The First and Great Commandment
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All of us, by our very own desire, are lovers of self more than lovers of God, and lovers of sin more than lovers of righteousness. “ For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away." 2Ti 3:2-5 True gospel preaching exposes wickedness and should call its hearers to a radical conversion. It is only through a genuine Christian conversion that a thorough change of heart and life occurs, enabling one to keep the great commandments of Christ: loving God with all one's heart, soul, mind and strength. "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment." Mar 12:30 Today’s preaching is geared toward all the ways you can't keep the first commandment while you are walking in this body of flesh. They even explain in great detail why you don’t have to, while you’re in this mere physical body. Tragically, this type of preaching is weak and powerless for the one who is truly seeking victory in their Christian walk, in this present world or the one seeking after salvation. This will bring a false comfort to the sinner when they really need to be awakened out of their lethal slumber and repent and turn to Christ for a true conversion. " Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;" Act 3:19 Many today believe they have been converted, "They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." Tit 1:16 Yet in today’s churches, obedience to God is not a requirement for the “so called” flock or the preacher. Instead they will preach and teach that you are not able to obedient to the first commandment or anything else as long as you are in this body of flesh. Some preachers tell their people what they want to hear. The motives for doing so are numerous - from larger paychecks, greater applause, and easier circumstances. Why would they want to stifle or hinder someone who really wants to put God first in their life? God’s Word warns that there will be men creeping in unawares and wolves in sheep’s clothing, “evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” 2Ti 3:13, and we are to " Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2Ti 2:15 After much study and prayer, one will come to the realization that true conversion and the first and great commandment will come naturally out of obedience to Christ. Many will say that a Christian can not live for Christ until they leave this world. They will say that your flesh is wicked and you can't deny ungodliness and worldly lust. They will try to cause confusion and darkness and cloud the issue of how they walk in their life. God’s Word teaches us to deny " ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;" Tit 2:12 Could it be that so many people are having trouble with loving God with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. . . that they had no godly sorrow, no repentance. . . which led to a false conversion? Surrendering all to Him can not be accomplished by a 1, 2, 3 repeat after me prayer. "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death." 2Co 7:10. Worldly sorrow does not bring forth true conviction, only Godly sorrow. You have to beckon to the call of the Holy Spirit, to surrender your all, to freely give your all, and to trust and obey. God requires His child to walk after the Spirit, not after the flesh, so "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Rom 8:4 The testimony of Christ needs to be confirmed in us and we are to be a living testimony that others can see Christ in us - how grace has changed our hearts and our walk in life, through the power and partnership of the Holy Spirit. “Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: 1Co 1:6 The whole issue comes down to one simple fact, either you love the Lord thy God completely in all that you say and do or the profession you have made is based on a man-made doctrine of walking after the flesh and continuing in your sin. “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Rom 6:15-16 True converts will be partakers of Christ and will grow in grace and in knowledge, they will learn not to lean on their own understanding, but on God’s grace, the divine influence, which God has given to them that obey Him. If you are in partnership with the Holy Spirit, it will not be hard to love God with all one's heart, soul, mind and strength. Without that partnership, you will be a hearer of the Word only, deceiving your own self and you will not belong to the author of eternal salvation. It all comes down to:
All to Jesus, I surrender; And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. Luk 10:27-28
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