Jesus says in Matthew 5 that even nonbelievers love those who love them. So, I wonder: why are we even commanded to love God? Isn’t He the One who loves us most?
Jesus commanded His disciples to love their enemies and, in fact, to pray for those who persecute them (Matt 5:44). He really wanted all His disciples to emulate His true character and to be “perfect as our Father is perfect” (Matt 5:48), saying that even nonbelievers naturally love back their lovable friends and those who love them.
Even nonbelievers love those who love them. I guess that makes sense.
But wait. Look at the “greatest commandment”.
Mark 12:28-30 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
And look at what the Bible says about the steadfast love of God:
Exodus 34:6-7 “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…”
You can listen to all sorts of preaching about how much God loves us, more than any human can.
And so here’s the question that stumps me: If God is so loving, if God loves us so much, and if it seems natural for us (and other nonbelievers) to love those who love us — then why are we commanded (as in, it’s the GREATEST commandment, hello?) to love God, who is, by definition, All-Loving?
Sure, I can understand the “love your enemy” command. I will need to be commanded to do that because I certainly will find it hard to love my enemy. But, to love God? Of course! Why not? Isn’t that needless-to-say?
What do you think? Why are we commanded to love the most lovable? Think about it. Pray about it. Then, please, share your thoughts with us. Write in the comment box below.
it is easy to love those who are the “same” as us. Meaning same likes, same interest, same perception ,same values, same etc… this is, in my opinion, the way non-believers love one another. This is also how most Christians would “naturally’ love others. It is the most convenient way to love. But here lies the commonality between enemy and God, they are both not the “same” with us. They both go against our natural inclination. That is why they are both not easy to love. But again the difference between the two is that the latter, God, loves us infinitely. This, I think, why we are commanded to love our enemy and God.