The Great Commandment and Neighborly Love in Christianity
The Great Commandment and Neighborly Love in Christianity
The concept of loving God and one's neighbor is central to Christian doctrine, rooted in biblical teachings. Jesus Christ emphasized the importance of these commandments in response to a question about the greatest commandment in the law [1]. According to Mark 12:31, Jesus stated that the second great commandment is to "love your neighbor as yourself," highlighting the significance of neighborly love in Christian ethics.
The biblical basis for neighborly love is multifaceted. The command to love one's neighbor as oneself is found in Leviticus 19:18, and Jesus reiterated this commandment in Matthew 22:37-39, Mark 12:31, and Luke 10:27. The apostle Paul also emphasized the importance of love in Christian living, describing it as a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:8-10) [2].
Christian traditions have interpreted the command to love one's neighbor in various ways. According to John Gill, a Baptist/Reformed commentator, Jesus' command to love one another is the principal commandment that encompasses all other duties towards each other [6]. Adam Clarke, a Methodist/Wesleyan commentator, notes that the love of God and the love of man are inseparable, and that loving one's brother is a manifestation of loving God (1 John 4:21) [7].
The early Christian community exemplified neighborly love through acts of hospitality, charity, and kindness. The Community Rule from the Dead Sea Scrolls (c. 100-75 BCE) emphasizes the importance of loving all that God has chosen and hating all that He has rejected, demonstrating a similar emphasis on communal love and separation from evil [4].
In Christian theology, the love commandment is not limited to personal relationships but extends to social and communal aspects. Torrey's Topical Textbook highlights the importance of showing hospitality to strangers, the poor, and even enemies, citing examples from the Old and New Testaments [3]. This understanding is echoed in the writings of the apostles, who encouraged believers to demonstrate love and kindness towards one another and to those outside the community.
The motivation for neighborly love is rooted in Christ's love for humanity. Jesus' command to love one another is modeled after his own love, which is characterized by self-sacrifice (John 13:34) [5, 8]. As Adam Clarke notes, Christ's love is not limited to loving one's neighbor as oneself but extends to loving others more than oneself, as demonstrated by his willingness to lay down his life for humanity [8].
The Great Commandment and neighborly love remain fundamental to Christian doctrine and practice across various traditions. While different Christian denominations may emphasize certain aspects of neighborly love, the core principle remains a cornerstone of Christian ethics and spirituality. The Eastern Orthodox, Baptist/Reformed, Presbyterian, Methodist/Wesleyan, and Lutheran traditions all affirm the importance of loving God and one's neighbor, reflecting a broad ecumenical consensus on this doctrine.
Sources
- Mark “The second is like this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’There is no other commandment greater than these.” -- Mark 12:31”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Love to Man — Is of God -- 1Jo 4:7. Commanded by God -- 1Jo 4:21. Commanded by Christ -- Joh 13:34; 15:12; 1Jo 3:23. After the example of Christ -- Joh 13:34; 15:12; Eph 5:2. Taught by God -- 1Th 4:9. Faith works by -- Ga 5:6. A fruit of the Spirit -- Ga 5:22; Col 1:8. Purity of heart leads to -- 1Pe 1:22. Explained -- 1Co 13:4-7. Is an active principle -- 1Th 1:3; Heb 6:10. Is an abiding principle -- 1Co 13:8,13. Is the second great commandment -- Mt 22:37-39. Is the end of the commandment -- 1Ti 1:5. Supernatural gifts are nothing without -- 1Co 13:1,2. The greates”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Hospitality — Commanded -- Ro 12:13; 1Pe 4:9. Required in ministers -- 1Ti 3:2; Tit 1:8. A test of Christian character -- 1Ti 5:10. Specially to be shown to Strangers. -- Heb 13:2. The poor. -- Isa 58:7; Lu 14:13. Enemies. -- 2Ki 6:22,23; Ro 12:20. Encouragement to -- Lu 14:14; Heb 13:2. Exemplified Melchizedek. -- Ge 14:18. Abraham. -- Ge 18:3-8. Lot. -- Ge 19:2,3. Laban. -- Ge 24:31. Jethro. -- Ex 2:20. Manoah. -- Jdj 13:15. Samuel. -- 1Sa 9:22. David. -- 2Sa 6:19. Barzillai. -- 2Sa 19:32. Shunammite. -- 2Ki 4:8. Nehemiah. -- Ne 5:17. Job. -- Job 31:17,32. Zacchaeu”
- Dead Sea Scrolls “Community Rule (Serekh ha-Yahad) (c. 100-75 BCE), section 1: THE COMMUNITY RULE Translated by G. Vermes 1QS COL.I . . . Book of the Community Rule, that they may seek 2. God with a whole heart and soul. and do good and right before Him as 3. He commanded by the hand of Moses and all His servants the Prophets; that they may love 4. all that He has chosen and hate all that he has rejected; that they may abstain from all evil and 5. hold fast to all good; that they may practise truth, righteousness, and justice 6. upon earth and no longer stubbornly follow a sinful heart and lustful eyes committi”
- John (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on John 13:34: a new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another--This was the new feature of it. Christ's love to His people in giving His life a ransom for them was altogether new, and consequently as a Model and Standard for theirs to one another. It is not, however, something transcending the great moral law, which is "the old commandment" (Jo1 2:7, and see on Mar 12:28-33), but that law in a new and peculiar form. Hence it is said to be both new and old (Jo1 2:7-8).”
- John (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on John 15:11: This is my commandment, that ye love one another,.... Christ had been before speaking of his commandments; and he mentions this as the principal one, and to which all the rest may be reduced; for as the precepts of the second table of the moral law may be briefly comprehended in this one duty, love to our neighbour, so all the duties of Christianity, relative to one another, are reducible to this, by love to serve each other. This was the commandment which lay uppermost on Christ's heart, and which he knew, if attended to, the rest could not fail of being observed. The”
- 1 John (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on 1 John 4:21: This commandment have we - We should love one another, and love our neighbor as ourselves. The love of God and the love of man can never be separated; he who loves God will love his brother; he who loves his brother gives this proof that he loves God, because he loves with a measure of that love which, in its infinitude, dwells in God.”
- John (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on John 13:34: A new commandment I give unto you - In what sense are we to understand that this was a new commandment? Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, was a positive precept of the law, Lev 19:18, and it is the very same that Christ repeats here; how then was it new? Our Lord answers this question, Even As I have loved you. Now Christ more than fulfilled the Mosaic precept; he not only loved his neighbor As himself, but he loved him More than himself, for he laid down his life for men. In this he calls upon the disciples to imitate him; to be ready on all occasions to lay ”