THE GREAT LAW

No one can dispute that some laws are far more important than others. To take another human life by malicious violence is a much more serious crime than stealing a loaf of bread when hungry.

No breach of the law may be overlooked. Yet there are degrees of guilt, and therefore there must be degrees of punishment. He who breaks the highest and most important law is the worst criminal and worthy of the most severe judgment. Capital punishment for petty thievery is absurd, but for malicious, premeditated murder it is just.

The same principles bear upon God’s law. To break any commandment is inexcusable. But to break the most important law is to be worthy of God’s most heated wrath. Once Jesus was asked, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” His answer is not what most of you would have said. You would probably say that murderers, harlots, dope-pushers, and bank robbers most highly offend God’s law. Perhaps some would add hypocrites and gossipers to the list. All of these are guilty of breaking very important laws. But we have not yet touched upon the worst offense, deserving of God’s fiercest judgment.

Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.” (Matt. 22:37) This is the most important moral law! To break this law is to commit the most heinous crime in the eyes of God. To disobey this command is to bring the highest degree of guilt upon your head. In the eyes of men you may be a fine, respectable person, but if you do not have a whole-hearted love for God, you deserve to occupy the lowest hell.

Many think they are moral people who constantly break the first and great law of God. You do not get drunk. You do not kill. You do not commit adultery. You give to charities and talk kindly to others. But you do not love God with all your soul. Many days go by when you scarcely think of your Maker. You do not love God with all your mind. His Word has scarcely any influence over your thoughts. You do not love God with all your heart. He seems so far off and impersonal that you cannot really say you love him more than you love any other person. You are guilty of the worst crime.

Many moral and religious people will perish forever because their sins are internal. Many outwardly nice people are inwardly full of the worst crimes. If you believe Jesus then you must conclude that every man born has broken the greatest law and is therefore worthy of the highest punishment - everlasting suffering, excluded from the light of God’s presence. Harlots and murderers know that they are immoral. They need salvation if every they are to have joy in the life to come. When they hear of Jesus offered on the cross as a sacrifice to remove the wrath of God against sin, their hearts readily rejoice. But fine upstanding citizens are unmoved and do not know Christ because they are unaware of breaking an important law. For this reason Jesus said to the church members of His day, “Truly I say to you, the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.” (Matt. 21:31)

Only those aware of having broken very important precepts and of having-God’s just indignation against them -only they sincerely plead for merciful forgiveness. Only such ever find forgiveness through the blood of Jesus Christ. He came not to forgive the little mistakes of men, but to save those who greatly offended their Judge. Christians are those who have been saved from the most heinous sins. Many have been made obedient to the Great Commandment to love God by the power of Christ. How do you stand before the most important law? You will soon be judged by this standard. What will be the verdict in your case?

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