The Great Commandment - Can I Fulfill It?

FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. A.
QUARCOO
THE GREAT COMMANDMENT CAN I FULFILL IT?

BY REV. ABRAHAM QUARCOO
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FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. A. QUARCOO

God gave the people of Israel many commandments and laws. What they did with the commandments and laws determined their righteousness before God 1. However, by its very nature, the law was given to show how impossible it is for us to fulfil. Of all the commandments however, one was universally acclaimed as the greatest of all.
Matthew 22:35-40 (KJV) Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, [36] Master, which is the great commandment in the law? [37] Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. [38] This is the first and great commandment. [39] And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. [40] On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Here Jesus Christ clearly identifies the greatest or first commandment and also adds the second. He further adds that the whole Law and the prophets are based on these two commandments. This shows how important these two
commandments are. These commandments were not just first in order, but the first in weight and dignity. prophecy loses its meaning. Without them, every other commandment and The word used for first in the original Greek That is how
language is the word protos, which means chief or principal. important this law is. You may call it the mother of all laws.

Even the lawyers, who were always at odds with Christ, also agreed that it was the greatest commandment. Commandment with eternal life: Interestingly, one of them linked the Great
Luke 10:25-29 (KJV) And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? [26] He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? [27] And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. [28] And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. [29] But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
Today, many religions all over the world have as their cardinal objective to love God with all their hearts and souls. This agrees with what God originally gave to Moses [Deut. 6:4-9 (KJV)], and confirmed by both the Lord Jesus Christ and his opponents. So we see that in Judaism, Christianity, and in many other world religions, there is total agreement that the greatest law is to love God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength, and to love our neighbours as ourselves.
How do we love God? If loving God is the greatest commandment, how do we then show or demonstrate our love to God? Many peoples and religions have their own way of

demonstrating their love for God and man. In Jesus day, the Pharisees and Scribes developed elaborate ways to do this for all to see.
Matthew 23:5 (KJV) But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
Phylacteries were prayer boxes. Modern day Jews call it tephillin. They consisted of strips of parchment on which were inscribed these four texts: Exodus 13:1-10; 11-16; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Deuteronomy 11:18-21, and which were enclosed in a square leather case. These were worn on the forehead or on the left arm near the elbow. The Scribes and the Pharisees enlarged their
phylacteries to be prominent, thus showing their zeal or love for God. But Jesus said this was only for a show. Other things they did included making long
prayers and even making some converts to Judaism2. They had special rites for washing hands before eating. They were so meticulous with the Law of Moses that their interpretation of it produced voluminous books that received more credence from them than the Law itself3.
Most of the great religions we know today also have their own ceremonial rituals and rites that are supposed to show their love for God and demonstrate how close they are to Him. These include the use of religious paraphernalia in prayer, wearing of particular attires, prayer a number of times each day. Some also

believe that giving to the poor shows their love for God, so they have become philanthropists. Some have created their own moral code, which they believe shows their love. So they boast of not doing such and such immoral acts.
Others have also made a religion of social justice and believe that so long as they fight for the cause of the poor and needy, they are demonstrating their love for God. Yet others include taking communion at church, being constant at
church, regularity at confession, and reciting certain prayers so many times a day. The list may be endless and it must be emphasised that most of these things are not bad in themselves. However, do these things really show our love for God? More importantly, does God accept these things as indications of true love for Him? I beg to differ on biblical grounds.
Jesus Christ told some people in the book of Matthew:
Matthew 5:20 (KJV) For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
The Pharisees were the limit in human attempts to please God through selfeffort. They were so scrupulous in their attempt to love God. However, it was only an outward show. Such efforts are called religion, and it is the human attempt to reach out to God in order to gain His favour. The Pharisees

weakness was that they were content to obey the laws outwardly without allowing God to change their hearts (or attitudes). No matter your religious
creed, the Bible describes such attempts to prove our love for God as filthy rags.
Isaiah 64:6 (KJV) But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Jesus was saying that his listeners needed a different kind of righteousness altogether (love and obedience), not just a more intense version of the Pharisees righteousness (legal compliance)4. Our love for God must: (1) Come from what God does in us, not what we can do by ourselves, (2) Be God-centred, not self-centred, (3) Be based on reverence for God, not approval from people, and (4) Go beyond keeping the law to living by the principles behind the law.
Salvation is entirely the result of grace. It is something we receive. Paul wrote to the Ephesians:
Ephes. 2:10 (KJV) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Good works do not produce salvation, but they are the product or result of salvation. Put in other words, without Christ, good works are but filthy rags. John Stott wrote: Good works are indispensable to salvation not as its ground or means, however, but as its consequence and evidence.
The condition of the human heart The Great Commandment expects us to love God with all our hearts. A study of the scriptures however convinces us that with the natural condition of the human heart, it is impossible to love God as expected. The prophet Jeremiah gave us a glimpse into human nature when he stated:
Jeremiah 17:9 (NLT) The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? Darbys Translation makes interesting reading: Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and incurable; who can know it? (DBY) [Emphasis added] The book of Ephesians also gives us an idea of how God sees the natural human heart. Every man born of woman is: Dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). Without Christ we are dead and hence cannot communicate with or respond to God.
FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. A. QUARCOO Without God. [Gk. Separately/apart from.] This is a terrible situation to be in,
but that is where you are without Christ. He lives under the influence of the prince of the power of the air. (Eph. 2: 3). Without Christ, satan controls you.
Without hope. (Ephesians 2:12) There is absolutely no hope for us without

Christ.
Children of wrath by nature. The man without Christ is bound for destruction.
Eph. 2: 12. Lives according to the dictates of the flesh and mind. Children of disobedience. We have no real capacity to obey or love God. Ephesians 2:2.
Understanding darkened. [Gk. To obscure]. It is not possible for the man

without Christ to understand the things of God. Eph. 4: 18.
Vanity of mind. [Gk. Inutility, transient, empty, profitless]. Eph. 4: 17. Alienated from the life of God. [Gk. Non participant. To estrange away]. The
life of God is not in him. He is alien to Gods nature. Eph. 4: 17.
Blindness of heart. [Gk. Stupidity of callousness] Eph. 4: 18.

Blinded by the enemy. Veil placed over spiritual eyes. 1Cor. 4:4.
Past feeling. [To become apathetic]. Eph. 4:19.
Clearly such a person is not capable of loving God so as to fulfill the Great Commandment.
Psalm 14 also describes our condition without Gods help;
Psalm 14:1-3 (NLT) For the choir director: A psalm of David. Only fools say in their hearts, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; no one does good! [2] The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if there is even one with real understanding, one who seeks for God. [3] But no, all have turned away from God; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not even one! [Emphasis mine]
The apostle Paul sums it all up for us: As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: Romans 3:10 (KJV)
As to love, the Bible even makes it clear that it is only the Holy Spirit that brings the love of God into our hearts. So it is humanly impossible to love God as He ought to be loved, on our own initiative and power. See what the word says:
Romans 5:5 (KJV) And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. [Emphasis mine]
Now the question is if God knew that we could in no way fulfil the Great Commandment, why did He put it in His word and make it the foundation on

which all the Law and the prophets hang. I believe the primary purpose of the Great Commandment was to reveal to us our utter helplessness to please God on our own, and to point us to the One who alone had the ability to fulfil the Law. This person is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He said;
Matthew 5:17 (NLT) "Don't misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the Law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to fulfil them.
Apart from revealing to us our utter helplessness in fulfilling the Great Commandment, which is the foundation of all the Law of Moses, the Great Commandment was to point us to the One who would fulfil it and put it into our hearts when He comes into our lives. The Bible says; Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (KJV) The Twelfth Century New Testament makes it clearer:
Galatians 3: 24 Thus the Law has proved a guide to lead us to Christ, in order that we may be pronounced righteous as the result of faith (believing in Him). (TCNT) [Emphasis mine]
Prophetically, Moses intimated to Israel in Deuteronomy that, the possibility of loving God with all their hearts, souls, mind and strength could only happen when

God Himself had circumcised their hearts. This circumcision of the heart, which implies the remission of sins, and purification of the soul from all unrighteousness, would not be possible until God does it through the Messiah Jesus Christ.
Deut. 30:6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. (KJV)
Again, we see that the whole issue of loving God, as we ought can only happen through the mercy of God. John Wesley noted concerning this scripture, This promise principally respects the times of the gospel, and the grace which was to be then imparted to all Israel by Christ. Paul confirms this inward circumcision necessary for loving God in the book of Romans:
Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Col 2:11 In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not performed by hand, when you threw off your sinful nature in true Christian circumcision [being born-again]; (WNT) [Emphasis added]

Without this circumcision of heart described above, no man born of woman can fulfil the Great Commandment.
The Power and Influence of the Gospel of Christ Leaven (yeast) is used to bake bread. In the Bible, it is used to illustrate the influence of sin and corruption. However, there were also positive examples of its use. Our Saviour adopts it as illustrating the growth of the kingdom of heaven in the individual heart and in the world at large. We see this in the book of Matthew:
Matthew 13:33 (KJV) Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened. [Emphasis added]
It is significant that Jesus said three measures of meal. Man is a tripartite being. Man is a spirit with a soul and lives in a body (1 Thess. 5:23). The Great
Commandment also expects us to love God with with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. Clearly, Jesus was saying that the power and influence of the gospel must affect all these areas. Like the woman hid the leaven in the meal, God puts the power of the gospel into our hearts, our spirits when we receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and saviour. The gospel is is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek5. And just like the leaven spreads its power and influence

throughout all the three measures of meal, the power of the gospel spreads its influence of love from within our spirits into our souls, minds and it ultimately manifests in our outward conduct. fulfilled to the letter. Fulfilling the Second Commandment Mr 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. (KJV) In this way, the Great Commandment is
In Luke 10:30-37, Jesus links the story of the Good Samaritan with the second commandment. This was in response to someone who wanted to find out Jesus definition of neighbour. From that story, we discover that the person who
qualifies to be called a neighbour is the one who had the grace to take time off his busy schedule and take the half-dead traveller to an inn, after administering oil and wine to his wounds.
Briefly, the half-dead man represents all sinners. Before we gave our lives to Christ, we were all dead in sin6. Although we were physically strong and
healthy, spiritually, we were dead. As it were, we were half dead. Just like the wounded man was travelling the same road with the Good Samaritan, we are all in this life on our way to the next life. Like the Good Samaritan, the greatest love we can show, is to administer the oil and wine, which represents the anointing of the Holy Spirit and the blood of Jesus Christ, to our wounded and half-dead fellow travellers in life who are still in sin. This is what we call evangelism.

Through evangelism, we spread the love of God to our neighbours. In essence, the second commandment is the Great Commission:
Matthew 28:19-20 (KJV) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: [20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
If you are born-again therefore, your greatest mission in life now is to fulfil the Great Commission. That means to commit your times, money, resources,
energies and everything into making sure that the word of life and the blood of Jesus reaches all who are not born-again. This is to all believers, whether you are a student, banker, businessperson or athlete. We all have neighbours people who need a touch of the cleansing power of the blood and healing power of the Holy Spirit. The greatest act of love is to share the gospel with others.
We may say that in the sight of God, a person who has fulfilled the Great Commandment by receiving Jesus Christ and continues to fulfil the second commandment by spreading the gospel is living the most satisfying life one can live on this side of heaven.

So we see that Jesus Christ is the Way to fulfilling the Great Commandment, he is the Truth about the Great Commandment, and he is the Life that makes the Great Commandment real to all humanity. Secondly, the Great Commission is all about Him.
You must Decide Having read this book, and desiring to fulfil the Great Commandment, please follow the next few steps to Christ:
Repent: Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into
Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, [15] And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. Mark 1:14-15 (KJV) believe the gospel because it is the power of God unto salvation7. Repentance means to turn away from sin everything you know is a stumbling block to having a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It means to turn away from sin and forsake it. Without repentance, whatever prayer you pray cannot be sincere. Remember we are not following a formula.
Impossible! Realize you cannot help yourself. Can an Ethiopian

change the colour of his skin? Can a leopard take away its spots? Neither can you start doing good, for you always do evil. Jeremiah

13:23 (NLT) . From the greatest of all prophets, John the Baptist, to the worst person on earth, none can save himself.
Sin Problem Solved! Realize that God has already solved the sin
problem through the blood of Jesus Christ - the blood that makes us acceptable before the mercy seat of the Ark.
No Works! Know that it is not a question of whether or not you are

so good or so bad. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Titus 3:5 (KJV)
God saved you by his special favour when you believed. And you
can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. [9] Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Ephesians. 2:8-9 (NLT)
Just Receive! Receive the Gift of Life and you will become a new
creature immediately. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12
He is all you need! Remember that Gods Gift of Life is packaged

in the Person of His Son Jesus Christ nowhere else. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 1Jo 5:11-12 (KJV)
FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. A. QUARCOO A New Creation! Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Cor. 5:17 (KJV)
Pray the Sinners Prayer from a Sincere Heart: Dear Lord Jesus,
I come to you as a sinner. I realize I cannot save myself. I thank you for coming to live and die for my sins. I believe in your blood that atones for my sins before God. I place my faith in your death and resurrection. I repent of all my sins and turn to you for
forgiveness. I invite you to come into my life right now. By faith I receive the new life you offer me. Thank you that I am born again today and I belong to you. Thank you that by your help, I can now love God with all my heart, soul and strength. Amen and Amen.
Give Thanks! Thank God that you have been born-again today
and been translated from the kingdom of darkness, where Satan reigns into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. For he has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son. Col. 1:13 (NLT)
In summary, we realise that: Loving God in fulfilment of the Great Commandment is impossible without Jesus Christ in our hearts. Real love for God comes into our hearts when we receive His Son Jesus Christ.
FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. A. QUARCOO Real love for God manifests in love for His Son. Any other thing called
love may only be sentimentalism and at worst self deception. Religion of whatever sort will never satisfy you, only Jesus can. Anyone who denies the Son doesn't have the Father either. But anyone who confesses the Son has the Father also. 1 John 2:23 (NLT)
1John 4:15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God
dwelleth in him, and he in God. (KJV) Anyone who hates me hates my Father, too. John 15:23 (NLT)
When Christ comes into your life, you receive the love of God in your heart
and you can love the Lord with all your heart.. This is worship in spirit and in truth. [John 4:23]. This gives you the power to love your neighbour as yourself. unselfish agape- love. Gods own love. This is
Notes
1 2
Deuteronomy 6:25 Mathew 23:14-15. 3 Mark 7:8-9 4 Life Application Notes, New Living Translation 5 Romans 1:16 6 Ephesians 2:1 7 Romans 1:16

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FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. A.

THE GREAT COMMANDMENT CAN I FULFILL IT?

FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. A. QUARCOO

FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. A. QUARCOO

FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. A. QUARCOO

FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. A. QUARCOO

Jesus Christ told some people in the book of Matthew:

FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. A. QUARCOO

FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. A. QUARCOO

Without hope. (Ephesians 2:12) There is absolutely no hope for us without

Understanding darkened. [Gk. To obscure]. It is not possible for the man

Blindness of heart. [Gk. Stupidity of callousness] Eph. 4: 18.

Past feeling. [To become apathetic]. Eph. 4:19.

FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. A. QUARCOO

Psalm 14 also describes our condition without Gods help;

FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. A. QUARCOO

FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. A. QUARCOO

FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. A. QUARCOO

FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. A. QUARCOO

FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. A. QUARCOO

FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. A. QUARCOO

Impossible! Realize you cannot help yourself. Can an Ethiopian

FULFILLING THE GREAT COMMANDMENT. A. QUARCOO

No Works! Know that it is not a question of whether or not you are

He is all you need! Remember that Gods Gift of Life is packaged

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