grow in fulfilling it. The Holy Spirit works within us, gradually transforming our hearts and enabling us to love in ways impossible through human effort alone. This lifelong process of sanctification is marked by both progress and failure, grounded in God's unchanging love and forgiveness.
Recognizing our inability to perfectly fulfill the Great Commandment should lead us to humility and dependence on God. It cultivates compassion for others who struggle, as we recognize that we all fall short of God's perfect standard. This awareness keeps us from self-righteousness and points us continually to Christ.
Walk in humble dependence
Living Out the Commandment
The Great Commandment of loving God and others translates into the Great Commission of actively sharing the gospel with the lost, making disciples and instructing them how God requires them to live (Mt 28:18-20). When we do this, we are obedient to God and bring glory to Him, who desires all to come to a knowledge of Christ.
Sharing the gospel demonstrates love to the lost who, if we were in their position, would appreciate hearing the gospel (Ezek 33:11; 2 Pet 3:9). This missional aspect reminds us that love for God and others has public, outward implications. Our love should compel us to action, particularly in reaching those who have not yet heard or responded to the gospel
In daily life, the Great Commandment calls us to examine our priorities, relationships, and actions. It challenges us to consider whether our decisions reflect love for God above all else and love for others as ourselves. This may involve sacrificing personal comfort, forgiving those who wrong us, or using our gifts to serve those in need.
God's requirements are intensely practical
The local church provides a context where we can practice living out the Great Commandment together. In community, we learn to love God through worship, prayer, and teaching, and we learn to love others through service, encouragement, and bearing one another's burdens. The church is meant to be a living demonstration of what it looks like to love God and love others in tangible ways.
Reflection and Application:
- Examine your daily life: Are your decisions and priorities guided by love for God and love for others?
- Consider areas where you struggle to fulfill the Great Commandment and bring these before God in prayer.
- Identify practical ways you can demonstrate love to someone in your life this week, even if it requires sacrifice.
- Reflect on how your understanding of God's love for you enables you to love others more fully.
See also: commandments, golden rule, great commission, love, obedience.