When asked by the Pharisees which is the greatest commandment, in Matt 22:34-40, Jesus replied, “Loving God with all of your heart, soul, and strength”. This is the “Shema” from Deuteronomy 6:4-5, which states, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Additionally, it is said, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18).
1 John 4:19 says we should love God because he first loved us. When did he first love us? John 3:16 says God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, the Messiah, and those who believe in him will inherit the blessing of eternal life. This eternal life is the fulfillment of the promise to restore humanity from our propensity to break God’s laws. This was made available because of God’s love for us.
If you don’t actively attempt to keep God’s commandments, then you don’t love God, because we will do anything for the ones we love. Jesus even said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). If you don’t have time for God, then you don’t love God, because we make time for the things and people we love. If you don’t love your neighbor, then you don’t love God because God is love (1 John 4:7-8).
1 John 4:7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1 John 4:20 If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.
We can love our neighbors even if we disagree with them because they are human and they may be wrong. However, God is never wrong, so if we disagree with Him, then we are automatically wrong. We have to agree with God’s instructions in order to follow them correctly, and if we don’t agree with them, then we will rebel against God, and that is a failure to love God.
This is why Jesus’ first sermon in Matt 4:17 was, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” The Greek word translated to repent in Matt 4:17 is “Metanoeite” (Μετανοεῖτε). This word is based on the root word metanoeó (μετανοέω). Which is a compound word made up of two words: metá (μετά), meaning “changed after or begin with”, and noiéō (νοέω), which means “consider, perceive, think, understand.” Essentially, it means to “change your mind”.
If we love God, we will change our minds about things that He opposes and align our thinking with His, so that we can follow His instructions. He loved us first by showing us an undeserved mercy and offering eternal life when we all deserved to die. It is only natural that anyone who receives that mercy will reciprocate that love.
Metanoeó (repent)
https://biblehub.com/greek/3340.htm
Meta
https://biblehub.com/greek/3326.htm
Noeó
https://biblehub.com/greek/3539.htm