Jesus replied, “This is the most important: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” – Mark 12:29–31 (BSB)
“The commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this one decree: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” – Romans 13:9–10 (BSB)
“The entire law is fulfilled in a single decree: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” – Galatians 5:14 (BSB)
By quoting from Deuteronomy 6 and Leviticus 19, Jesus affirmed the enduring unity of Scripture and clarified the inner purpose of God’s law. Fr. Thomas Buchan (Anglican Union, St. Mark’s Anglican Church, VA) explains, “When we love rightly—first God, then neighbor—we fulfill the law in spirit and truth. Every commandment is a lesson in how to love well.” (Catechesis for Life and Faithfulness, 2022)
Jesus’ summary also exposes our deep need for grace. Bishop Joel Waweru (GAFCON, Diocese of Nairobi) notes, “To love with all our heart is impossible in our own strength. The law shows us our sin, and Christ shows us the way of love through the power of the Spirit.” (GAFCON Gospel and Law Conference, 2019) It is through Christ that our obedience becomes not a burden but a joy.
The Anglican tradition recognizes this dual commandment as central to Christian ethics. Canon George Grant (ACNA, Parish Presbyterian Church, TN) writes, “We are not free to redefine love—we are called to practice it according to God’s revealed will. The Decalogue teaches us what love looks like in action.” (Recovering Anglican Piety, 2018)
Fr. Isaac Rehberg (ACNA, All Saints San Antonio, TX) adds, “The summary of the law doesn’t replace the commandments—it explains them. If we want to know what love is, we look to the Ten Words that God Himself spoke.” (Anglican Theology and Christian Obedience, 2020)
“The commandments are many, but the end is one: love. When love rules the heart, righteousness flows from it like water from a spring.” – John Chrysostom, Homily on Romans, c. 390 AD
“The Lord taught us that love is the root of all virtue. From love springs obedience, peace, and holiness.” – Origen, On First Principles, c. 220 AD
“To love God is to keep His commandments; to love man is to act in mercy and justice. Both form one true worship.” – Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies, c. 180 AD
An Anglican Catechism (Expanded) offers over 350+ Scripture-based answers to the core truths of the Christian faith. Each entry includes biblical texts, theological insight, and reflections from historic and contemporary Anglican voices. Rooted in the classical tradition, it is designed for teaching, discipleship, and spiritual formation.
An Ancient Worship Movement invites readers into the rich, historic worship of the early Church rediscovered through the Anglican tradition. This book calls believers into a deeper, Spirit-filled encounter with Christ through timeless practices.
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