Perspectives

What does it mean to love God and neighbor

By Shane Legler
Posted 10/27/22

Most of us are probably familiar with the greatest commandments on which the whole of the law and the prophets hang. In short, we are commanded to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and to …

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Perspectives

What does it mean to love God and neighbor

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Most of us are probably familiar with the greatest commandments on which the whole of the law and the prophets hang. In short, we are commanded to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). However, what exactly does that look like? What does it even mean? Let us not be casual with the greatest command.

In our culture, I suspect that many have come to think of love as mere affection at best and as affirmation at worst. The scripture tells us, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him” (1 John 4:8-9). This then is how God defines love for us. 

Love is the Son of God laying aside his own glory to become man. It is the maker of all walking among us, breaking bread with us, toiling with us, shouldering our burdens, and bearing our sorrows. It is Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus weeping for the condition of fallen humanity. It is the King of kings and Lord of lords beaten, bloodied, and nailed to a cross, as he patiently endures the insults of an ungrateful humanity so that the sin of whosoever willing to believe on and follow him could be washed away. The love of God is the Son of God laying down his life for the enemies of God.

Jesus said that “greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Do we casually call ourselves a friend of God while refusing to lay down our lives for him? He died for us, and he calls us to die to ourselves and live unto him. That is what it means to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. Jesus said that, if we would follow him, we must deny ourselves and take up the cross (Matthew 16:24). Jesus said, “if you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). 

To love God with all one’s heart, soul, and mind is to keep all his commandments. Let us not deceive ourselves. If we say we love God and despise his commandments, we are liars, and the truth is not in us. Are we lying to ourselves and loving God when we indulge our lusts in defiance of his command? Are we lying to ourselves and loving God when we are taking vengeance contrary to his command? Can we say we love God while we deny his plan for marriage, discard our children for convenience, or say that he didn’t know what he was doing when he made us male and female? 

If I do not love God enough to be laughed at because of him, lose my job over him, or even to be at odds with my parents, wife, and children when they stand opposed to him, then I simply do not love him with all I am. In dying for me, Jesus gave his all for me. He has a right to ask no less of me. Let us really love the God who first loved us. Let us really draw near to the God who draws near to us. As to loving our neighbor as ourselves, we are told that “if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, ‘you shall love you neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well” (James 2:8). Why would God say, “if you really keep?”

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan went out of his own way to make sure that the “neighbor” left for dead by robbers was cared for. He bound up his wounds, set him on his own animal, and paid for his care with his own money. He sacrificed for his neighbor. He did not leave him by the side of the road where he found him. Likewise, and in every sense, Jesus does not leave us in the gutter he found us in.

I know that we all want someone to stop for us when we’re bleeding to death on the side of the road, but the drowning man will often try to drown the one who tries to rescue him. The wounded animal will often bite the person trying to help it. My point is this: Do we really want to live in a world where no one will ever help us for fear of getting bitten? Is it loving our neighbor to affirm them as they stand in defiance of God? 

Is it OK to smile and wave as they go to their death? Is it love to baptize the unrepentant? How can that be love? Is it not rather an act of cowardice on the part of one unwilling to risk themselves to rescue the dying and drowning? Let us be willing to give a man more than a loaf of bread that will never keep him full. Let us be willing to love him enough to give him the truth, even if it should cost us everything to do so. If we can do that, we will be doing well.

 

(Shane Legler is the pastor of Garland Community Church of God.)

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