Many might study the Bible from Genesis through Revelation and might decide that any one of the many commandments from God could be the first and great commandment. Some might decide that a commandment having to do with love should be considered the greatest. They wouldn’t be far wrong; however, many today simply emphasize loving one another. In fact, some today would emphasize loving one another to the false assumption that we must overlook the doctrinal differences between each other. Love is a part of the first and great commandment. Matthew, Mark, and Luke each include this great commandment. It is surprising that John, the apostle of love, is the
only gospel writer that does not mention the first and great commandment. If you are still in doubt as to which commandment is the first and great commandment listen to Matthew, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? {37} Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. {38} This is the first and great commandment. {39} And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. {40} On these two
commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Matthew 22:36-40). There can be no doubt as to which is the first and great commandment because Christ Himself has already determined which it is.
Notice particularly the conditions placed on our love for God the Father. 1. THOU SHALT LOVE GOD...WITH ALL THY HEART. Of course this is not speaking of the physical organ, the blood pump. Christ is speaking of our intellect, “For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull
of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them” (Matthew 13:15). Paul said, “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10). Man follows God through understanding
His word and then by committing himself in obedience to that word. Understanding requires a right kind of heart as noted from Matthew 13:15 above. Even more so, man must be a student of God’s word, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). 2. THOU SHALT LOVE GOD...WITH ALL THY SOUL. This speaks to the very fiber of mankind. Man is different from all other creatures made by God, in that man has a living soul, “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). We must note that our
soul is given us by God’s choice. It is the part of us that makes us in the image of God (Genesis
1:27). God gave us a soul because He desires to have a relationship with His man creature. The relationship exists no matter what man may think of God. The sad thing is that many care little about this relationship and they have broken it through their love for sin,“And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds
were evil” (John 3:19). Man must put off his love for the world and love God with all his soul.
3. THOU SHALT LOVE GOD...WITH ALL THY STRENGTH. Mark (Mark 12:30) and Luke (Luke 10:27) mention this form of love whereas Matthew does not. There is no contradiction between the three. Mark and Luke just mention even another way to love God. This obviously refers to man’s abilities, his might, his power to choose. Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:10 and 12, “Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory....{12} “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us.” Spiritual strength will give us the character that God wants to see in His children. 4. THOU SHALT LOVE GOD...WITH ALL THY MIND. Here Jesus speaks of the will power of man. We might call is a “change of mind.” Paul stated, “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you” (Romans 6:17). We must change from following our will to following the will of God. Read the parable in Matthew 21:28-31. A man who is unwilling to leave off following his own will cannot be a faithful child of God. Such a man has no real love for God though he might profess such a love. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my  commandments” (John 14:15); and “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will
keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). The first and great commandment is to love God, and to love God with the specific characteristics given. The second commandment is to love our neighbor (one another) as we love ourselves. But, notice, love for God precludes any love that compromises His will. This first and foremost love will cause men to place following the will of God above our love for fellowman. We must love men’s souls, but we must hate their sins. We must love their souls, but not their false doctrines. And, we cannot compromise the Truth in order to fellowship those in error, “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them” (Romans 16:17).
—John D. Cotham
Shady Valley, TN