How a Christian should live

Jesus Christ set the principles that determine how a Christian should live. This isn’t a surprise is it given where the ‘Christ’ in ‘Christianity’ comes from!

When he was asked what the greatest commandment was, ‘Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’’ (Matthew 22:35-37 NLT)

There has to be a reason why Jesus chose to give a two-part answer to this question about the greatest commandment. After all, he wasn’t asked what were the greatest two commandments, but he chose to reply the way he did nevertheless. I think he did this because the absence of either part from the other gives an incomplete perspective on what is required to live a Christian life.

To love God has to be the single most important commandment of all. But how do we show that we do indeed love God? That’s where the second part of Jesus’ answer comes in. Showing love to our ‘neighbour’ is how we show our love for God; to love them as ourselves is how we live a Christian life.

The first part is the priority if one had to choose; after all God is the source of everything. And we don’t love God because we love our neighbours. It’s the other way round.

Imagine what the world would be like even now, if every Christian lived as Jesus instructed! There is a time coming when everyone will live like this - forever. The details are readily available to us all in God’s Bible.