“And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, ‘Which commandment is the most important of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The most important is, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall 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: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’” (Mk. 12: 28-31 ESV).
- Christian perfection is achieving the two greatest commandments (How Does Dedication Help Consistency?).
- Jesus said that the greatest commandment was a variation of Deuteronomy 6: 5 (How Do We Love God?).
- Our actions in following Jesus are built on our love for Him. Matthew 22: 37-38 says, “… Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command” (HCSB). We have to go all in (Will Being Kind to Others Will Get Us into Heaven?).
- The Greatest Commandment shows that God should be our #1 priority (How Are We Different from the World [Part 2]).
- The second commandment isn’t any less important. Jesus was only asked for the greatest commandment. “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” (Mt. 22: 36 NIV). He was the one Who added the bonus: “And the second is like it …” (Mt. 22: 39 NIV). He wouldn’t have said it if it wasn’t important. The second commandment just isn’t as important than the first. The second commandment is supposed to flow from the first (Will Being Kind to Others Will Get Us into Heaven?)
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