Biblical Answer

The Commandment to Love Our Neighbor as Ourselves

The biblical commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves is rooted in the understanding that human beings derive their meaning from outside themselves, from God in whose image they are made. This commandment is not just about treating others with kindness and respect, but about recognizing that our neighbors are made in the image of God and therefore deserve to be treated with love and dignity. As Augustine notes, we cannot love ourselves first and foremost and love God first and foremost. Instead, when we love God, we love ourselves properly too, and when we love our neighbors, we do so because we love God with all our hearts, souls, and minds.

Understanding What it Means to Love Our Neighbor

So, what does it mean to love our neighbors as ourselves? It is not just about feeling fond of them or finding them attractive. Rather, it means demonstrating love to them in practical ways, such as being ready to make restitution and satisfaction for all injuries and wrongs done to them. It means showing love to those who may not be our friends or enemies, but are simply our neighbors. As Jesus teaches, we should do to others as we would have them do to us, which is a rephrasing of the commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. This love for our neighbors flows out of our love for God Himself, and includes demonstrating love to unbelievers, even those who treat us with antagonism and enmity.

The Intimacy of Love

The commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves is not just about external actions, but about an internal transformation. As Augustine notes, we are driven on to something more inward, driven on to love God, and therefore to love our neighbors. This love is not just a feeling, but a choice, a decision to put the needs of others before our own. It is a love that is rooted in our relationship with God, and flows out of our desire to obey Him. When we love our neighbors as ourselves, we are not just treating them with kindness and respect, but we are reflecting the character of God, who is love. As we demonstrate love to our neighbors, we are shining like a bright light in a dark world, and revealing the glory of God to those around us.