As we noted in our discussion of Question 6, glorifying God must always entail more than obedience alone, but it is certainly never less than obedience. As the King of kings and Creator of all things, the Lord is worthy of our obedience, and we learn what He would have us do within His law. This is the subject before us. What does God expect from us regarding His revealed law?

The answer gives us four clauses. First, personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience. Both here and in the final clause the nature of our obedience is clarified.

Lest we think that relative and half-hearted obedience would suffice, we are told that our obedience must be perfect. Saul mistakenly believed that his obedience was near enough whenever he took Agag captive and the best of the Amalekites’ cattle, which he wanted to sacrifice, but Samuel rebuked him by saying that obedience is better than sacrifice.

Lest we think that momentary, occasional, or even frequent obedience would be sufficient, we hear that our obedience must be perpetual. As His inherent holiness is without end, so our reflective holiness ought to be continuous and unfading.

Lest we think that the obedience of others (especially parents) might cover us as well, we see that our obedience must be personal. Although we certainly influence one another throughout this life, it is each person’s duty to obey God’s commands, and in the end each of us will stand before God’s throne of judgment exposed and alone.

The second and third clauses go together, for they are directly drawn from Jesus’ own summary of God’s law. When a lawyer asked Jesus which commandment in the law is the greatest, Jesus answered:

Jesus began by citing Deuteronomy 6:5 as the greatest commandment, and how could it be otherwise? To love God fully does indeed fulfill His law. Such love overflowing from heart, soul, mind, and strength would keep us from the worship of other gods, from the making of idols, from treating God’s name with vanity, and from disregarding His Sabbath.

Yet our Lord also added a second commandment, cited from Leviticus 19:18. This inclusion gives us an important lesson to take to heart. Our love for our neighbor is a second, subservient love to our love for God. Indeed, to place our love for others above our love for God, as humanists do, actually diminishes our love for others. Even so, our love for God also is not complete unless we also love our neighbor. 1 John 4:20 says plainly, “If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar, for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.” Verse 21 then adds: “And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.” Therefore, our love for God is supreme, yet it must also extend outward to our neighbor.

Furthermore, we are not commanded to love our neighbor with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. That would be idolatry. Instead, we are commanded to love our neighbor as ourselves. That is, we are called to love them as fellow image-bearers of God, and especially of our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are to love them as those for whom Christ died.

What God forbids should never be done and what God commands should always be done. This final clause is most necessary because it brings in the matter of sins by commission and omission. We typically default to thinking of obedience or disobedience in terms of commission, of actions committed. For instance, God tells us not to covet, yet we still look with envy at the car beside us at the intersection or at the house we pass on our way home. Yet notice that the greatest commandment is not a negative denial but rather a positive command. Of course, we might actively transgress that commandment by blatantly worshiping idols, but we also passively disobey by NOT giving to God our full and continuous devotion as He requires.

This is the holy standard required by the Holy One.

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For read more resources related to the New City Catechism, including children’s songs, visit newcitycatechism.com or download the app.