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Paul writes that if the Romans (and all of us) focus just on Jesus’ Great Commandment – loving neighbors as themselves – they will naturally keep all the others. It makes no sense to lie, cheat or be unfaithful to someone you truly love. If we love the whole world the same way, the rest comes easily. Our loving responses and impulses become as instinctive as breathing.
Church reformer Martin Luther echoes this in his explanations of the Ten Commandments. He also reminds us that, in addition to doing or refraining from doing various things, we need to take positive action, to find ways to actively show our love of God and others. As our emotional “muscle memory” improves and we internalize these concepts, we can stop worrying about recalling their precise wording or order. We can, instead, be free to joyfully live the commandments, showing love in all we say and do. God’s commandments become part of who we are.
This message is excerpted from “A hand when we’re falling” by Elise Seyfried in the January/February 2023 Gather magazine.