If we understand love for God as a conscious commitment and devotion to Him, it can be enjoined without violating its true nature (compare with John 13:34). God always intended that obedience to His commands should spring from a personal relationship with Him (“I . . . brought you to Myself” [Exod. 19:4, NKJV]; Deut. 6:5; compare with Matt. 22:37) based on what He has done for them in His great mercy and love.

The command to love God also expresses the mutual, but not symmetrical, nature of divine love. God desires to enter into an intimate, personal relationship with every person who reciprocates His love. Thus, His universal love to all constitutes the framework for the manifestation of our voluntary, mutual love.