7115 The commandment to love is the most important commandment....

May 8, 1958: Book 76

One commandment has been given to you humans, the fulfilment of which is your sole purpose of life on earth.... the commandment of love for God and neighbour.... When the man Jesus lived on earth He declared this commandment to be the most important one, because people at that time completely ignored it, because they were so deeply rooted in selfish love that it paved the way for all vices and desires and thus they also developed in the most alarming way and also led to complete unbelief. And if people were to be helped, if they were to be led onto the right path and to firm faith in God, they first had to try to change their strongly developed self-love into neighbourly love, because only love meant salvation for their souls and because faith could also develop out of love and only then could an understanding for the significance of Jesus' act of salvation be expected.... Love is and remains the fundamental law from eternity.... But as soon as humanity is devoid of all love, it is also completely out of order and close to ruin. When Jesus walked the earth He knew about people's spiritual low and also knew how to remedy this low.... And thus His mission consisted first of all of exemplifying a life of love to people and of using the resulting spiritual abilities again for the blessing of His fellow human beings, in order to also bring them help in earthly adversity and thereby also prove to them what strength love is.... And therefore He also constantly preached only love.... He sought to educate people into a right way of life, He wanted to bring them earthly and spiritual help at the same time because their state was a pitiful one which irrevocably plunged people into the abyss which they did not recognize in their blindness. So Jesus taught love.... And His gospel actually only consisted of that commandment of love for God and neighbour, for all references, all details, only ever referred to the rightly guided way of life which was clearly pointed out to them and which Jesus Himself visibly lived out to all people.... Nevertheless, the commandment of love for God and neighbour is not a 'commandment' in the true sense of the word.... For love cannot be 'commanded', it must be practiced in free will, it cannot be replaced by works which can also be done without love.... but in turn it will express itself in works, because love urges activity. Jesus therefore showed people on earth what is necessary if a person wants to acquire eternal life. But man himself must now kindle love in himself. It is not enough that he feigns love through works which certainly bring help to his neighbour.... he must feel the need to help his neighbour, only then will his self-love be violated, and only then will he thereby also prove his love for God.... But the human being can develop love within himself through initially mechanical works, the person who first fulfils the 'commandment' can also educate himself to love, and this is what the man Jesus sought to achieve through His gospel of love, for a pure ego man needs a bridge from his previous point of view to unselfish neighbourly love. He first has to be urged to help his neighbour until he will do so of his own accord, but then a slow change has already taken place which is now constantly progressing, as well as God Himself has now gained influence over him through love. Love for God and the neighbour is the greatest and most important commandment.... And therefore Jesus' teaching of love must always precede all teachings, because love is also the key to all further knowledge which remains incomprehensible to people without love.... Love is everything, and whoever has love, his fate is already sealed for all eternity. And where love is preached with all urgency, there the eternal love Itself will also be represented on earth, there the spirit of truth will also be, and there understanding for Jesus Christ's act of salvation and its significance will also be.... For love is also the light which illuminates the spirit of those who preach love and live in love themselves....

Amen

This proclamation is used in the following themebook:

Themebook	Title	Download
157	Gospel Of Love	ePub   PDF   Kindle

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