Mark 12:28-34

Mark 12:28-34

1. Let us observe how high is our Lord Jesus Christ's standard of duty to God and man.
2. Let us observe how far a man may go in religion, and yet not be a true disciple of Christ.

"Let us learn from this brief exposition of the true standard of duty, how great is the need in which we all naturally stand of the atonement and mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ...It is only gross ignorance of the requirements of God's law which makes people undervalue the Gospel. The man who has the clearest view of the moral law, will always be the man who has the highest sense of the value of Christ's atoning blood."

"We must not only know the leading doctrines of the Gospel with our heads, but receive them into our hearts, and be guided by them in our lives. May we never rest until we are inside the kingdom of God, until we have truly repented, really believed, and have been made new creatures in Christ Jesus."

Questions:

1. If you have been a Christian for any length of time, you have undoubtedly heard this call of love for God and neighbor. Do we read it and find encouragement or does it humble us and make us more thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ? Is this the standard we set in all we do?

2. What does this reality of ‘being not far from the kingdom’ do to our hearts? Does it challenge our comfort? Does it produce a searching to make sure we are in the kingdom? Does our intellectual knowledge stay there, or does it affect our hearts?