What God Requires of Us

"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" (Matt. 22:36 ESV)
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Question 41: What is the sum of the ten commandments?
Answer: The sum of the ten commandments is to love the Lord our God with all our
heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbor
as ourselves. (Matthew 22:37-40)
 
In Matthew 22 Jesus is asked by a lawyer which is the greatest commandment in the Law, and he responds by saying, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  But then he says something quite interesting.  He then says, “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”  In other words, everything in the Ten Commandments and, in fact, all of God's laws can be summed up with these two commandments.  This makes sense when we consider the way in which the two tables of the Decalogue are divided.  The first table, commandments one through four have to do with loving God—you shall have no other gods before Him; you shall not make any carved images or bow down to them; you shall not take the Lord’s name in vain, and you shall keep the Sabbath day.  The second table of the Law has to do with loving your neighbor—you shall honor your father and mother; you shall not murder, commit adultery, lie, steal, or covet.  Thus, all the laws of God can be summed up in these two.  Seek to love God with everything that is within you, to love him supremely, and bring honor to him in all that you do, say, and think.  And seek to love those around you to the extent that you strive to love, care for, and cherish yourself.  It’s human nature to put ourselves first.  Thus, loving others as we love ourselves means putting others first.