Mark 12:30-32 teaches us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Pastor explained that we can only truly love others when we first experience God’s unconditional love for us, operating in the Holy Spirit’s love rather than our own. The opposite of love isn’t hate—it’s fear, which is tied to punishment and a wrong concept of God. Understanding that we live in the New Covenant means recognizing that God’s love is unconditional, not based on performance, just as the Father declared over Jesus, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." Once we receive this deep, unconditional love, we can love God fully and love our neighbors without conditions, just as Jesus loved sinners, Judas, and even the Roman soldiers. We cannot love others until we love ourselves, and when you don’t love yours ...