929. The Two Greatest Commands from an Obsolete Law (There Is a Better Way)

A legal eagle from the Pharisee Bible College desired to test Jesus by asking him what the greatest commandment was from the law. Jesus gave him two ... love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength—and love your neighbor as yourself. The fact is ... nobody has ever lived up to these commands—of which the entire law and the prophets would hang. Jesus was answering a law-based question with a law-based answer. After all, this was before the cross and the law was still in place for these Jewish people.

Church corporations and others have emphasized the "two greatest commandments from the law" as a foundation for Christianity, but these were demands from a law that is now to be considered obsolete—a law Jesus came to deliver and redeem the Jewish people from so they could receive life. Religion leans towards putting the cart before the horse—probably because it's more work. Let's get this turned around in the right direction. The New Covenant is not based on how much you love God, but how much he loves you. This results in returning that same kind of love to Him from the heart instead of being "commanded" to do so as a soldier taking orders (which isn't really love). If a believer in Christ is having trouble walking in love towards others, it's likely because they have not yet understood or believed in the perfect love God has for them.



   
Get the book

727. "This Is Love: Not That We Loved God, but That He Loved Us"

Following up on last week’s program about the New Covenant command to believe in Jesus and love one another … Under the law, it was considered one of the greatest commandments to put forth all of one’s strength and effort to love God and each other. The entire law revolved around this and yet nobody had ever done it before the cross.

In this New Covenant Jesus has established, what is so different about our love for God and for each other compared to the old way? John admitted nobody had ever really loved God … the gospel is not built upon a foundation of our love for God - once again it was about what God has done by giving us His Son and demonstrating His love for us - and the results are the difference between light and darkness.



   
Get the book

726. New Covenant Commands from Jesus

Commandments given under the law to Israel through Moses didn’t squelch sin, but caused it to increase. That’s clue number one that Christ came to put an end to that system in order to redeem people from that law. This would occur by Jesus becoming the replacement for that failed covenant which was based upon works, not faith.

So what about the commandments of Jesus that He shared with His disciples as He looked forward to the new and better covenant which would manifest after His death and resurrection? Just exactly what are those commands? Are there any conditions attached? Are they performance based with no room for failure? The eyewitness known as the Apostle John explains it for us.



   
Get the book