God's First Great Commandment

A legal expert among the Pharisees challenged Jesus with a question, testing Him, saying, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" (Matthew 22:35-36).

"Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself'" (Matthew 22:37-39, emphasis added throughout). The accounts in Mark 12:28-34 and Luke 10:25-28 add the word strength.

Above all of God's many wonderful commandments, Jesus Christ declared two of them to be the great commandments! (The second of these will be discussed in the next article.)

God revealed these commandments long before-through Moses. The first is announced in Deuteronomy 6:5 and the second in Leviticus 19:18. Nine verses in Deuteronomy tell us to "love the Lord"!

Jesus said, "There is no other commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:31). He also said, "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 22:40). This is one of the reasons the great commandments are great! They encompass all of God's many spiritual laws. For example, the first four of the Ten Commandments focus on how to love God, and the last six focus on how to love one's neighbor (see Romans 13:9-10; Galatians 5:14).

The two great commandments truly are great! In Matthew 22:36-38, the Greek word for "great" is megas, from which we get the English prefix mega, meaning enormous. The great commandments are of enormous importance!

The godly love presented in these commandments reaches out in deep and devoted care and concern toward others. And as made clear in the first great commandment, it is to be directed first and foremost to God.

Loving God with our all

Jesus likely spoke these Old Testament verses to the Pharisee in Hebrew. As presented in Deuteronomy 6:5, the first commandment requires that we love God with all our heart, meaning our feelings, yearnings and understanding, and with all our soul, referring to our being-physical life and consciousness-and with all our "very," as the Hebrew me'od literally means. Some have rendered this odd phrasing as all our "oomph!"-expressing intensiveness, in terms of heartiness, earnestness and zeal. In translating this term into Greek, the New Testament writers used words for both mind and strength, as it connotes full intention and energy.

However, it's unlikely that God meant for us to think of ourselves in these distinct parts. Rather, the emphasis is that we must love God with all that we are and everything we've got-totally, continually, thoughtfully and passionately in every way possible!

God emphasized that He is a jealous God, His jealousy aroused when His people show affection to other gods, which are false (Deuteronomy 6:15; Deuteronomy 32:16, Deuteronomy 32:21; see also Exodus 20:5; Exodus 34:14). This is not in the sense of envy but of devotion in protecting the closeness of the relationship. Imagine a husband who has no problem with his wife cheating on him. She would not think he really loved her. Just the same, God cares if we are unfaithful to our relationship with Him, showing His love for us. And His jealousy also guards us from harm.

God, both the Father and Jesus Christ, must come first in our lives. In Luke 14:26-27, Jesus said, as rendered in the New Living Translation, "If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison-your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters-yes, even your own life."

The Bible gives us many clear teachings on how to love God. Vital to loving God is obedience. "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments" (1 John 5:3). Jesus likewise said, "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15).

When the Bible speaks of love, it refers to actions more than feelings-to showing love by doing. It's not about acting on our feelings. It's choosing to act on what God says, sometimes against our feelings, making personal sacrifices. In this process of striving to love God through obedience, one will come to feel love for God.

Fundamental to this is gratitude! We should be continually thanking and praising God for His countless blessings and benefits! To use some alliteration here: He patterned us after Himself, put us on the perfect planet for us, pardons our sins, is our provider and protector, and has a plan to give us perpetual life in paradise!

Many people may begin to obey God out of fear of future suffering. And then when they experience God's blessings, they may obey out of desire for God's rewards. Yet God ultimately leads us to progress beyond this-to come to experience an intimate relationship with Him wherein we obey, adore and worship Him out of deep gratitude and love.

This love does not come naturally to us

Under the influence of Satan the devil, human nature has been corrupted. (see "Human Nature: What You Need to Know") No wonder God has to command us to love Him! Human nature is "desperately wicked" (Jeremiah 17:9; see also Romans 8:6-7; Galatians 5:19-21). We need the supernatural help of God to increasingly replace that nature with God's nature (see Isaiah 55:6-9).

Furthermore, it's not natural to love someone we cannot see, hear or touch. That's why God "sent His Son" to reveal the Father (1 John 4:9-10; Matthew 11:27). Jesus exemplified the Father perfectly, stating, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:7-11).

The Bible, God's "instruction book" for mankind, enables us to continually learn more about God and how to live. Man must "live . . . by every word of God" (Luke 4:4).

We also have the regular opportunity to learn about God from observing His other revelation-His marvelous creation (Romans 1:20-25).

As we come to intimately know God, we see that He is truly lovable! After all, "God is love" (1 John 4:8), and "we love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).

Many find it difficult to love and trust God because of all the evil, tragedies and suffering we see throughout the world. Why does God allow it? It's a reasonable question. Yet what is fundamental to God's plan of salvation is that all human beings have personal freedom-the liberty to make their own choices. God could easily stop all suffering by making everyone into a robot. Instead, everyone must make decisions and choices, each of which can be good or bad. God urges each person to "choose life" (Deuteronomy 30:19).

A major cause of suffering is that "the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one," Satan, the "tempter" and "ruler of this world" (1 John 5:19; Matthew 4:3; John 12:31). As a result, this dark world is full of hate! With God's help, we must learn to withstand Satan: "Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).

God's plan will set everything right in the end. We recommend that you request and read our free study guide Why Does God Allow Suffering?

A unique commandment

When this first great commandment was given to ancient Israel, it was remarkable. Pagan gods, with people regarded as their slaves, were to be feared and served, but not loved. Furthermore, the pagan gods did not express love for people! The true God loves and wants to save everyone! (John 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9).

What's also different about the true religion is that our God offers to put into our hearts the love He requires of us. He urges each person to trust in Him, repent of his or her sins, and make a total commitment in being baptized for the forgiveness of those sins. Then God gives the indwelling gift of His Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38; Acts 3:19).

That gift of God's Holy Spirit produces wonderful spiritual "fruit" within us that includes love, joy and peace! (Galatians 5:22-23). On our own, we would not submit to God's ways. But He miraculously transforms us through putting into us His godly nature!

Please contemplate God's divine plan. If God is calling you to be His disciple and son or daughter, please respond to this most precious invitation! And then passionately nurture that loving relationship and grow evermore in love with God.

We are to seek first in life the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33)-which entails alignment with God and His ways, total harmony with Him. We must increasingly build an intimate loving relationship with God-a relationship only possible through Jesus Christ (John 14:6). Listen as God teaches and encourages us through His Word. Meditate on Him. Talk to Him daily in your prayers. Thank Him. Obey Him. Revere Him. Worship Him.

May all of us increasingly come to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength!

Read Part 2 - God's Second Great Commandment

Related Information:

Table of Contents that includes "God's First Great Commandment"
Other Articles by Don Hooser
Other Articles by Tom Robinson
Origin of article "God's First Great Commandment"
Keywords: great commandment loving God 

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