Fulfilling The Greatest Commandment

Deuteronomy 6:4-5

⁴“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! ⁵You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

The word ‘heart’ from the hebrew speaks of the intention and will of the whole man,
The word ‘soul’ refers to the entire being – the unity of flesh will and spirit
‘Strength’ refers to a superlative degree of commitment to the Lord

This gives an Old Testament insight into the Triunity of God, and shows how man as a trichotomy is a reflection of God:

‘Heart’ speaks of The Father – the one who wills,
‘Soul’ speaks of the Son – God in flesh,
‘Strength’ speaks of the Holy Spirit’s total working out of God’s will in our lives.

Mark 12:29-30

²⁹Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

What is it to love the Lord with all our mind? ‘mind’ speaks of disposition, meditation, understanding, way of thinking and feeling, moral reflection and it is this mind that is being renewed by the Holy Spirit. Faith turns the command into a promise and God says” By the time I have finished with you, you will love the Lord your God with your entire being.”

God is at work to bring about that relationship of love and obedience and the work takes place in our minds to enable us to think correctly about Him, His Word, the cross….. The problem is not that the commands are too difficult but rather that we are approaching the problem with the wrong mindset …