What are the minimum number of hinges traditionally needed for a door to operate well? . . . Two. On a two hinged door, which is the most important one? . . . The top one. Picture this, if you have a door with a top hinge only, the door will be tough to open and move, but it will be functional. If you have a door with only one hinge near the bottom, the door will likely rip right off as soon as it is swung past the door jamb.
Not long ago, a brother in Christ shared that he and his wife were wrestling with a choice that their child had made to pursue a sinful life. They were having a particularly difficult time making a decision to attend an event that celebrated this sinful decision. My brother in Christ stated, "We ended up deciding to obey the command to 'love your neighbor as yourself' and attend the event". Jesus said in Matthew 22 that the first and greatest command is "to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength", and the second (meaning lesser in importance) is "to love your neighbor as yourself". He said that all the law and prophets hang (hinge) on these two commands. And He gave the hierarchy of loving God with everything you have and then your neighbor as yourself-not as an "either or" option.
Dishonoring God to not hurt someone's feelings, or to avoid alienating them is breaking both of these commands. It rips the door right off the bottom hinge. Why? Because honoring God's commands ultimately shows true love for our neighbors in that we are showing the sin they choose leads only to death when God would have them live.
-Chad Perron, CPM Ministry