Why does the God of the Bible command us to love him?

sabastious

Mark 12: 28-31 - 28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

What an odd concept, especially for me as I just had my first son 9 months ago.

I feel a responsibility to give my son a reason to love me. I by no means feel I have a right, by default, to be loved by him. Obeyed maybe, respected also maybe, but the strongest connection known to human existance? That has to be earned plain and simple.

So why does the Bible COMMAND us to love God? Why does such a command even need to exist in the first place?

What an odd thing to demand of your subjects (creations).

-Sab

PSacramento

It is odd, isn't it?

Certainly an all knowing being knows well enough that one can't command love .

And one certainly can't command someone to LOVE their neighbour.

sabastious

Certainly an all knowing being knows well enough that one can't command love.

Interesting point. He should know better.

-Sab

PSacramento

Now, the original mention of the commandments don't speak of that at all, there is no commandment to Love God but it does say that those that don't keeo the commandments will be punished and those that do will be loved.

The passage from Mark is from:

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD; and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.” (Deuteronomy 6:1-5)

Mark does say that Jesus, when asked what commandments are the greatest, said the above.

Jesus also commanded his disciples to love one another.

I have to be honest here, I don't think Jesus used command like we think he used it, it doesn't seem to mesh with his character.

I think that Jesus was trying to demonstrate how vital and important it is to love each other, to the point of it being a Command.

As for the passage from Mark, it may be the case that since they Pharisees asked which command s greatest Jesus just use dtheir own words to voice his view.

As for the part in Deutronmy or the parts in the 1o Commandments that say:

" You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me,

but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments."

Again this is contridicted by statements that the sins of the fathers will not be put on the children and that all are responsible for their own sins.

So what is the writer of exodus trying to express here?

Well, what it comes out as is the God is a jealous being that will punish the decendents of people that sin but will love those that don't.

Not very "superiour" to what mand does and did up until then ( and still does now), is it?

THE GLADIATOR

The title of this thread implies that God and the Bible are the same thing.

The Bible is real. All book are real but have no authority of themselves.

As for God - the very concept of a God with the power to create this universe, compels me to assume that such a being would not command but simple Be; and his thought would automatically become action throughout the universe.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Sab, God is controlling and insecure. Probably not very good-looking and gets jealous if he catches you looking at somebody prettier.

sabastious

Sab, God is controlling and insecure. Probably not very good-looking and gets jealous if he catches you looking at somebody prettier.

He's a middle school fat kid?

-Sab

PSacramento

As for God - the very concept of a God with the power to create this universe, compels me to assume that such a being would not command but simple Be; and his thought would automatically become action throughout the universe.

That is an interesting premiss and I would like to discuss that if we can :)

I for one believe in a creator that used the process of evoloution to bring us to where we are today.

I think that billions of years ago the creation of the universe was set inmotion that that we are part of that chain-reaction of creation.

We are special in the regards that we "looked and found" the creator ( whom we named God) but we also decided that we don't need him and thus are fallen nature ie: incomplete and not able to get to the pinacle of human development, without God.

God didn't just snap his fingers and we ( the universe) came to be, it "evolved" to this stage, so if God didn't automaticlaly make the universe as such, why we he automatically make anything in it in any other way?

In other words, we not only evolve to be where we are, we must also evolve to find God and evolve to be God, but that stage is only possible with Gods' help ( as the beginning was only possible with God's help).

Finally-Free

Why does the God of the Bible command us to love him?

Because he has failed to earn it. By making it a command, he's pretty much told us he has no intention of earning it, or even trying.

W

PSacramento

Tells us how you really feel Finally-free ;)

Why does the God of the Bible command us to love him?

Share this