Jesus Gives Us the Two Greatest Commandments
The Ten Commandments are listed in Exodus 20:3-23 (and Deuteronomy 5:6-21). Interestingly, neither of these passages calls this list the “Ten Commandments” (although the phrase is used elsewhere). They are:
1. Do not have any other gods.
2. Do not worship idols (“other gods”)
3. Do not use God’s name wrongly.
4. Keep the Sabbath day holy.
5. Honor your parents (there is a promise of blessing if we do)
6. Do not murder
7. Do not commit adultery
8. Do not steal
9. Do not lie (give false testimony)
10. Do not covet
When Jesus was asked which commandment was the greatest, he said that we should love God fully; the second greatest is to love others as much as we love ourselves. He concluded by saying that all the laws and commands hinge on these two principles of loving God and loving others.
So, we are to love God and love others. It’s that simple.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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