Home wscoc articles illustrations evidences poetry humor
Published monthly by the West Side Church of Christ

Jesus taught that LOVE is the greatest commandment:


"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" (Matthew 22:37-38).


No other commandment compares with this one.   We must LOVE the Father and the Son. The apostle Paul concludes his first epistle to the Corinthians with the warning, "If anyone  does not LOVE the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed" (NKJV - I Corinthians 16:22).


But how do we show our love for God?  LOVE is not proven by words or sentiments.  Notice that John urges us to "LOVE not in word neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth" (I John 3:18). LOVE is proven by actions or deeds.


For this reason Jesus Christ taught implicitly that we must actively LOVE Him.

"If ye LOVE me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15).

Again Christ would affirm, "If a man LOVE me, he will keep my words….He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings" (John 14:23-24).


According to the Lord we must show by obedience our LOVE for him.


It is interesting that Christ's own LOVE for the Father follows this same requirement.  In John 14:31 Jesus explains: "that the world may know that I LOVE the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do."


Indeed Christ stated, "I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me" (John 6:38).  For this reason Christ was "without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).  Christ's LOVE for the Father prevented Him from sinning.


Sin is the absence of LOVE for God.  Therefore, whenever we willfully, knowingly sin (disobey His commands), it is due to a lack of LOVE for Him in our lives!  Sin is a failure to LOVE God!


When we disobey God's first and greatest commandment, surely we sin. When was the last time you heard a Christian confess that they had sinned because they had not LOVED God as they should?


HOW MUCH DO WE LOVE GOD?

HOW MUCH DO WE LOVE HIS SON?


Larry Albritton


LOVE AND OBEY
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share via e-mail Print