A biblical ‘concept’ is one that can be found throughout scripture. It’s a truth in and of itself, but associated to and with multiple other ‘principles’ or ‘truths.’ There is one such concept that is not only commanded as essential, but comes with it the most benefits and consequences. We have the 2nd most important one in all of scripture before us today: love your neighbor… as yourself.
In Matthew 22.31 Jesus is answering the tempting question of Lawyer. They asked Him, ‘What is the great commandment?’. No doubt, they were about to spin this truth into tricking Him to confess His intentions. You see, to love God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength is to admit you can’t love yourself to that same degree. To accomplish this love for God it must not only be the greatest, but also the “first” command. He must come first, even above myself. So He tells them to love God with all of your heart, soul, and mind is the “first and great commandment”. That is more than they asked for. This is where we pick up in verse 39 and 40— “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
There is none other commandment greater than these. In, and of itself, this is a concept that permeates the entirety of scripture. It doesn’t matter how big or small, how relevant or fuddy-duddy, or even how lively your ministry is; if it is not based on these two commands, in concert, as a concept, it is not what God designed. There is a why to everything we do, and He just exposed it.
This second command: “love your neighbor as yourself”, is the volume of the scripture. In fact half of it is. Verse 40 said— “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Here is a sampling: Leviticus 19.18; Matthew 5.43-45; Matthew 19.19; Mark 12.31; Luke 10.27; Romans 13.9; Galatians 5.14; James 2.8; 1 John 4.21. Please take the time to look at each of these. They all teach a central concept.
Let’s focus on the phrase: “as yourself”. I have heard more often than not, this referenced as one must love themself before they are able to love others. You love them like you love yourself. Except, that isn’t an accurate interpretation. Take the entirety of the context in Matthew 22, along with the entirety of scripture… this doesn’t make sense. First and foremost, this is written, as Jesus said, a command. As a command, there would be no quid pro quo’s here. Someone could easily just say, ‘I don’t really love myself’, and that would in some way nullify the command for them? Nope. It is a command with no exemptions. It is a command that is attached to the 1st command, and by that, to the volume of scripture. So, this does not mean that. What it does mean is: love your neighbor as you are loved.
How am I loved? Not by others or myself, but by God. The passage says: “the second is like unto it.” The second comes from the first. I love God first and foremost, with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. The only way this is possible is because He first loved me: “We love him, because he first loved us.” (1 John 4.19) Now we know how we are loved— sacrificially and unselfishly. John 3.16 explains this the easiest in the first few words: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son…” This is how He loved me, and still does. More importantly, this is how I am to love my neighbor.
Don’t buy into the lie that so many so-called preachers and teachers have given today. They teach a selfish faith, which is no faith at all. Jesus taught self-abandonment, while this present world teaches self-exaltation in every possible form. Recently, one such popular speaker taught a series on why loving your neighbor is what we are to concentrate on, and thereby fulfilling our command of loving God. In other words, their take is, that we love people in order to love God; it comes first. Isn’t that the opposite of what Jesus said though? In 1 John, John the Apostle explains in detail how this isn’t true, and furthermore isn’t possible. To love your neighbor as yourself is only accomplished if you first love God. John also explains in chapter 3 onward, that we are lying if we say we love God and do not love (action) our neighbor. Our first and foremost focus is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Then and only then will we be able to fulfill the second, which is likened to it.
Check out the seriousness of what John spoke of in these passages. 1 John 2.10— “He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him”; 1 John 3.10— “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.”; 1 John 3.14— “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.”; 1 John 3.17— “But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?”; 1 John 4.20— “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”
This is a clear biblical mandate. To disobey this willingly is to be in willing rebellion against the Almighty God, our Heavenly Father. There are consequences for that. Broken fellowship is the first and worst consequence. Imagine deciding to harden your heart about something like this and immediately being in His face… what then? It’s hard as a parent to see siblings not get along. While they are children, we tell them to hold hands, kiss and make up, forgive, etc. When they get older, it gets a tad bit more complicated. This may be why John referenced the churches he was sending his letter to as “little children”. During the tenor of ministry God has allowed me to be a part, people have asked what can they do to help. My answer is simple: show up, and get along. It’s so nice to see believers loving on each other from their heart. It is a direct sign of them loving on God. If though, you see that struggle, then you know what’s wrong also… loving God.
Ever wonder how some can get away with it? It may be that they aren’t His kids. You see, it should come natural that we love on God and love on others. We are children of the God of love. How are you loved by God, really? How much has He shed His grace and mercy upon you? Have you returned that same grace upon His other children? Start in the house of God (your local church) and spread it out to a world that desperately needs His unconditional love. You, yourself, have been loved. Now it’s time to show others what that’s like.