The Great Commandment

³⁵One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him,
³⁶"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?"
³⁷And He said to him, " 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'
³⁸"This is the great and foremost commandment.
³⁹"The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'
⁴⁰"On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."
Matthew 22:35-40


Isn't this awesome! In all the complexity of life, Jesus makes it all rather simple! If you strive to follow these two commandments, everything falls into place.


What I wanted to address, however, is the idea that some have come up with saying that there is a third commandment here: "... love your neighbor as yourself..." Some have tried to say that there is a commandment to love one's self in this Scripture. Do you have to command a bird to fly, or a fish to swim? We naturally love ourselves, therefore no command of that nature is necessary. In fact, if you think about it, all sin is ultimately rooted in love of self. We can deceive others, and even ourselves, but we can't deceive God -- we all love ourselves plenty!

There are clearly only two commandments in this Scripture; Jesus even said "the second", therefore:

⁵Every word of God is tested;
He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
⁶Do not add to His words
Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.
Proverbs 30:5-6 
An accurate paraphrase of verse 39 would be: "...love your neighbor as you [already] love yourself..."

²⁹for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,
Ephesians 5:29