The Greatest Commandment

The Jews counted 613 commandments in the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). Why did God give us commandments? God did not give commandments to us as a means of salvation. Even in the Old Testament, people were justified before God (i.e. saved) by faith. God gave commandments to us to define the boundaries of God’s design. So when an expert in the Jewish law asks Jesus which of all the commandments is the greatest, Jesus highlights this commandment because it is the most defining boundary of our design.