Community answers are sorted based on votes. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is.
Singapore Moses
An young lawyer came to Jesus and asked him, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" He wanted to trap Jesus from the knowledge he gained from the huge & huge volumes of law books. Because it is a tricky question. There are 613 commandments, and the bible scholars consider some great and some small, so here Jesus was being trapped to answer this trickiest question ever. Jesus understood the motive of this question. But he gave an instant and immediate answer. Jesus replied: “‘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.” Jesus quoted the first commandment from Dt. 6:5; 10:12; 30:6. Love for God must come from: 1. The heart:all inward affections 2. The soul:all consciousness 3. The mind:all thoughts Jesus reply is very simple truth LOVE your GOD and love your neighbor... The whole bible is hang on these two commandments. Jesus quoted the second commandment from the following Thirty Facts about Neighbors: ► Borrowing from them (the first use of " borrow," Ex. 3: 22) ► Sharing worship with them (Ex. 12: 4) ► Not bearing false witness against them (Ex. 20: 16) ► Not coming presumptously upon them (Ex. 21: 14) ► Property in trust (Ex. 22: 7- 14) ► Lying to them was forbidden (Lev. 6: 2- 7; 19: 11). ► Not defrauding (Lev. 19: 13) ► Not robbing them (Lev. 19:13) ► Judge righteously (Lev. 19:15) ► Talebearing to them was forbidden (Lev. 19:16). ► Rebuking a neighbor if he sins (Lev. 19:17) ► Loving him as yourself (Lev. 19:18) ► The law of equality (Lev. 24:19- 20) ► Selling to them (Lev. 25:14- 15) ► Accidental death happening to them (Dt. 4:42; 19:4- 11) ► Eating their crops (Dt. 23:25) ► Smiting them secretly (Dt. 27:24) ► The righteous treatment of them (Ps. 15:1- 3) ► The private slander of them (Ps. 101:5) ► Deception of them was forbidden (Prov. 3:28). ► Not devising against them (Prov. 3:29) ► Despising them (Prov. 11:12) ► Poor neighbors (Prov. 14:20; 19:4) ► Witnessing against them for no cause (Prov. 24:28) ► Hasty striving with them (Prov. 25:8) ► Debating with them (Prov. 25:9) ► Wrong sport with them (Prov. 26:19) ► Not forsaking them (Prov. 27:10) ► Christ and neighbors (Mt. 5:43; 19:19; 22:39; Lk. 10:29- 36) ► Paul and neighbors (Rom. 13:10; 15:2; Eph. 4:25) Jesus reply is very simple truth LOVE your GOD and love your neighbor... The whole bible is hang on these two commandments.
S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
An expert in the law tried to test the Lord Jesus by asking Him to declare what was the greatest commandment in the Law of Moses. In one masterful statement, Jesus condensed the entire law that God...
Login or Sign Up to view the rest of this answer.
Michael Morgan
This is one of my life verses, as noted above. What it took for me to know the unconditional love of Christ, was to realize how much He loved me, and then learn to love myself in the same manner. This is not a selfish love, but one of acceptance. What this verse, and question, says to me is that I must first love myself before I can give all that I can to others. When we are full in our hearts, it is easy to deny our self wants and needs and give more fully to others. Before giving my life to Christ I had many holes in my heart. I used many different vices trying to fill the emptiness; of course none worked. So to love our neighbor as ourselves, we must first come to peace with ourselves. Focus deeply on "His UNCONDITIONAL" Love. Don't confuse this with unconditional acceptance of obvious disobedience. God bless.
Aurel Gheorghe
To love your neighbor as you love yourself means to treat everyone with love and respect. As others mentioned, The Ten Commandments are the will of God for us. The first four commandments deal with our relationship with God, and the other six deal with our relationship with others. The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) tell us that all humanity is your neighbor. And if we love our neighbors, it will be impossible to break any of the commandments. Jesus makes a similar statement in Luke 6:31 “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”
JD Abshire
Matthew 22:39 "And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." I believe the scripture assumes that the audience knows or should know who number 1 is, self. Although the love of a neighbor isn't the same type of love as one would have within the marriatal relationship, Ephesians 5:29 tells us: "For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:" In light of the verse above, "Love thy neighbor as thyself" takes on a whole new level of intensity, doesn't it?
Janet Austin
To love your neighbor as you love yourself means that your actions toward your neighbor (and your responses to your neighbor) need to be those that would help that person move closer to God (which is what we need to be doing for ourselves also).
Add your Answer
All answers are REVIEWED and MODERATED.
Please ensure your answer MEETS all our guidelines.
A good answer provides new insight and perspective. Here are guidelines to help facilitate a meaningful learning experience for everyone.
- Adhere to the eBible Statement of Faith.
- Your answer should be complete and stand-alone.
- Include supporting arguments, and scripture references if possible. Seek to answer the "why".
- Adhere to a proper tone and spirit of love and understanding.
- For more info see The Complete Guide to eBible