“In the attempt to discover the origin of the norms and canons of the biblical ethic, we must not forget that love to God with all our heart and soul and strength and mind and love to our neighbour as ourselves are themselves commandments. We are commanded to love God and our neighbour. The antithesis which is oftentimes set up between love and commandment overlooks this elementary fact. Love itself is exercised in obedience to a commandment — ‘Thou shalt love’….

It is true that the command or demand will not itself create the love. Commandment of itself has no power to generate love or elicit obedience. Love is commanded, and love is exercised in response to the commandment even though it is not the commandment that creates or generates the response. In this respect the commandment to love is like every other commandment. The commandment to feed the hungry, for example, does not create the disposition or will to do so; but feeding the hungry is action elicited in response to the commandment.

This fact — that to love is itself a commandment — should serve to expose at the outset the fallacy and perversity of that pattern of thought which is intolerant of the notion of keeping or observing commandments. If this notion is not biblical then we shall have to eliminate the commandments on which hang all the law and the prophets.” — John Murray, Principles of Conduct (1957, 1994), pp. 23-24