Mark 12:31 “And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. 32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:”
The phrase, “none other” is often used in both the Old and New Testaments to mark that which stands alone, that which is the only one. When one of the scribes asked the Lord “Which is the first commandment of all?” (Mark 12:28); our Lord, “Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:29-31). He made it clear that these first two Commandments are of far greater significance than all the other Commandments. Matthew records that our Lord went on to explain, “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:40); that is, without the truth of these two Commandments, all the other Commandments and Laws and Prophecies have no force or authority to either issue or to enforce them. Furthermore, there is no reason or motivation to either believe or obey them. These two Commandments are so critical to our Christian faith, that our Lord also told the “scribe”, “Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.” (Mark 12:34). Later, Peter told the “rulers of the people, and elders of Israel” (Acts 4:8) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12); that is, if our Lord Jesus Christ did not save you when He declared on the Cross “It is finished” (John 19:30), you are not and cannot be saved to Eternal Heaven. On the other hand, if you are among that “great multitude, which no man could number” (Revelation 7:9), that God our Father chose in His Son “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 2:4); it is certain that when He declared on the Cross “It is finished” He, by His singular act, had saved you to Eternal Heaven and you cannot possibly be separated from His “love” (Romans 8:35-39) nor be Eternally lost to “everlasting destruction” (II Thessalonians 1:9). In their ignorant confusion, “the scribes and the Pharisees” declared the truth in their sneering question, “Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” (Luke 5:21). Let us rejoice with the Psalmist who declared, “thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone” (Psalms 86:10).