The Law of Greatest Love: Dividing the Tables

"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. 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) 

Dividing the Tables

Jesus divides the Law into two general sections, both relating to love: we must love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. The 98th question of the Westminster Larger Catechism asks, "Where is the moral law summarily comprehended?" The answer given is "The moral law is summarily comprehended in the ten commandments, which were delivered by the voice of God upon Mount Sinai, and written by him in two tables of stone; and are recorded in the twentieth chapter of Exodus. The four first commandments containing our duty to God, and the other six our duty to man."

If we list the Ten Commandments out according to this division, we see the following:

Loving God

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, etc.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Loving Neighbor

5. Honour thy father and thy mother, etc.
6. Thou shalt not murder.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, etc.

Since the Ten Commandments are a summary of God's moral law, and a perfect reflection of His own character, everything about how to love God and how to love our neighbors is summed up in the them. One consistent thing we will see in the Ten Commandments is that each commandment contains both positive and negative elements. So every duty commanded also carries a contrary sin forbidden; and every sin forbidden also carries a contrary duty commanded.

For example, the seventh commandment not only forbids adultery, but also commands the duty of loving your spouse. The eight commandment not only forbids stealing, but also commands the duty of seeking our neighbor's welfare. We will consider this reality with each of the Ten Commandments as we address them. Ultimately, we will see that each of these commandments is wrapped up in the word "love", and we will see that "love" is properly defined and clarified in each of the commandments.  

+ Blessings in Christ +

The Law of Greatest Love: Introduction

"For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon Him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day?" (Deuteronomy 4:7-8)

The Law of Greatest Love

In the history of the world, there has never been anything like what Moses and Israel experienced at Mount Sinai. God manifested Himself in a tremendous firestorm of lightning, thunderous booms, smoke, and the trumpet blast (Exodus 19:16-20). The smoke covered the mountain to such an extent that it was no longer visible and the earth quaked and shook. And out of the midst of this terrifying storm, God commanded His people to stay away from the mountain, lest they gaze upon God's glory while still in their sins and be destroyed. But God called for Moses to ascend the mountain, where God wrote with His own finger in stone the Ten Commandments.

These Ten Commandments are the perfect self-revelation of God's own moral character. They are the Law of God written with His own finger (Exodus 34:1). They are perpetually binding on all people, and will never fade away, even into eternity, for they are the full expression of love for God and our neighbor (Matt 22:37-40; Rom 13:8-10; 1 John 2:3-8). Jesus was very clear in the sermon on the mount:

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (Matt 5:17-18)

It is in light of this that I am branching out into a new writing venture, specifically focusing on the Ten Commandments. How can these commandments comprehensively cover our relationship with God with other people around us? Are Christians still obligated to keep them all? What do we do with the hundreds of other commandments in the Bible? Lord willing, we shall seek and discover some answers...

+ Blessings in Christ +