What Scripture Means by "Love" Your Neighbor

The word “love” has different meanings in Scripture.

For example:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40 

We're told to love God with heart, soul, and mind...fully, wholeheartedly, above all others (Luke 14:26).

We're told to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. 

This is perhaps the most misunderstood form of love. Psychology tells us we should have warm, fuzzy feelings about ourselves, thinking highly of ourselves, and demanding others treat us with respect.

If that were true, we'd have to adore our neighbors. 

But loving our neighbor as ourselves is the kind of love that treats all people with respect, helping them if they're in need, picking them up if they fall, being gracious and fair. This love means doing to others what we'd want them to do to us (Matthew 7:12).

We don't even have to like our neighbor to do this. We can “love” our enemies with this kind of love (Matthew 5:44; Romans 12:20-21). 

Love for God is unique, a love that is based on His perfection and goodness, a love that causes us to obey His commands (John 14:15). Love for ourselves and for others is based on forgiveness and grace, knowing we are all imperfect sinners.

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This misunderstanding of love for neighbor leads to another misunderstanding explained here: Most Misused Scripture by Self-Esteem Advocates.

 

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