What Does God Demand?

"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" 37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." ESV Matthew 22:36-40

What is the greatest commandment? The question, albeit legitimate, was asked by a religious expert in the hopes of causing Jesus to misspeak. He was from a group that had already quizzed Jesus about taxes and the resurrection without tripping him up. But Jesus answered in typical, confounding, fashion. In two short statements Jesus summarized all of the Law and all of the Prophets: “…love the Lord your God with all your heart…[and] …love your neighbor as yourself.” Enough said; nobody argued the point further.

Do you ever yearn for a simpler, less hectic lifestyle? Do you wonder from time to time why we make “church” so hard with cumbersome traditions and rituals?” Well, these two commandments cut right to the heart of scripture and neither is particularly complicated or difficult to understand. They are actually both quiet simple and easily understood.

But history testifies that simple is not necessarily easy. The same Creator that hands us these two commandments had a simple program laid out for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden too. But it didn’t take long for them transgress God’s law. And on that fateful day when they ate the forbidden fruit, their lives and all of creation was forever changed. Even today, you and I live in a world still tainted by that original transgression (sin).

God demanded perfect obedience from Adam and Eve. And that was his prerogative as their Creator. God was perfectly just in requiring their perfect obedience to his simple command. But they couldn’t do it. So they were driven from the Garden of Eden; separated from God.

Now, here’s some food for thought: God demands perfect obedience from you and me too; and that’s his prerogative as our Creator. God is perfectly just in requiring our perfect obedience to his simple commands. So, the questions of the day are: Do you “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind?” And do you “love your neighbor as yourself?” And can you do it, every day, without fail?

More on this next week…

Ken worships at Tharptown Baptist Church in Russellville where he leads an adult Bible study. Comments are welcome and may be sent to kenaskew@charter.net.