Love God. Love People. Be Kind.
Paul wrote, "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another." (Galatians 5:13–15)
The Galatian church was divided into two main groups. The legalist and the anything-goes crowd. Paul was saying if you don't figure out how to love and serve one another and you keep fighting, there won’t be a church left.
Jesus was asked, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" And responded, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matthew 22:36–40)
This is the first time in recorded history that these two Old Testament statements were combined in this way. The first statement makes its debut in Deuteronomy. The other appears first in Leviticus. But this combination is original with Jesus. This was new. The second commandment was not second in importance just in sequence. There wasn’t one greatest commandment. There were two. According to Jesus, these two commands summed up the Jewish Scriptures. Not just the law . . . the entire old covenant.
CONCLUSION: Love for God is best demonstrated and authenticated by loving one’s neighbor. It was as if Jesus was saying, “Don’t claim adherence to commandment #1 if you’re guilty of violating commandment #2.”
‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord." (Leviticus 19:18)
