Once Jesus was asked by a lawyer which commandment was the greatest (Matthew 22:34-35). He answered by citing two commandments— not just one. Neither of the two was one of the Ten Commandments. So, Jesus reduced the Ten Commandments to Two Commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” And “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Then he added, “All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40) These two commandments are sometimes called the Two Great Commandments, of which the first one is greater. The key word in both commandments is “love.” In order to fulfill all the law and the prophets requires love.
The answer that Jesus gave regarding the greatest commandment was part of the Jewish confession of faith known as the shema: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). Jews recited this passage twice a day, morning and evening. Jewish boys were taught to memorize the shema as soon as they were able to talk. It is the central tenet of Judaism.
The shema is an expansion of the First Commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3). The shema affirmed that there is only one God, that he is unique, and therefore we are to love and obey him. Obeying him is obvious, but the emphasis given by the shema and by Jesus—and therefore by Christians as well—is on loving God with ALL your heart, All your soul, All your mind, and All your strength. In other words, we should love him with our entire person: our emotions, our thoughts, our attitudes, and our actions. The mark of true faith and true religion is total love and devotion for God!
What does it mean to love God wholeheartedly? Let me list some things it doesn’t necessarily mean. Loving God doesn’t necessarily mean involvement in religious activities. We may do “church” for lots of reasons apart from loving God. Loving God doesn’t always mean enjoying religious music. I suspect we all feel good when the church worship team or the soloist is singing a hymn that we enjoy. This can be an emotional experience, but it is not necessarily the same as loving God. In the same way, hearing a good speaker, or a moving testimony can give us an emotional response. Perhaps young people experience this when they are at church camp: fun activities, friends, and a great speaker; and they promise to remember these good times forever. But when they go home, they may soon forget. Emotional experiences, while good, are not the same as loving God. For people like me, getting involved in a discussion of the Bible and theology is enjoyable, but I have to admit that loving theology is not the same as loving God. All of these activities may sometimes be indicators of a person loving God, but they are not the same thing.
So, what does it mean to love God wholeheartedly? I suggest that there is a past, present, and future of loving God.
The PAST of loving God is gratitude and respect because he made us, created us in his image, and continues to give us life. We call him Father because he is like a parent to us. We might call God “abba,” a family term used by children to express their love for their parent who cares for them. But the main past reason why we love God is because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). How has he loved us? “He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:9-10). Our love for God is in response to his love for us.
The PRESENT of loving God is expressed in worship and thanksgiving. We are grateful for his blessings, including family and friends, including our church, including answers to prayer, and for his daily care for us: our daily bread and daily breath. Even during hard times, which occur frequently in our lives for all of us, God is still good and he cares for us. Therefore we love him.
The FUTURE of loving God is our hope for a life that lasts beyond this life. Someday this life will end, but our hope does not have to end. As Paul wrote, “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39) That hope inspires gratitude which inspires our love for him who has loved us in our past, in our present, and in our future.
Greg Giles is a published author, who, along with his wife Jean, has embraced the call to serve and teach around the globe. Their life together has included missionary work in Liberia, Bangladesh, teaching in China, and raising a family in Bemidji, Minnesota. Between global travels and local commitments, including serving as superintendent of Corn Bible Academy and their current part-time roles at Corn Heritage Village, the Gileses have found “home” in many places; yet, they now happily reside in retirement in Cordell.