One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
—Mark 12:28-34
Want to know if you’re in the right church? Go up to your pastor and ask him or her this: “You’ve convinced me—I want to be like Christ. I understand that the only way I can truly live an abundant life and exist in a way that is in harmony with God and the reason he created me is be Jesus. Now, tell me exactly how I do it.”
If he or she doesn’t lead with the commandments above, I’d start questioning whether this was the right place or not.
The commandments to love and understand and serve God with all that we’ve got and to love everyone we encounter like we ourselves would like to be loved is the basis of a practical theology that works. A practical theology is simply a means of how everyday people can interact with God in a way he intends us to interact with him and fulfill his purpose for our existence.
The two commandments Jesus points out in this passage are very clearly our number one and number two priorities. They are a Christ follower’s primary filtering system. They are what drive our thinking, our speech, and our actions. They are the very foundation of us beginning to take on a Christ-likeness.
Let’s look at number one: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” Jesus’ student elaborates: “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
Our primary relationship is with God. Our job is to seek him with all of our heart. That means that our pursuing him, our growing in understanding of him, and fostering a growth in our spiritual strength in him is the first and foremost task as a Christ follower. Does something beside God occupy your heart? It MUST be replaced by God. Or, in other words, we have to filter what we allow into our hearts with the mindset of how does God see this and what is the importance of this to God.
Let’s look at the relationship of spouses. Throughout Scripture, it’s obvious that God created marriage, supports marriage, and encourages marriage between a man and a woman. It is the primary vehicle and metaphor for our relationship with God. We are in intimate relationship with another individual that bonds two souls together like no other relationship. Yet, it is temporary in every instance (Mark 12:18-27). The temporary spousal relationship was never intended to replace our eternal relationship with God. Instead, it is meant to intensify and bring meaning to our relationship with God.
We can also allow thoughts, words, images, habits, and addictions into our hearts. As you are reading the words of this article, you are making incremental decisions on what you will accept and what you will reject. You will choose to either allow these words to impact and change your heart or you will continue along your merry way. It either fits into your personal practical theology or it does not (and we all have one—even the atheist). In regards to habits, they are practices we do repeatedly out of desire or compulsion. For a Christ follower, it is vital that we review our habits through the God filter. Do our habits supercede God? If they do, they must go or be controlled. The same goes for addictions. The spiritual discipline of fasting is designed to help us temper and control habits and addictions that often separate us from God.
To love our neighbor or everyone we encounter, is the outward reflection of how we love our God. It is impossible to love God and hate others—or worse, deny that they even exist. World hunger, poverty, injustice, and war are undeniable indicators that the world is full of God haters. As Christ followers, it is our task to overcome this hate through love. Every time we extend our hearts, our hands, our time, and our resources to help others, to love others, we combat evil. We partner with God. We bring heaven to earth.
Jesus’ reply to his student on hearing his understanding of the two great commandments: “You are not far from the kingdom of heaven.” To understand these commandments puts us close to the kingdom of God. To implement them daily—relentlessly loving God with all our being and reaching out to others with heart and hands of Christ—makes us a part of the kingdom. That’s a practical theology we can embrace and practice simply, humbly, and with integrity, no matter what church we attend.
