Great Commandment, The

Jesus said the greatest commandment is “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 [others] as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these” (Mk 12:30,31). Our entire being and personality is to be consumed with continually exhibiting love to God and others; this was also the focus in the OT and expanded on in the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:3-17; Lev 19:18; Deut 6:5). Love is outworked in practical action; towards God, “Love for God is obeying what He says” (1 Jn 5:3); towards other people, “doing to others as you would like them to do for you” (Lk 6:31). This is the ‘golden rule’ that should govern our lives. When you are uncertain as to what to do, consider which option best demonstrates love for God and others.

The great commandment of loving God and others will translate into the great commission of actively sharing the gospel with the lost, making

Loving God also means loving others

disciples and instructing them how God requires them to live (Mt 28:18-20). When we do this, we are being obedient to what He says. It also brings glory to God, who doesn’t want anyone to perish but all to come to a knowledge of Christ, besides showing love to the lost who, if we were in their predicament, would appreciate the gospel being shared with us (2 Pet 3:9).