Let’s discuss that “love your neighbor as yourself” mantra….

Matthew 22:36. “Teacher, which Commandment in Torah is the greatest?” 37. And Y’shua said to him, that “You should love Master YHWH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might and with all your mind.” 38. This is the first and the greatest Commandment. 39. And the second is like it. That “You should love your neighbor as yourself.” 40. On these two commandments hang Torah and the prophets. (AENT)

Some people are so hung up on that “love you neighbor as yourself” mantra, they forget that the FIRST and GREATEST command is to “Love God” – which comes straight from Torah. Take a look:

Deuteronomy 6: 4 "Sh'ma, Yisra'el! ADONAI Eloheinu, ADONAI echad [Hear, Isra'el! ADONAI our God, ADONAI is one]; 5 and you are to love ADONAI your God with all your heart, all your being and all your resources. (CJB)

Deuteronomy 11: 1 "Therefore, you are to love ADONAI your God and always obey his commission, regulations, rulings and mitzvot. (CJB)

(See also Luke 10:27.)

Okay, take another look at Matthew 22:36-40, above.

QUESTION: Does verse 40 in any way imply that all of God's original instructions were replaced or abolished somewhere along the line?

ANSWER: NO! Verse 40 tells us the Torah and the Prophets HANG/ARE DEPENDENT ON those two commands!

So, as you can see, there's more to it than just "loving God and loving your neighbor!" Those who DO the Commandments, are they who love YHWH (Matthew19:17; 1 John 5:2 and 3). Without love, observance of Torah is vanity, and without Torah one’s “love” is vanity.

In other words, SIN is still sin (sin is “transgression of the Torah – Romans 4:15; 1 John 3:3-6) and God still expects His people to adhere to His Divine Standards for moral, holy living! So, it is important to keep in mind that Torah HANGS on those “two commandments”...