The new and improved progressive 10 Commandments

originally posted by: The2Billies

I believe the most important sentence in the Bible is to "Love your neighbor as yourself" meaning respect others and definitely do unto others as you want done unto you.

That would be the 2nd "most important" (or greatest) commandment.

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” asked one of the Pharisees. Jesus said to him: “‘You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. The second, like it, is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments the whole Law hangs, and the Prophets.”—Matt. 22:34-40.

Here Jesus pinpointed the requirements that were fundamental to the Law, not merely the Ten Commandments but the entire Law covenant with its more than six hundred God-given laws, and the Prophets. It is noteworthy that the two commandments that Jesus selected as being of greatest importance were not taken from the Decalogue, but they were part of the Law, all of which he said hangs on them.

It is in Deuteronomy 6:5 that this greatest commandment is found, but this is not its only occurrence. The idea is repeated often as being fundamental to the response of Israelites to all the commandments that God had given them. In urging the people to obey all God’s laws, Moses declared: “O Israel, what is Jehovah your God asking of you but to fear Jehovah your God, so as to walk in all his ways and to love him and to serve Jehovah your God with all your heart and all your soul.”—Deut. 10:12.

Certainly, if the Israelites loved Jehovah their God, they would never turn aside to other gods, they would not give the devotion that was his to a graven image, or take up the name of Jehovah in a worthless way. Violation of any of these commands, or any others of God’s righteous regulations, would betray lack of love on their part. Therefore, this may properly be termed the “greatest commandment in the Law.”

So, too, with the commandment to love one’s neighbor. Recorded at Leviticus 19:18, it says: “You must love your fellow as yourself.” But the command is fundamental and is mentioned in connection with other obligations. For example, in the thirty-fourth verse of the same chapter Le 19:34 reference is made to this command in connection with the treatment of temporary residents in the land. The fundamental nature of this requirement of neighbor love is further seen in that one who loves his fellow man would not dishonor his parents, commit murder or adultery, he would not steal things that belonged to his neighbor, injure him by bearing false witness against him, or covet the things that belonged to others. Violation of any of these commandments would constitute a breach of the even more basic obligation to love one’s neighbor. “Love does not work evil to one’s neighbor; therefore love is the law’s fulfillment.”—Rom. 13:8-10.

I don't think the right or conservatives are doing a particularly good job on either of these 2 commandments, one may consider the bolded part for an example. When also contemplating how the right or conservatives fares on some of those other commandments concerning theft, killing and adultery, I'm reminded of something Jesus once said (also quite appropiate concerning the “greatest and first” commandment which Jesus emphasized):

“So you have made the word of God invalid because of your tradition. You hypocrites, Isaiah aptly prophesied about you when he said: ‘This people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far removed from me. It is in vain that they keep worshipping me, for they teach commands of men as doctrines.’”—Matt. 15:6-9

That would be applicable to those professing to be Christians but teaching traditions such as these:


He is a liar! (part 1 of 2)
What the h*ll is HELL anyway? Are you going there?
"you can't use his name!"