Jesus left a commandment that he says sums up the whole of the law. This article will discuss that in detail and I am confident that you will finish reading this with a little different outlook on life, and you will definitely find a more effective way to share your faith. Let us humble ourselves as a child about to have a very important question answered and take a very deep look at this commandment.
Far to often we tend to concentrate on what we should not do in our lives rather than concentrating on the things we should be doing. Jesus was once asked what is the greatest command and this was His reply (Matt. 22:37-40)
"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 greatest commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law of the prophets."
-Why do we get hung up on following a bunch of rules and thinking we are earning our way into heaven?
- Worse yet why do expect those around us that don't share our beliefs to live up to the same standards?
-Can we be "the salt of the earth" or "the light of the world" when we spend our energy looking to correct every wrong?
-Jesus said all the law hangs on these two commands. So why is it that we are more concerned with someones language or behavior?
-Shouldn't we first learn the Truth behind these verses and apply it to our own lives, then put our heart and soul into sharing it with others?
In other articles we will take a deeper look at what love is and dig deep into the distinction of the heart, soul, and mind. For now the emphasis is on what is meant by the greatest command and how to make it a part of our life.
We cannot earn our way into heaven by following a certain set of rules. In Christ's day the religious leaders placed very heavy lists of rules on their followers. Christ came to show us a better way and to provide the tools required to live a holy life. Romans 8:23-28 says: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace that is through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:.....therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law."
Is it right to expect those around us to act as we do? We just discussed that someone cannot be saved by their actions. John 3:17 says:" for God sent not his soon into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." So if Christ himself didn't come to condemn why do so many Christians think that the most effective way to evangelize is to force their values on all those around them. We can be much more effective by showing our love to those who are yet to be saved. So often I hear people say they are sick of Christians forcing their values down their throats. We can best touch their lives by reaching out to them where they are rather than by trying to drag them in with a set of rules. I thought it was the Holy Spirits job to convict the world of sin (John 16:8), and our job to go tell the story to the world (Mark 16:15). The religious leaders of Christs day used similar tactics to win converts. Jesus told them (Matthew 23:15) ...."ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves". I am not saying that we should ignore sin and immorality. What I am saying is that it may not be the best way to carry out the great commission.
So what is the one thing "Thou shalt do".We should love God with all our being. Is love just a feeling or emotion? It is an action word. 1 John 3:18 says...."let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and truth". Matthew 25:31-46 explains the action required in detail. Take a minute to look it up.
Matthew 7:21 says "not every one that saith unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but He that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven". How will you be recognized on that day?
