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The summary of the law
When Jesus was teaching and preaching, the people noticed that He was teaching with authority. And they were right, since Jesus was not an ordinary human, but the Son of God! But the religious leaders were skeptical, since they considered Jesus a threat for their own position. Therefore, they wanted to test him with some complicated questions about the law, which was their field of expertise.
When Jesus was asked which is the great commandment, He did not pick one of the Ten Commandments. He quoted a summary of the law as written down in Deuteronomy 6:5, which requires us to love God above everything else and other people as ourselves. This is indeed a good summary: “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Romans 13:10)
Reading about the Ten Commandments, you may have kept a mental checklist about which commandments you have kept and which ones you don’t manage to keep. But Jesus’ summary makes clear that God’s law doesn’t work that way. It is a coherent unity, not a random collection of commandments. Moreover, it is not focused on outward behavior but on our heart attitude.
Do you love God and other people?
Scripture
About this Plan
God gave the Israelites instructions on how to serve Him and how to treat fellow people. These “ten commandments” were like a constitution designed by God Himself, meant for his glory and the well-being of the people. They are still a valuable guideline for our life with God and with other people. This Reading Plan studies all ten commandments and the summary that Jesus gave us.
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