Chris Kostrzewa, SBS Class of 2017
Chris Kostrzewa, a certified flight instructor, attended the University of Mary Washington after graduating from StoneBridge in 2017. He is currently pursuing a Master of Divinity at Duke University. During the SBS Alumni Chapel in January 2025, Chris shared what he believes makes professing young Christians walk away from their faith and the antidote to that trend. (Featured Photo Credit: Ben White, Unsplash.)
We live in a world increasingly defined by uncertainty, confusion, and division. The pace of modern life seems relentless, and many people, including Christians, face challenges that threaten their faith and convictions. What’s perhaps even more troubling is the growing number of Christians who, when confronted with these challenges, walk away from their faith altogether. As William Willimon and Stanley Hauerwas aptly note in their book Resident Aliens, “Unbelief has become the socially acceptable way of living in the West. Christians have given atheists less and less in which to believe.”
This raises the simple but crucial question: Why is this happening? Despite being raised in Christian homes, attending Christian schools, and being part of local church communities, why do many of us struggle to live out the very faith we profess–a faith that promises eternal reward but often feels distant and unattainable?
I believe the answer lies in one profound truth that comes from author J.I. Packer: while many Christians know about God, few of us truly know of God. Packer, in his influential work Knowing God, points out that we often know God like we know a celebrity – distantly, or through others, rather than intimately. If we don’t know God, how can we love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind, as He commands? Without a deep, personal relationship with God, it becomes incredibly difficult to live out the Christian life and cultivate a culture of love and faith.
The Great Commandment: Love God, Love Your Neighbor
The heart of the Christian life is summed up in the Great Commandment. In Matthew 22:34-40, Jesus distills all of Scripture into two commands: love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. These two commandments are not just suggestions; they are the foundation upon which the entirety of the Christian life is built. And yet, living out these commands is often a struggle.
To better understand what Jesus is saying, it’s important to consider the context. This conversation takes place just days before Jesus’ crucifixion, during the week of Passover. Jesus is in the temple, where His authority is being challenged by the Pharisees and Sadducees. Despite their theological differences, these groups unite in their opposition to Jesus, hoping to discredit Him.
When Jesus answers the question about the greatest commandment, He doesn’t introduce a new concept. Instead, He points back to Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and Leviticus 19:17-18, which were familiar scriptures to the Jews of that day. In fact, Deuteronomy 6:4, known as the Shema, meaning “to hear,” was recited daily by faithful Jews. The command to love God is not new, but it is profound.
What Does It Mean to Love God with All Our Heart, Soul, and Mind?
When Jesus tells us to love God with our heart, soul, and mind, He is not separating these into distinct categories but is calling for a complete and all-encompassing love.
- To love God with our heart means loving Him sincerely, not merely through rituals or empty words, but with a deep, inner affection that drives our actions.
- To love God with our soul requires that our desires and passions are aligned with His will. It means placing God above all else – our ambitions, comforts, and even relationships.
- To love God with our mind calls us to engage our intellect in the pursuit of knowing God. This intellectual love is not merely an abstract understanding, but a love that shapes our worldview and strengthens our faith.
When we love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, it becomes much easier to fulfill the second part of the command: to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Knowing God: A Relationship, Not Just a Knowledge of Facts
But how do we cultivate this kind of love for God? How can we move from knowing about God to truly knowing Him? Psalm 34:8 invites us to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” This metaphor of tasting points to the fact that we can only truly appreciate God when we experience Him. Just like we don’t know the full flavor of a dish until we taste it, we don’t know God’s true goodness until we encounter Him personally.
Henri Nouwen reflects on this when he writes, “Jesus’ primary concern was to be obedient to his Father, to live constantly in his presence.” The more we cultivate this intimacy with God, the clearer our purpose becomes. It is through our relationship with God that we can truly understand our role in the lives of others.
This love for God is radical. Jesus is not asking for a divided love that splits our affection between God and our neighbor. He demands that God be the singular object of our devotion. From this love for God flows our love for others, not as an activity that competes for our attention but as an expression of that love.
Loving Our Neighbor: A Call to Radical Compassion
The second commandment – love your neighbor as yourself – flows directly from the first. But what does it mean to love our neighbor in this radical way? Jesus answers this in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). In this story, Jesus challenges the prevailing cultural divisions of His time. The Samaritan, traditionally hated by Jews, shows sacrificial love to an injured man, ignoring ethnic and social boundaries. This love requires self-sacrifice, empathy, and a willingness to go out of our way for others.
But in today’s world, Christians are all too often seen as unloving or judgmental. I have seen this firsthand, especially during my time in campus ministry. I spoke to several students who admitted that they feared sharing their struggles with Christians. There were many encounters I would hear of or have with someone who would come to discuss an issue and always said, “I was so afraid to tell you.” This fear of judgment is a tragic reality, and it calls for self-examination. Are we truly loving, or have we become so preoccupied with our own righteousness that we forget the compassion that should characterize us?
Living Out the Great Commandment in a Broken World
The struggle to live out the Great Commandment is not new, and it often stems from a superficial understanding of our relationship with God. When we don’t know God deeply, we struggle to love Him fully, and when we fail to love God with our whole being, our love for others becomes shallow.
So, how can we practically cultivate a deeper knowledge of God? It starts with practices like solitude, silence, prayer, and scripture reading. These are not mere religious duties but the means by which we develop an intimate relationship with God.
- Solitude gives us space to be still before God, to listen to His voice in the quiet.
- Silence helps us tune out the distractions of the world, allowing us to focus our hearts and minds on God.
- Prayer is our opportunity to converse with God, to share our hearts with Him, and to align ourselves with His will.
- Scripture reading not only deepens our understanding of who God is, what He desires for us, and how He wants us to live, but also allows us to know the Bible’s words for ourselves and store those words in our hearts.
When we begin to truly know God, our love for Him becomes more than just an intellectual exercise. It transforms our hearts, minds, and actions. This is the love that enables us to love our neighbors as ourselves – sacrificially and unconditionally.
Conclusion: A Life Marked by Love
As we reflect on the Great Commandment, let us remember that it is not just a rule but the very essence of our faith. It calls us to love God with our whole being and to love others as ourselves. This love is not a one-time act but an ongoing, sacrificial commitment that mirrors the love Christ has for us. When we live in this way, we become a living testimony of God’s love, drawing others closer to Him.
May we strive to know God – not just about Him – and allow that deep, transformative knowledge to overflow into every relationship, every interaction, and every corner of our lives. This is the life we are called to live – a life marked by love, rooted in the Great Commandment, and inspired by the cross of Christ.
