NOTES for Deu 6:2-6

If we consider what the most important, the greatest news in the Bible might be, the first thing that probably comes to mind is that “God is love” (1 John 4:16). Today, however, we read words spoken many centuries before the apostle John’s testimony, and in them God and love are joined together. This is the greatest news expressed in the language of commandments. But is it possible to love by commandment, by an article of law; can we force ourselves to love? Probably not. Yet God responds to a sincere desire to love—with all one’s heart, soul, and strength—by giving His Spirit, who fills us with filial love.