Jesus said the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and the second is like it: to love your neighbor as yourself.
He said on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:37-40). Les Feldick emphasizes that love is the fulfilling of the law, and he summarizes the believer's walk as love for God and love for other people.
Matthew 22:37-39 — This is the passage where Jesus directly names the two greatest commandments in answer to a lawyer's question.
In Matthew 22, a lawyer asked Jesus which is the great commandment in the law. Jesus answered, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40)
Les points out that the Ten Commandments were written on tables of stone and could do nothing but condemn; they had no power to help someone obey. Even the command to love the Lord thy God cannot be forced—love must spring from within (Clip 7). He repeatedly teaches that love is the fulfilling of the law, so that when love is operating, believers don't commit adultery, kill, bear false witness, or covet. Any other command, he says, is summed up as loving one's neighbor as oneself (Clips 1, 3). Les says he puts two lines on the board that confine believers under grace: love for the One who bought us on one side, and love for other people on the other side (Clip 5). He also observes that under grace Paul repeats nine of the Ten Commandments, but never the Sabbath (Clips 1, 5).
Jesus said, "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:40). Les Feldick teaches that love is the fulfilling of the law. When love is operating, the believer will not commit adultery, kill, bear false witness, or covet; and if there is any other commandment, it is to love your neighbor as yourself (Clip 1). He describes the Christian life under grace as being kept between two lines—love for God and love for other people (Clip 5).
Les observes that while Paul repeats nine of the Ten Commandments in his epistles, he never mentions the Sabbath. Les concludes that believers under grace have nothing to do with that commandment, while the other nine remain part and parcel of Christian experience (Clips 1, 5).
Les points to the commandment "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God" and notes that no one can force another person to love. Love has to spring from within. The law, written on stone, could do nothing but convict and condemn; it had no power to make a person love (Clip 7).
The Ten Commandments Explained: Why "Love" Isn't Mentioned
Now, when you really think about it, and that's what I try to get people to do, I mean, when you get up in the morning and you begin your day's work and you've got a little time to do some other thinking, I want you to mull these things over.
Love Fulfills the Law
Les teaches that when love is operating, believers don't violate the commandments, and any other commandment is summed up as loving your neighbor as yourself. He also notes Paul repeats nine of the Ten Commandments, but not the Sabbath.
Love Is the Greatest
Les teaches that of faith, hope, and love, the greatest is love, and that without love it is impossible to please God.
Love Fulfills the Law at the Cross
Les connects love as the fulfilling of the law to the cross, where Christ's love for lost mankind fulfilled the law.
Why the Law Can't Save You — Romans 7:5-14 Explained
Well, those of you who've been in my evening classes, you know. This is the one commandment out of the ten that has to always be committed first. Yeah, that makes you frown. I don't blame you. You cannot kill unless you covet. You cannot steal unless you covet. You cannot commit adultery unless you covet. You cannot destroy someone's character with false gossip unless you covet.
Two Lines: Love for God and Love for Others
Les draws two lines that confine believers under grace: love for God on one side and love for other people on the other. This mirrors Jesus' two greatest commandments.
The Righteousness of God Without the Law Explained
You can keep the commandments till you're blue in the face, and it's not going to cut any muster at the great white throne. And you remember Jesus Himself told so many, and they all say in that day, but Lord, didn't I this, and didn't I that? And He'll say, depart from Me, I never knew you. And why didn't He know them? Because they had never come God's way.
Love Cannot Be Forced
Les says the first commandment, to love the Lord thy God, cannot be forced; love must spring from within, and the law could only convict and condemn.
Matthew 22:37: Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Jesus states the first and greatest commandment.
Matthew 22:38: This is the first and great commandment.
Jesus identifies this as the greatest of all commandments.
Matthew 22:39: And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Jesus says the second greatest commandment is love for one's neighbor.
Matthew 22:40: On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Jesus says these two commands are the foundation of the entire law.
Jesus said the first and greatest commandment is to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, and mind. The second is like it: to love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:37-40).
Les teaches that love is the fulfilling of the law. He says when love is operating, believers won't commit adultery, kill, bear false witness, or covet. He also draws two lines that confine believers under grace: love for God and love for other people.
No. Les points out that Paul repeats nine of the Ten Commandments under grace, but never the Sabbath. Les says believers have nothing to do with that commandment.
Watch the Teaching: The Ten Commandments Explained: Why "Love" Isn't Mentioned