The Gospel from Mark 10:17-22 is about a rich man seeking guidance from Jesus. This Gospel emphasizes the great commandments of the Law and the importance of loving and faithful actions toward God and neighbor. For many believers, the difficulty has been to be both believing and obedient. How do we start?
In reality, loving God and our neighbors is not easy. The big complication is the fact that human nature is fallen and corrupt. On our own, we are sinners who have lost the capacity to love and obey as we should. We are selfish and tied to the things of this world. We seek to avoid taking up the cross and following Jesus.
However, God in Christ calls us to repentance and faith. Because of the fallen human condition, loving obedience is not our first step. Our response to divine love must begin with repenting our lack of love and obedience. Then we must proceed to faith in God's love revealed in Jesus Christ. Without such faith, we are not really open to love. Then with faith in God's loving grace, we can take up our crosses. Through this dynamic, God can begin to transform us by creating living faith in Him. Christian Faith then opens our hearts to love and obey God in return. And as we begin to love God, we also begin to love our neighbors created by God.
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