What is the Most Important Commandment?

Jesus was asked this very question. He told us the most important commandment was the first one. Thou shall love your God with all your heart. The second commandment was to love each other. It was these two commandments, and these two only, that Jesus mentioned. From these two all the other commandments that we know so well are underpinned. The other commandments that Moses brought to us from God cannot be followed without these first two. God is love and all are based on love. We should try to follow him as he would want us to.

We have to try our best to follow and respect the commandments that God gave us. The important thing is to be true to God. He wants us to be considerate of others and not be thinking about ourselves all the time. We need to respect the commandments, not just as a law imposed upon us, but as something we really believe wholeheartedly.

Jesus’ command to love others as ourselves – not in spite of ourselves, is an affirming statement, so whilst we must put God and his will first, then the needs of others will be fulfilled. We must always love ourselves too as he loves us as we are.

The two commandments Jesus gave us are greater than the commandments of Moses because it requires a considerate approach to living your life and the way you interact with people in the community and wider world.