“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40).
Jesus summed up the law in this Scripture. He pointed out that loving God and loving people is what the law is designed to produce, When we love God we worship Him naturally. When we love others we don’t hurt or abuse them. We aren’t just rules-keepers now; we have a loving relationship with our Father in heaven and with each other. We who have received God’s grace are changed by Him so we show graciousness to others.
Religion without faith in Jesus won’t change our lives. Jesus lived in a culture that was obsessed with religion. Many of the religious leaders were fanatically zealous in following the explicit rules that they had added to God’s Law. Yet, they lacked the love that produces compassion and mercy. They were harsh and judgmental. Religious leaders were even responsible for executing Jesus because He interfered with their practice of religion.
Religious rules can be practiced without love. Faith in Jesus is different. It produces love that reaches out to others. When I was in India I read an article entitled, “What India Owes Christianity.” The article cited 620 hospitals, 86 leprosy centers, 713 orphanages and 87 homes for the aged, all existing because of Christianity. That’s what love will do and it’s the difference faith in Jesus has made, not just in India, but in the world. What the world needs is the love that comes through faith in Christ. The law was designed to produce loving relationships, not religious bondage. That love is what Jesus has given us by God’s grace and it’s what we offer others.
