love is the greatest commandment.
| "But when the pharisees heard that he had silenced the sadducees with his reply, they thought up a fresh question of their own to ask him. One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with the question: 'Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?' Jesus replied 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the other commandments and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments." |
| Matthew 22:34-40 (NL) |
so what does it mean to love God?
| "if you love me, obey my commandments" |
| John 14:15 (NL) |
| "those who obey my commandments are the ones who love me..." |
| John 14:21 (NL) |
| "love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning." |
| 2 John 1:6 (NL) |
So, in essence, to love God is to obey Him.
And to obey Him means to love our neighbors as ourselves.
| "...If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill all the requirements of God's law. For the commandments against adultery, and murder, and stealing, and coveting - and any other commandment - are all summed up in this one commandment: 'love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to anyone, so love satisfies all God's requirements." |
| Romans 13:8-10 (NL) |
| "For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: 'love your neighbor as yourself.'" |
| Galatians 5:14 (NL) |
So love, then, IS the greatest commandment.
| "...anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. but anyone who does not love does not know God - for God is love." |
| 1 John 4:7-8 (NL emphasis mine) |
So what are the benefits of loving God and others?
#1. God will love you.
| "I love all who love me..." |
| Proverbs 8:17 (NL) |
| "but the person who loves God is the one God knows and cares for." |
| 1 Corinthians 8:3 (NL) |
#2. God will reveal Himself to you.
(and focus on the order. first obedience, then revelation)
| "...and I will reveal myself to each of them." |
| John 14:21 (NL) |
#3. God will live with you!
| "all those who love me will do what say. My father will love them, and we will come to them and live with them" |
| John 14:23 (NL) |
#4. everything will work together for your good
| "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." |
| Romans 8:28 (NL) |
So, my friends, love! Love God and Love others,
for it is through this that the world will know
that we are God's! (John 13:35)
| "the purpose of my instruction is that all the christians there would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscious, and sincere faith." |
| 1 Timothy 1:5 (NL) |
