Wholehearted: Living Life By The Greatest CommandmentExemplo

Loving God with Our Selves

Most translations of the Shema call us to love God with our heart, soul, and strength. In today’s reading we’re going to look at the second word in this sequence. In Hebrew, the word for soul is nefesh and can also be translated as self.

Nefesh refers to the person or the whole self. It can reference our inner parts, such as our feelings and our conscience. This explains why some English translations translate nefesh using the word soul. But, since nefesh is used alongside of the word heart, we know that the writer had a broader intent.

Nefesh can refer to the whole of a person, the personality, or the self. It is often found in reflexive usage, such as “to do something to oneself” (Num. 30:5; 1 Sam. 18:3; Isa. 53:10). In the Shema, the intent of this word is to refer to the person as a whole being, including the body. If the heart refers to the inner person, the self, or the soul, refers to the whole person. Nefesh can also mean breath, which indicates the outward result of inward thought. Our words reflect our hearts (Luke 6:43-45).

In John 14:15, Jesus tells us that if we love him, we will obey him by keeping his commandments. We are not only called to obey. God’s model of love requires obedience, yes, but it also calls us to be joyful and childlike. It calls us to meet together with God’s people and to live in the hope of Jesus’s return.

To love God with the whole self also doesn’t mean that we must devote our lives to religious vocations. We can love God without being pastors and missionaries. God has called us to all sorts of occupations. Loving God this way simply means that there is no part of our being that is not claimed by Christ. In reflecting on God’s character and his grace toward us, the right response of the believer is to love God with everything we are.

Have you ever considered how your work is a bodily expression of your love for God?

Additional Elements

Loving God with all our souls means loving God with our whole person – and our whole lives, including work. Read “Love at Work – Is That Allowed?” to discover how loving your coworkers through your good work is an expression of your love for God.