“Jesus declared, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” – Matthew 22:37–40 (BSB)
“A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so also you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.” – John 13:34–35 (BSB)
“Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” – Romans 13:10 (BSB)
“And over all these virtues put on love, which is the bond of perfect unity.” – Colossians 3:14 (BSB)
This virtue flows from the cross. Christ’s self-giving love is the pattern and power of Christian love. Fr. Isaac Rehberg (ACNA, All Saints San Antonio, TX) explains, “Love is cruciform. It dies to self and lives for the good of others. The more we abide in Christ’s love, the more we are able to love as He loved.” (The Cross-Shaped Life, 2021)
Love fulfills the law because it keeps God and neighbor at the center. Every commandment is a form of love in action—whether honoring parents, rejecting hatred, or practicing generosity. Canon George Grant (ACNA, Parish Presbyterian Church, TN) observes, “Love is the glue that binds all virtue. Without it, holiness becomes hollow. With it, obedience becomes joy.” (Recovering Anglican Piety, 2019)
This love is cultivated in worship, sacrament, and daily obedience. The Anglican liturgy teaches us to love by ordering our hearts toward God’s glory and others’ good. Fr. Matthew Munn (ACNA, Church of the Redeemer, NC) notes, “Every collect, confession, and communion shapes us to love—to will the good, speak the good, and do the good in the name of Christ.” (Catechesis and the Liturgical Life, 2022)
Bishop Charlie Masters (ANiC, Diocese of the Living Word) adds, “Love is not optional or occasional—it is the very badge of discipleship. Jesus did not say we would be known by our orthodoxy alone, but by our love.” (Living the Greatest Commandment, 2023)
“Love is the mother of virtue. He who truly loves God will keep His commandments and rejoice in doing good.” – Basil the Great, On Charity, c. 375 AD
“Let love be the beginning and end of your life. All other things will pass away, but love endures forever.” – John Chrysostom, Homily on 1 Corinthians 13, c. 390 AD
“God is love. To live in love is to live in God. This is the highest calling of the Christian soul.” – Cyprian of Carthage, Treatise on the Unity of the Church, c. 250 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.
St. Thomas Church
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St. Thomas Church is a Church planting movement in ancient tradition.
