September 1st, 2025
by John W. Herbst, PhD
by John W. Herbst, PhD
Matthew 22:36–40
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
This passage sets the standard for the Christian’s behavior: we accept Christ’s command to love God beyond all else in our lives. Where we disagree, however, is what we must do to love God. What does loving God look like?
In verse 37, Jesus quotes Deut 6:5. The book of Deuteronomy is structured as a kind of “emperor/vassal” contract, in which the emperor promises blessings and the vassal declares love and service, promising to honor and obey the emperor. “Love” in Deuteronomy 6:5 refers to following God’s commands in general, so many Christians understand Jesus’s citation of this verse to mean that we should investigate and obey biblical rules and principles as best we can.
Learning and obeying rules is not a bad way to begin the task of loving God. Yet this is not quite what Jesus has in mind, as he follows this first command with one that is “like” it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” While this second command seems clear enough, what does loving other people have to do with loving God?
One clue is the clause that begins verse 39: “and the second is like it.” This looks strange, as the two commands appear very different from each other. We typically think of loving God as a matter of obedience. Therefore, in Deuteronomy, loving God entails practices such as observing the Ten Commandments, establishing a just society, and worshiping God respectfully. Loving others as we love ourselves is more about treating others with kindness and understanding, as per the Golden Rule. So how are these two commandments like each other?
To see the connection, it helps to recognize the Law of Matthew 22 as a system for obeying God. The Law tells us how God wants us to behave. Christians are often inclined to set Old Testament Law against New Testament Grace, but the New Testament itself is more nuanced. While the Law cannot save us, the New Testament nevertheless encourages us to know and obey it. We demonstrate our love for God by obeying the Law that God has given us in the Bible.
This is essentially Paul’s argument in Romans 2:12–15, that the law helps us to distinguish God’s will from sinful behavior – God’s view of Right and Wrong. But when we accept that the Law exists to guide our behavior, we run into the difficulty of interpretation. It’s easy to say, “Obey the Ten Commandments.” But is it acceptable, or even right, to tell your boss that you think his new policy is great when you think it has problems? What does it mean to “take the Lord’s name in vain?” How do we honor sinful parents? There are many, many scenarios in which the Law does not clarify what God wants us to do. So how do we know what to do to demonstrate love for God?
In two of his letters Paul gives us a clear answer. Amid a discourse about how God expects us to behave, he proclaims, “for the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Galatians 5:14). And to develop this idea, he offers,
8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”[a] and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:8–10).
In other words, for the Christian all Old Testament Law is subject to the overriding command, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The reason that God forbids adultery and murder and stealing and coveting is that these are unloving behaviors; they harm others. So even the Ten Commandments must not be observed slavishly, but thoughtfully: at times, the best way to love someone may be to say “that speech was great!” when it really wasn’t, or to take a work shift on a Sunday so that a co-worker can attend to a family need.
So if the Law exists to teach us how to love God, and since the Law can be summarized as, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” it follows that the best way to love God is to love other people. “Love your neighbor as yourself” is the Christian’s primary task.
What about evangelism? I agree with most Baptists that making disciples (the ruling clause of Matt 28:19–20, the Great Commission) is the core of our mission. Yet according to the New Testament, even evangelism can only be effective when it comes from a place of love (1 Cor 7:1).
For many of us, it’s uncomfortable to talk about love as the church’s main objective. We may be more used to teachings about the work of Christ on the cross, sin and repentance, or personal spiritual growth. To be sure, these are all worthy of attention. But if we take the New Testament seriously, our main focus as Christ’s body in Hampton Roads in 2025 must be loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. When we do not stress this, we cannot claim to be putting God first.
Next week, I’ll be drilling down on how to go about loving our neighbor.
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
This passage sets the standard for the Christian’s behavior: we accept Christ’s command to love God beyond all else in our lives. Where we disagree, however, is what we must do to love God. What does loving God look like?
In verse 37, Jesus quotes Deut 6:5. The book of Deuteronomy is structured as a kind of “emperor/vassal” contract, in which the emperor promises blessings and the vassal declares love and service, promising to honor and obey the emperor. “Love” in Deuteronomy 6:5 refers to following God’s commands in general, so many Christians understand Jesus’s citation of this verse to mean that we should investigate and obey biblical rules and principles as best we can.
Learning and obeying rules is not a bad way to begin the task of loving God. Yet this is not quite what Jesus has in mind, as he follows this first command with one that is “like” it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” While this second command seems clear enough, what does loving other people have to do with loving God?
One clue is the clause that begins verse 39: “and the second is like it.” This looks strange, as the two commands appear very different from each other. We typically think of loving God as a matter of obedience. Therefore, in Deuteronomy, loving God entails practices such as observing the Ten Commandments, establishing a just society, and worshiping God respectfully. Loving others as we love ourselves is more about treating others with kindness and understanding, as per the Golden Rule. So how are these two commandments like each other?
To see the connection, it helps to recognize the Law of Matthew 22 as a system for obeying God. The Law tells us how God wants us to behave. Christians are often inclined to set Old Testament Law against New Testament Grace, but the New Testament itself is more nuanced. While the Law cannot save us, the New Testament nevertheless encourages us to know and obey it. We demonstrate our love for God by obeying the Law that God has given us in the Bible.
This is essentially Paul’s argument in Romans 2:12–15, that the law helps us to distinguish God’s will from sinful behavior – God’s view of Right and Wrong. But when we accept that the Law exists to guide our behavior, we run into the difficulty of interpretation. It’s easy to say, “Obey the Ten Commandments.” But is it acceptable, or even right, to tell your boss that you think his new policy is great when you think it has problems? What does it mean to “take the Lord’s name in vain?” How do we honor sinful parents? There are many, many scenarios in which the Law does not clarify what God wants us to do. So how do we know what to do to demonstrate love for God?
In two of his letters Paul gives us a clear answer. Amid a discourse about how God expects us to behave, he proclaims, “for the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Galatians 5:14). And to develop this idea, he offers,
8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”[a] and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:8–10).
In other words, for the Christian all Old Testament Law is subject to the overriding command, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The reason that God forbids adultery and murder and stealing and coveting is that these are unloving behaviors; they harm others. So even the Ten Commandments must not be observed slavishly, but thoughtfully: at times, the best way to love someone may be to say “that speech was great!” when it really wasn’t, or to take a work shift on a Sunday so that a co-worker can attend to a family need.
So if the Law exists to teach us how to love God, and since the Law can be summarized as, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” it follows that the best way to love God is to love other people. “Love your neighbor as yourself” is the Christian’s primary task.
What about evangelism? I agree with most Baptists that making disciples (the ruling clause of Matt 28:19–20, the Great Commission) is the core of our mission. Yet according to the New Testament, even evangelism can only be effective when it comes from a place of love (1 Cor 7:1).
For many of us, it’s uncomfortable to talk about love as the church’s main objective. We may be more used to teachings about the work of Christ on the cross, sin and repentance, or personal spiritual growth. To be sure, these are all worthy of attention. But if we take the New Testament seriously, our main focus as Christ’s body in Hampton Roads in 2025 must be loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. When we do not stress this, we cannot claim to be putting God first.
Next week, I’ll be drilling down on how to go about loving our neighbor.
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