Jesus answered him: The first of all the commandments is: Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment. The second is this: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is none other commandment greater than these (Mark 12:29-31).

There seem to be much confusion as to what: The Gospel of The Kingdom of God / The Gospel of Jesus Christ; is. Over time our Theologians, teachers, and preachers have moved away from the Core of the Gospel to its periphery; preaching and teaching scriptural concepts that are more acceptable to society, its principles and practices. Such peripheral doctrines, even with Scriptural facts are not only wrong but are ungodly. They setup principalities, businesses, organizations and powers that are dependent on such principles of peripheral doctrines for their very existences that they cannot afford to cause offence to the wider society or they will fail. They choose the most profitable routes. The truth is: The Gospel is not in the least attractive. It speaks against everything that mankind loves and exercise control over; these which lead to destruction. The Gospel advocate those things that we hate and fear most and which lead to everlasting life. To love God and our fellow man; living as God commands us under the Covenant of Grace. God knew from the beginning that we would go astray, so He pointed us; even the Israelites to the one Commandment that would fulfill all the laws. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). For when we learn to love as He has commanded, all the laws are fulfilled. Jesus therefore reiterated this command when a Pharisee, a Lawyer tried to tempt him by asking Him which is the Great Commandment: Jesus in answering said unto him: “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment. The second is this: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. There is none other commandment greater than these. On these two commandments hang all the laws and the prophets”. (Matthew 22: 33-40 & Mark 12:29-31). Note the commandment: “that we love each other as ourselves” is second to the first and there is none following. To ensure that there was no misunderstanding of these Commandments; Christ further broke it down for all, declaring: “A new commandment I give unto you, That you love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love, one to another. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue you in my love. If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this: That a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you.  Henceforth I call you not servants, for the servant knows not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that you love one another”. (John 13:34-35 & 15: 12-17). “You have heard that it had been said: You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you; that you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love them which love you, what reward have you? Do not even the publicans the same? And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be you therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:43-48)

It is of paramount importance that we remember always that it is because: God so Loved; why Christ was born, why He lived, preached, taught, was crucified, died, buried and rose from the dead; that we, who were deep in sin and destined for destruction in hell, may have our sins forgiven and receive eternal life. To love God and our fellow man is a simple process but a difficult one to grasp. One cannot love God and hate his neighbor; neither can one truly love his neighbor and hate God. We need the love of God to love our neighbor and it is by loving our neighbor that the love of God is manifested in our lives. We have known and do believe the love that God has for us. God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God; and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear: because fear has torment. He that fears is not made perfect in love. We love God, because he first loved us. If a man says, I love God, and hate his brother, he is a liar: for if he loves not his brother whom he has seen, he cannot love God whom he has not seen. This commandment we have from him: That he who loves God love his brother also. Whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God: and every one that loves him that begat loves him also that is begotten of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith (John 4:16 - 5:4). God Himself is love. To love God and our neighbor is to fulfill all the Laws and Commandments which preceded the coming of Jesus Christ. For all the law is fulfilled in this; “Thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself” (Galatians 5:14). Love does not work any ill to his neighbour: therefore love fulfills the law (Romans 13:10). This Gospel of Love is a Spiritual thing made perfect in us by God the Holy Spirit. Therefore walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary to each other. Let the Holy Spirit lead you; for when you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. (Galatians 5:16-18). See also (Acts 15: 1 – 30 and Galatians 2: 11 – 16). Though we speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, we are as a sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. Though we have the gift of prophecy, understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though we have all faith, so that we could remove mountains, and have not love, we are nothing. Though we bestow all our goods to feed the poor, give our bodies to be burned, and have not love, it profits us nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love envies not; love vaunts not itself, is not puffed up, does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things. Love never fails: but where there are prophecies, they shall fail; where there are tongues, they shall cease; where there is knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part; but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When we were children, we spoke as children; we understood as children, we thought as children: but when we became adults, we put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now we know in part; but then shall we know even as also we are known. Now abide; faith, hope and love, these three; but the greatest of these is LOVE (1 Corinthians 13). To teach and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God is to teach and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom; to teach and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom is to teach and preach the GOSPEL OF LOVE.

W. Bennett (06/24/09)