The two commands that dealt directly with loving God and others (Leviticus 19:18 and Deuteronomy 6:5) were the most important.
The religious leaders had become so obsessed with keeping every detail of the law that they had lost sight of its purpose. They neither loved God nor their fellow man, yet they thought they were keeping the law.
The same thing is happening. Some of the cruelest acts of men towards their fellow man have been done in the name of the Lord by people who thought they were defending God's commandments. But, if we violate one of the two greatest commandments by trying to enforce some other commandment, then we are misapplying God's Word just as the religious Jews did.
The Old Testament law and the New Testament grace compels men to the same, that is to love God and their fellowman. The motivations to this are different.
The Old Testament law motivated man to love God and their fellowman through fear of punishment if they failed to do so.
The New Testament grace freely gives man a God-kind of love that is unconditional and tells them to love others as they are loved.
It is possible to display actions of holiness, but not love God. It is impossible for God's kind of love not to produce holiness. Holiness is a fruit of loving God!
