The Great Commandment and Commission

There's quite a connection between the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. Jesus gave us the Great Commandment when a lawyer among the Pharisees asked Him which was the great commandment in the law, hoping to trip Him up. Jesus told him loving God was the greatest but that the second was like it, because we should love others as ourselves.

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 (Matthew 22:37-38).

The Great Commission came at the end of His time on earth, just before he ascended into heaven. Here, He told us to go out and make disciples.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world (Matthew 28:20).

If we love God and love others, we will want to share the gospel

message with them. When we don't, we're really acting selfishly.

Some subconsciously think, if they're going to heaven, then that's all that matters, but that's just not true. If we are belong to Christ, then what matters to Him will matter to us. When we love as He commanded us, the other things in our lives will fall into place. We really don't need to worry about anything else, if we get this right, then we will be following all the other commandments.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matthew 22:40).

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