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And the greatest
commandment is...?
We sometimes struggle with complex requirements of obedience in the Scriptures
but in the case of knowing what the two greatest commandments are in the
Bible, Jesus made it very simple. In response to a scribe's (lawyer) question,
"Which is the first commandment of all?" Jesus answered him,
"The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD
our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all
your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your
strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is
this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment
greater than these."Mark 12:28-31 NKJV
When we study the 10 commandments,
we find that the first 4 that are listed point us to loving God and the
second 6 concern our relationships with man.
| When you think about
the commandments, they represent a very tight summary of what
we are expected to do as children of God. We do not obey these
commandments "to become" children of God, we obey them
because we are God's children. He gives us His grace that we might
know Him and then we, by faith, obey Him. Our obedience does not
"earn us anything"; it is simply our response to His
love for us. We do know that disobedience will bring discipline
but there is a big difference between a disobedient person that
does not know God and does not love Him and one who does know
Him and loves Him. This is a critical point to understand. God
calls you to Him. He calls all men and would that none perish.
But, some do not respond. Your response to His grace, His call
to you, is a response of faith, one of believing in Jesus Christ
and what He did that enables us to come into God's presence completely
cleansed of our sin. |
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The Ten Commandments |
| God |
I. |
Thou shalt have no other gods before Me |
| II. |
Thou shalt not worship any graven images |
| III. |
Thou shalt not take the
name of God in vain |
| IV. |
Remember the Sabbath
to keep it holy |
| Man |
V. |
Honor thy father
and thy mother |
| VI. |
Thou shalt not kill |
| VII. |
Thou shalt not
commit adultery |
| VIII. |
Thou shalt not steal |
| IX. |
Thou shalt not bear
false witness |
| X. |
Thou shalt not covet
thy neighbor |
Then we endeavor to obey, relying
upon the power of the Holy Spirit in us, to help us be more and more like
Jesus, every day. Our obedience to the two greatest commandments is important.
Discuss the 10 commandments. Which do you feel are most difficult to obey?
Which is easiest? Do you think there will ever come a time in your Christian
growth where you will "automatically" obey, without thinking
about it? That process is called sanctification. The Bible refers to believers
as saints. How far do you feel from that designation?
Core Christian Value: There
are 10 commandments. The first 4 pertain to God and the second 6 pertain
to man. Jesus summarized them and said, "Love God with all your heart,
mind, strength and soul and your neighbor as yourself."
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