What is the greatest commandment?

[r~]

What is the greatest commandment?

The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and the second is like it: Love your neighbor as your self.

Are these two separate commandments? 0r Are these simply different ways of Wording the same command?

ItS
peace
ron

[Elijah John]

[Replying to post 1 by r~]

Although they are cited as two, Jesus links them together with the word "like" as in "the second is like it"

The way I understand it is that is his way of saying that both commandments have equal weight, and that they are dependent upon one another.

[Divine Insight]

The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and the second is like it: Love your neighbor as your self.

I have always found these saying rather trivial and empty.

To begin with how, or why, should we love a God that we supposedly can't even know anything about save for descriptions given in biblical stories? It is very difficult for me to love the God described in the Old Testament, which is the God that Jesus was supposedly referring to.

Secondly, Jesus is saying to love your neighbor as your self, but he never really gets into the philosophy of loving your self. He just seems to be assuming that you naturally love your self. But some people do not love themselves. We know this to be a fact.

I think Fred Rogers of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood has done a much better job of trying to teach children to love themselves than Jesus ever did.

In fact, many sects of Christendom act like self-love is some sort of sin. But clearly if you are to love you neighbor as your self, you had better love your self first.

In fact, this is true also if you hope to love a God. You need to love yourself before you can even think of loving a God. In fact, it would be an oxymoron to claim to love God but not love yourself. That would imply that you don't really like yourself very much but you love God for having created you anyway. It seems to me that before you can appreciate a creator you had darn well better appreciate the created first.

I don't see how anyone could ever love a God more than they love their own self. That makes no sense, and anyone who claims to do that is most likely just creating a delusion of humble piety in their own mind thinking that this will somehow place them in greater favor with the God.

If we love a God it's only because we love what has been created and we want to then credit the God for the creation that we actually do love.

It simply makes no sense to love a creator if you don't first love the creation.

[JoeyKnothead]

From the OP:

What is the greatest commandment?

Don't push the old lady in the pond on the same day she done had her hair did, and for sure not to ever do it if'n she ain't made nothing to eat yet, on that day there, that it is she had her hair did.

The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and the second is like it: Love your neighbor as your self.

If the Lord my God wanted him some loving, he'd best start out paying some bills, or helping brew the hooch, and the not pushing the old lady in the pond on the hair getting done day there, 'cause we spoke about that.

Are these two separate commandments? Or Are these simply different ways of Wording the same command?

Different'ns.

I can confirm I have a neighbor, if it's a long walk to do it.

I've yet to hear me the first god utter him the first command.

But I'm here to tell it, you'll catch you an earful on a-pushin' that pretty thing in the pond after she's gone to the beauty palace.

"God's Commandments" mean no more to me than I need to wake up extra early just to catch the weather reports - 'cause I'm too ignorant to step outside, and can't tell when it's wet, or if it's dry, if'n I did take that step.

Edit: I extrawordulated.

[mwtech]

I think the verse intends to say that the greatest commandment is love. The Bible says in John 14:15 ""If you love me, keep my commands." So to do Gods commands is to love him. And you can't love God without loving your neighbor. They are one and the same. That is what I was taught in my church. It made sense to me.

[1213]

What is the greatest commandment?

The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and the second is like it: Love your neighbor as your self.

Are these two separate commandments? 0r Are these simply different ways of Wording the same command?

According to the Bible, love of God means this:

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. His commandments are not grievous.
1 John 5:3

If we love God, we keep his commandments. And that means we love our neighbor. So I think they are almost the same, because the first is what makes person love his neighbor.

[Elijah John]

What is the greatest commandment?

The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and the second is like it: Love your neighbor as your self.

Are these two separate commandments? 0r Are these simply different ways of Wording the same command?

According to the Bible, love of God means this:

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. His commandments are not grievous.
1 John 5:3

If we love God, we keep his commandments. And that means we love our neighbor. So I think they are almost the same, because the first is what makes person love his neighbor.

I think you make an important point, that observance of the first helps a person keep the second.

[bluethread]

The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and the second is like it: Love your neighbor as your self.

I have always found these saying rather trivial and empty.

To begin with how, or why, should we love a God that we supposedly can't even know anything about save for descriptions given in biblical stories? It is very difficult for me to love the God described in the Old Testament, which is the God that Jesus was supposedly referring to.

Then He isn't your god is He?

Secondly, Jesus is saying to love your neighbor as your self, but he never really gets into the philosophy of loving your self. He just seems to be assuming that you naturally love your self. But some people do not love themselves. We know this to be a fact.

I think Fred Rogers of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood has done a much better job of trying to teach children to love themselves than Jesus ever did.

Are you aware that Mr. Rogers claimed to be His follower?

In fact, many sects of Christendom act like self-love is some sort of sin. But clearly if you are to love you neighbor as your self, you had better love your self first.

In fact, this is true also if you hope to love a God. You need to love yourself before you can even think of loving a God. In fact, it would be an oxymoron to claim to love God but not love yourself. That would imply that you don't really like yourself very much but you love God for having created you anyway. It seems to me that before you can appreciate a creator you had darn well better appreciate the created first.

Wow, lots of facts today. Can you tell me which sects those are and what of all of the others? For example, what about the Presbyterian sect, of which Mr. Rogers was one? Also, do you have empirical evidence to support those facts?

I don't see how anyone could ever love a God more than they love their own self. That makes no sense, and anyone who claims to do that is most likely just creating a delusion of humble piety in their own mind thinking that this will somehow place them in greater favor with the God.

If we love a God it's only because we love what has been created and we want to then credit the God for the creation that we actually do love.

It simply makes no sense to love a creator if you don't first love the creation.

Whatever makes you feel good about yourself.

[alive]

I think since it was a man that wrote them which in all purposes was the closest thing to god I would go with..

"Thou shalt have no other gods before me"

Man.

[r~]

0ops I dood it again
5. How many ways of stating all of the above might there be according to you?
I will agree with the Random Ramblings of Joey and all god’s children and penguins that reveal innumerable ways of stating the greatest command.

6. Is “Thou shall not judge and condemn the sins of others.� A. re: state 0f the greatest command?

kind and well reasoned responses are all ways greatly appreciated
ron


def: God
the shiny force that creates and guides the universe and mankind
img: flesh and mankind and words and bibles
syn: poetry