"Teacher, which is the greatest Commandment? And Jesus said, -‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." Matthew 22:36-37

Is there such a thing as the greatest sin? Some might quickly say blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the greatest sin because it is the only sin that one cannot be forgiven of. But blasphemy has broad applications. Since the Holy Spirit is the agency God uses to impart eternal life, to reject it or to deny its role in our life would be blasphemy. But the motivation in the heart that would cause a person to reject God’s Spirit is just as blasphemous as the act itself. God has declared, -"They always go astray in their hearts." Rebellion is always birthed in the heart before it is acted out in the flesh.

We see in today’s text that when asked which of God’s Commandments was the greatest, Jesus replied, -"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind."

Jesus went on to say that all other instruction from God hangs upon this great Commandment, meaning if you will not keep this Commandment you will not obey God in anything else. Jesus would later teach His disciples that their love for Him would be expressed by them keeping His Commandments. Jesus said, -"If you love Me you will keep My Commandments."

John later wrote that the person who says he has come to know God but does not keep His Commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. This person would be living in delusion because love and obedience cannot be separated.

I would argue, to break the greatest Commandment is to commit the greatest sin.

To deny God your love and devotion breaks that Commandment. To practice disobedience is not love. To practice this denial is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and against the will of God, which offered to save you and give you eternal life through Christ, the Spirit. Simply put, if you do not put God first you will never follow or love Him.

 

It seems that every man who beats his wife also declares his love for her and the sad truth is that most of them have deceived themselves into believing that lie. Love is an action not a mere feeling, and love is, as love does.

When Jesus told the Ephesus Church that they had lost their first love, He warned them to "do the things that they did at first." (Rev.2) Actions either prove love or reveal its absence.

There are people who live in a vicious cycle of fight and make up, but what is missing is repentance. Repentance means to change, or turn around - in this case it would mean that the man would stop beating his wife.

What good is it if a man says he loves his wife but beats her or even just neglects her? "Sin is the transgression of the Law." (1 Jo.3)

How does a person know that he is a sinner and is in need of repentance? He is convicted that he has been breaking God’s Law, His Commandments, chief of all, the first and great Commandment.

A convicted heart knows that his sins have caused the cruel crucifixion of Jesus who suffered and died in their place. A convicted heart gratefully, but humbly receives that precious gift to save his soul. And a truly convicted person will never want to live in rebellion against his heavenly Father by breaking His Commandments.