The Great Commandment
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We're not to love God simply for all of the wonderful gifts and benefits that we receive from His hand, but we're to love Him for who He is in Himself. We don't really progress in the Christian life until we understand that, that to love God is to love Him because He is lovely, He is wonderful, and He is worthy of of the creature's unqualified affection.
Which commandment is the most important of all? When Jesus was asked this question, in His answer, He said, Do you love God like that? Do I? Welcome to the Sunday edition of Renewing Your Mind as we come to the conclusion of a short series in Mark's Gospel in which R.C. Sproul has examined some of the questions that were posed to Jesus, some questions to stump him and others out of curiosity. And today, we learn what the great commandment is and what it means to love God. As this is the final sermon in this series, it also means it's the final Sunday to request R.C. Sproul's hardcover commentary on the entirety of the Gospel of Mark. If you'd like a copy, simply give a donation in support of Renewing Your Mind before midnight tonight at renewingyourmind.org.
Thank you for extending the reach of this listener-supported podcast. So, which commandment is the most important of all? Here's Dr. Sproul.
Mark 12, 28 to 34. Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind, and with all of your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. So the scribe said to him, Well said, teacher. You have spoken the truth. For there is one God, and there is no other but He.
and to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, you are not far from the kingdom of God. But after that, no one dared question him." In past weeks, we've looked at the different subgroups among the Jews who brought interesting questions before Jesus. First of all, we saw the Pharisees who on this occasion were united with the Herodians to try to trap Jesus on questions of tax, and then last week we looked at the plot of the Sadducees to trip up Jesus with reference to His views regarding the resurrection of the dead.
Now that third group that was distinctive that we meet throughout the New Testament was that group called the scribes. They were the theologians, the experts in biblical interpretation among the Jews. And we note that on this occasion, there's not a delegation from the scribes accosting Jesus, but only one of them who raises a question. And we note this other difference, that his question presumably is not dripping with venom or vituperation. He's not hostile, but he comes because he's been profoundly impressed as he listened to the way in which Jesus handles the interrogation by the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
What is the greatest commandment according to Jesus?
And so we read in Mark's gospel these words, "'One of the scribes came, having heard them reasoning together and perceiving that he had answered them well.' asked Him, which is the first commandment of all? Now the question is not a question of temporal chronology. Jesus is not being asked, what was the first commandment that God ever gave? That's not the question. When He says, what is the first commandment, it's not the question of chronology, but the question of priority. He's asking, what is the single most important commandment that God has ever given to this world? What commandment sums up the whole duty of human beings before their Creator? And what is in view here is not simply a question about what the sum and substance is of obligations of members of the household of Israel, or then later of the Christian community, but rather of the entire world.
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