“Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the LORD.”
(Leviticus 19:18)
Abiding love is at the heart of the Christian faith: love for God and love for others. Both loves are inseparably joined, and together they form the lifeblood of Christianity. When a Pharisee asked Christ to declare the greatest commandment, His reply was immediate and without hesitation: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matt. 22:37-39). The Lord tied together the love of God and the love of others as the whole law’s fulfillment.
To love God is to cherish Him above all else, to worship Him alone, and to obey His commands. But love does not end in devotion to Him; it also extends outward. Jesus makes it clear in John 13:35 that love among His disciples is the chief mark by which the world recognizes true Christianity. And He commands that we not only love our fellow believers but also our enemies. “Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you” (Luke 6:27), just as He embodied a love that reached even to those who despised Him.
What does it mean, then, to love one’s neighbor as oneself? This kind of love is evidenced by a true regard for others’ welfare, springing from the love of God shed abroad in the believer’s heart. This is why the apostle Paul lists love as the first fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22, for only those who have been transformed by divine grace can extend such affection.
The principle is simple yet searching: treat others as you would wish to be treated. The “Golden Rule” (Matt. 7:12) sets the standard for all human dealings. As William Slatyer put it, “In general, to hurt no one by word nor deed, but to be true and just in all our dealings….”[1] In other words, love forbids vengeance, bitterness, and deceit; it guards against grudges and demands truthfulness, kindness, and integrity.
Moreover, this command is not an option for the believer. John declares bluntly that the one who claims to love God but hates his brother is a liar (1 John 4:20). In addition, the command to love God with all our being and our neighbor as ourselves is not only the path of obedience but the path to joy because it is sacrificial, genuine, and steadfast. It does not seek its own but rejoices in the good of others.
So by keeping these commands to love God with our whole being … and to love others as we love ourselves … we reflect the character of God, display the transforming power of His Spirit, and bear witness to Christ before the world.
Contemplations:
- The quality of love. When I think of loving my neighbor, I realize it’s not about the magnitude but rather the sincerity of that love, measured by the quality of truth in that affection rather than by the volume.
- The soul’s image. Every soul is an image of God. When I love my neighbor, I’m not just loving a fellow human but also honoring the divine image within them. How often do I recognize the divine in others and treat them with the reverence that realization demands?
- The true effect of love. True love wishes no harm. If I genuinely love my neighbor as myself, I will never wish any harm upon them. This love, rooted in God’s love for me, becomes the foundation of all my daily interactions.
- The golden rule in action. Treating others as I’d like to be treated is a principle I’ve heard countless times. But it’s one thing to know it and another to live it. In every interaction, am I considering how I would feel if I were in the other person’s shoes? How can I be more intentional about practicing the Golden Rule?
Prayer (supplication)
Lord God, I come before You in weakness, pleading for Your Spirit to teach me how to love as You command. You make it clear that vengeance, bitterness, and grudges are forbidden to Your people, and that instead I am to love my neighbor as myself. Yet I confess how quickly my heart leans toward selfishness, pride, and remembering wrongs done against me. I do not have within me the power to obey this holy command. So work in me, O Lord, what You require from me.
Give me, by Your Spirit, a heart of true affection toward those around me. Help me see others not as obstacles or irritants but as souls made in Your image, worthy of honor, compassion, and care. Strip away the hypocrisy that so often disguises itself as kindness and replace it with a love that is sincere, pure, and unfeigned. Cause me to speak truth without malice, to act justly without hardness, and to show mercy without expectation of return.
I ask, Lord, for grace to forgive. I want to hold onto injury, rehearse offenses, and build walls against those who wound me. Break down this sinful inclination. As Christ forgave me fully and freely, may I forgive those who sin against me. Let my heart release every grudge and resentment, so that I may walk in freedom and reflect the mercy of my Savior.
I pray also for love toward those who oppose me. You command me to love not only my brethren but even my enemies. This is far beyond me, Lord, but nothing is beyond You. Pour into me the Spirit of Christ, who prayed for His executioners and laid down His life for rebels. Help me to do good to those who hate me, to pray for those who misuse me, and to bless when cursed.
Father, I ask for strength to live out the Golden Rule in every circumstance. In the small matters of daily life and in the weighty trials of suffering, let me treat others as I wish to be treated. Grant me self-awareness to consider their perspective, humility to lay aside my own advantage, and courage to love even when it costs me comfort or reputation.
Guard me, Lord, from using Your mercy as license. Keep me from despising Your goodness by turning grace into an excuse for sin. Let Your kindness lead me to repentance and deeper holiness. Train my heart to delight in obedience as the glad expression of love to You and to my neighbor.
Father, I cannot love without You. But with Your Spirit in me, love is the fruit that will surely grow. Let my life testify that I am His disciple by the way I love.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for Leviticus 19:18:
James 2:8, Gal. 5:14, Rom. 12:19, Prov. 20:22
[1] William Slatyer, The Complete Christian (London: Printed for the author, 1643), 466.
