What is the Greatest Commandment?

                                                 What is the Greatest Commandment?

What IS the greatest commandment?  We have a couple answers here.

Matthew 22:34-40

New International Version (NIV)
The Greatest Commandment

34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Footnotes:

Matthew 22:37 Deut. 6:5
Matthew 22:39 Lev. 19:18

If you look at these verses above, you get two rather than one; however, if you read Galatians 5:14 you get the most important commandment, loving the Lord being assumed:

Galatians 5:13-26

New International Version (NIV)
Life by the Spirit

13 You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever[c] you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Footnotes:

Galatians 5:13 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit; also in verses 16, 17, 19 and 24; and in 6:8.
Galatians 5:14 Lev. 19:18
Galatians 5:17 Or you do not do what

There are reasons for verse 19-21 talking about the acts of the flesh. They all cause someone pain. Some of them cause more than one person pain... sometimes many people. It's all about love, folks. It's all about love.

Love, Hope, Peace, and Christ is With Us All,

Cal-el

What Lies Ahead

What lies ahead may be the most difficult road of my journey, yet also has the potential to be the most rewarding. As Ralph Waldo Emmerson said, "What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us."

Only God holds the key to the unknown. Though we can see glimmers and shadows of what lies ahead, the absolute is unknown. Only through hope and faith can we step forward into the unknown and have any reasonable certainty of the outcome and know that all will have gone as it should have.

Living Faith

Oft times the path is unclear

We may not know what's drawing near

But knowing all things work together

For the good and for the better

Brings a comfort deep inside

And negates tendencies to hide

So on faith we step again

Hoping that once more we can

Find the thing we need to find

Not letting our old fears blind

So that we may now receive

That in which our hearts believe

Knowing that love will outweigh

Sadness we've known in our day

And that challenges there sent

Love will help to circumvent

Hope will help to win the day

As silently within we pray

Copyright © 2010 Cal Jennings

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