Two Commandments

I just learned about an hour ago where in the Bible it says that a man shouldn’t lie with another man.  To say the least, I am not convinced.  There are several books in the Old Testament that are straight out books of laws. If we were to follow all those laws today, then every single one of us should be severely punished.  However, even Jewish people don’t follow every single law in the Old Testament. I realize that they try their best, but it just isn’t possible.  

There are several incidents in the life of Jesus when He broke the law.  He said something to the effect that people had taken the law that was written down and made that more important than God’s law and so He was here to make a new covenant.  He didn’t sit and list an entire book of new laws for one of his disciples to write down into a new book of the Bible because he didn’t need to do so.   Jesus gave us two commandments.  He said that we should hold God above everything else and that we should love one another as we love ourselves.   

For years, I have been writing about these two commandments.  The one thing I can say conclusively is that they are not simple commandments.  They might seem like something easy and simple to do, but they are complex and therefore difficult to put into practice.  However, I also believe that if someone truly takes these commandments into their heart and puts them into practice in their life, then everything else will fall into place.  I believe that God isn’t a God who stands on high decreeing lists of rules to be put into volume and volume for us to learn and follow.  I think that is a man-made construct and that somewhere along the line, man tried to pass it off as God’s word.  Instead, I believe that just like faith and grace, God’s law isn’t something to be learned; it is something to be felt and practiced.  If someone understands and practices God’s law, they might be able to show the same patience, love, and understanding that God demonstrate for each of us.    

My best example of this idea is the current debate about abortion rights.  It isn’t a matter of rule of law.  This situation is about showing patience, respect, love, and understanding to women.  I believe that if we practiced that, then more lives than ever would be saved.  It’s a pity that no one in power can understand that. 

My faith saved me.  May God’s peace reside in all of our hearts. 

Be First to Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *