A Love Relationship
When asked what was the most important of all commandments, Jesus responded: “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” (Matt. 22:37, 38). What does that text mean? How are we to do what Jesus commands here? Notes
Think of the incredible implications of these words. According to Jesus, the most important of all commandments wasn’t to keep the Sabbath, nor was it any of the prohibitions against killing, stealing, and adultery. On the contrary, the most important of all the commandments dealt with what was in our hearts, in our souls; it dealt with what is inside of us and not with our outward actions, however important they might be.
Indeed, if the most important commandment deals with our love to God, then the foundation of all the commandments deals with a relationship. After all, what is love if not a relationship—one in which we love God above and beyond everyone and everything else?
Why would love for God be the most important of all relationships? Why would that be so fundamental? What spiritual dangers arise if we love something, anything, more than God? Notes
God, in fact, had purposed from the start that humanity would be capable of enjoying a special relationship with Him. It was His purpose to provide a higher plane of experience for humans than the rest of the creatures He had made on earth. This truth is reflected in Genesis 1:26—“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” None of the other creatures was made in His image; none of the other creatures was given the responsibility given to humanity. Hence, humans are not just highly developed apes; there’s a vast qualitative gap between humanity and the rest of God’s creation on earth. We are special, and part of that specialness is revealed in the love relationship that we are called to have with God, something that the animals and plants are not capable of experiencing.
What is your own experience in loving God? How do you know that you love God? Write out a paragraph expressing what that means and how that love has changed your life. Bring it to class on Sabbath.
This is the first and great commandment:"thou shall love the lord thy God with all thy heart" Christ said, then the question need to be asked and answered being justified by the scriptures only: what does it mean to love God?
ReplyDeletelooking back at the ten commandment, the basic principle that we understand from the first four commandment is that they deal direct with us (human-beings)showing our love or obedience to God, for example
the first and second commandments tells us that we don't have to worship other gods: then if we really love God we won't worship other gods.
the third tell us that we need to respect the name of God, therefore if you love God you won't play with His name
the fourth tell us to keep the sabbath: spending quality time and showing obedience to God, therefore if we really love God we will desire to spend time with Him = love for God
the last six commandments, have to do with us loving our fellow human being in the glory of God.= love for others
For Christ said Mathew 22:40 "On this two commandments (Love for God and love for others) hang all the law and the prophets"
What Christ was saying in Mathew 22:37 is not different to what was said in the first four commandment which has to do with us showing our love to God even the sabbath is included in Christ's statement.
Christ also said in John 14:15 and John15:10 that we ought to keep the commandments if we love him,
God said that we should keep the sabbath holy not for Him but for us. Therefore if we love God we MUST obey Him by doing what He says we should do. For the writer to say "the most important of all commandments wasn’t to keep the Sabbath, nor was it any of the prohibitions against killing, stealing, and adultery", is totally wrong. This is simple if we love God we should obey all the commandments not a commandment.
powerfull,
ReplyDeleteBut i have not read yet....don't worry i am coming sometime this week.yep!
All I wanted to say today is that "where are people to keep it real and going" surely people have lost the vision and the purpose of Bering Christians and support the church. (I DID NOT COMMENT ON WHAT IS WRITTEN HERE BUT TRIED TO PASS ON A MESSAGE!
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