For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
When considering what the Bible says about how to live, we naturally seek a list of dos and don’ts, often beginning with the Ten Commandments. While it is easy to fixate on the law like the Pharisees, they do more than give us a list of rules, they give us guidance on how to live. When Jesus was asked about the greatest commands, He pointed to two commands that guide how to live broadly: Love the Lord your God with all your heart soul and mind and love your neighbor as yourself. He said, “Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:40).
Christ has shown us a full picture of what right relationship with God looks like. It is not a life of judgment, primarily looking for the sin in others. It is not a life of greed, taking from others. It is a life of service, marked love for the Lord and of our neighbor. When we take this command seriously, asking God to transform our hearts and show us how to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, we avoid the sin that is so harmful to those around us. We cannot take from someone and love them as ourselves. We cannot take another life when we are guarding it as precious and valuable, made in God’s image. God’s commands are good because they are more than a list of dos and don’ts; they are an invitation life in Him.
- What does it look like to love your neighbor as yourself? How can you practice this daily?
- How can loving your neighbor as yourself glorify God?
- Pray and ask God to equip you to love your neighbor as yourself today.
