The first commandment

Mark 12:30-31 “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”

Download The first commandment

Jesus answers the scribes in this text, when they asked “Which is the first commandment of all?”

He begins by saying the first of all commandments is “Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.”

This one Lord should be loved by His people. We should love Him with everything we have.

The second is like that commandment, in that our love should also be directed to those this one Lord created.

For Jesus to make this declaration can be no surprise. He has come to earth, out of love, to die in the place of sinners and make a way for our salvation.

There is no burden in these commandments. They are only reasonable expectations for people who have been loved so greatly.

Mark 12:30-31 “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”