Five Points Blog
The Greatest Word From the Greatest One
- Brent Nelson
- Jun 01, 2012
It is a sin to pursue your joy apart from God. It is also a sin to pursue your joy apart from the joy of others. The former is pride; the latter selfishness. When the unbelieving Scribe asked Jesus to name the greatest commandment, what did he say? When the greatest Person, surveys the greatest Book, to choose the greatest thing in it, what did he say? He said, “Love God.” “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all you’re your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” The greatest sentence that could ever be uttered is this two-word sentence: “Love God.” Everything less is sin.
Love God with all you are! Love God, the singularly high and Holy One of Israel, who is exalted above all things. Love Him supremely. Love God with every fiber of your being – radically, deeply, unswervingly.
But love for God is invisible. He’s not here; except by His Holy Spirit. Love for Him is a passion of the heart. It resides inwardly and thus secretly. That’s why the vast majority of sin, loving lesser things supremely, occurs in the heart and is seen only by God. So how can love for God be made manifest? How can love for God be seen on the earth?
Answer: by the second greatest commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love for neighbor reveals love for God. Or as John says, “If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:20-21 ESV).
The two greatest things the Greatest Person ever said hang together in perfect order: Love God, then out of the overflow of loving God, love others with the same love you have for your own well-being. This puts God’s love on display for all to see!
Breathtaking!