Rules for Life

Why does God give us rules in the first place?

In Exodus 20, God gives the Ten Commandments to a newly liberated people learning how to live in relationship with God and with one another. Some prohibitions exist because they protect something precious. The commandments protect relationships that God deeply values. Pasted markdown

Centuries later, when Jesus is asked to identify the greatest commandment, he reaches back into the Hebrew Scriptures. From Deuteronomy: love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. From Leviticus: love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus does not introduce love into an otherwise loveless Old Testament. He reveals the love that was there all along. Pasted markdown

But biblical love is more than affection. It involves loyalty, faithfulness, commitment, and action. That makes Jesus’ rule wonderfully simple—and extraordinarily demanding. In difficult meetings, family arguments, disappointments, financial decisions, political disagreements, and encounters with people we simply do not like, we can ask one question:

What does love require of me now?

We may not need to memorize hundreds of laws. Jesus gives us two commands demanding enough to occupy an entire lifetime: Love God. Love your neighbor.