The Second Commandment

In Leviticus 19, Moses lays out a series of moral and ceremonial laws for the people of Israel. They are commanded to live by the standards listed. Everything is encompassed by the opening words in verse 2, where God instructs Moses to tell them, “You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.” In verse 11, Moses begins to speak of how to treat others: “You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another.” In verse 13, he adds, “You shall not cheat your neighbor, nor rob him.” Then in verse 17, he says, “You shall not hate your brother in your heart.”

That brings us to the context of what Jesus called the second commandment in Matthew 22:39. There a lawyer asked Him, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” (v. 36). Jesus responded, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (vs. 37-39). The “first and great commandment” was a quote from Deuteronomy 6:5. “The second” commandment was a quote from Leviticus 19:18.

While telling the people of Israel to “not hate your brother in your heart” (Lev. 19:17), he added, “You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18). When referring to this commandment, Jesus said that this was one of only two commandments that, if kept, would fulfill all the Law (v. 40). In Luke, where a lawyer recites these same two commandments in answer to the question of how to inherit eternal life, Jesus commends him for answering correctly and tells him, “Do this and you will live” (Luke 10:28).

Eternal life depends on the fulfillment of these two commandments. If you want to spend eternity in heaven and you want to live a truly full life now, you must first love the Lord Jesus with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Then you must love your neighbor as yourself. The first involves a change of heart, an inward change that comes through faith. This is salvation. The second involves a change in action, an outward change that is the result of that faith. This is proof of your salvation.

Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Such faith, believed and confessed, brings eternal life. When you place your faith in Jesus, when you believe in your heart that He died on the cross for your forgiveness and that He rose again from the dead, confess it! Let people know that you believe. Don’t hide your faith saying, “Oh, it’s a personal thing. It’s not something I talk about.”

Most importantly, let people see the change in you. When you trust in Jesus for your salvation, He changes you. Everything about you begins to change. Not only does what you believe change, but how you live your life changes. That is the power of the gospel.

That change involves how you treat others. You begin to truly love your neighbor. You begin to reach out to your neighbor. Jesus goes on to explain that your neighbor is anyone in need that you come in contact with. So you begin to help others with whatever need they have. That is how you love your neighbor, and that is the outward change in your life that results from your faith in Christ. It is that outward change that proves you are a child of God. Amen.