How can the greatest command be to love God. (page 2)

Mad Sweeney

My take on the "commandment" issue is that Jesus was using the lingo the Jews he was preaching to were accustomed to. They actually 'wanted' commandments because their culture was based on the Law. It seems that if Jesus could have convinced them that NO commandments were necessary if they actually had love, he'd have done so. They couldn't comprehend such notions, so he spoke to them in a language they could understand.

acolytes

Thanks Mad Sweeney

Acolytes

WTWizard

What Jesus actually wanted is to get people to love their own personal God-people more than the world, so they would not become enslaved to any religion or political system again (obviously, God made sure that did not work). I bear in mind that (1) it was a parable and (2) the writer had 40 or more years to be confused about taking Jesus' words literally.

One should never be commanded to love God, or anyone or anything else, with all their whole might. If that object does not prove worthy of such love, it is not going to be genuine. I do not love God because He has proven blatantly unworthy of it--I refuse to love that Almighty Baghead, because He is mean spirited and still demands me to act as if He was sincere in wanting happiness for me. If He wants my love, He needs to prove Himself worthy of it before expecting it--and that's assuming He hasn't already crossed the absolute point of no return.

PSacramento

IF you believe that God breathed into the spirt that gave you life and you believe in God's gift of Grace then Loving God more than anything is a "given".

If you can't love God how can you possible love anyone else?

God gives you an unconditinal love, God can loves us no more or no less than he already does, inspite of US.

If we can't love a being that Gives us that kind of love, there is no way we can truly love others.

If you believe that sort of thing.

snowbird

I think it's greatest in the sense that it's the hardest.

Sylvia

Deputy Dog

Acolytes

Doesnt being commanded to do something take away our freewill?

You're right! Being a slave to God and the law sucks.

Being a child of God is much better.

How can the greatest command be to love God.