So then to love God with all of your strength = to keep His commandments with all your strength right? Seems the apostles all knew what it meant to actually love the Almighty instead of being all talk.
Its because you can be a UNBELIEVER< and love God and try to keep all the commandments, and God will not accept you.
Why?
Because Jesus said....."you must be born again".......and until you are born again, you're just a religious but LOST commandment keeper.
Its like this..
To go to heaven, you have to become as Righteous as God.
Commandments and law, cannot provide this, they can only show you that you are UNRIGHTEOUS.
That's their purpose.......to show you your unrighteousness, so that you go to the CROSS to find "God's Righteousness", as your own, by receiving His "Gift of Righteousness" that is to become Born again.
Thousands of people who are water baptized, and keep the words of Jesus, and try to keep the commandments died yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and went straight to hell, and are wondering......>"what happened"......"why am i here"........"i kept commandments, i went to church, i was water baptized, i read the bible, i gave to the poor"......
And God says.......>"i never knew you".....so, you had to "DEPART from ME".
Why?
Because Jesus said......"you MUST be born again".......and they were not. They were religious, they were filled with ideas about christianity. THey could come to a Fourm and talk about commandments, and law, and the old Testament, .....yet they were not BORN AGAIN.