Biblical Answer

The Commandment to Love Our Neighbor as Ourselves

The biblical revelation reminds us that human beings are not self-explanatory. They derive their meaning from outside themselves, from God in whose image they are made. We are not autonomous individuals, creating ourselves constantly. This understanding is essential to understanding what it means to love our neighbors as ourselves.

What does it mean to love our neighbors as ourselves in a world of division and chaos? To love our neighbors as ourselves means that we love them as God loves us. We love them because we are made in God's image, and therefore, we reflect God's love. This love is not just a feeling, but an action. We are to love our neighbors in ways marked by love and righteousness, shining like a bright light in a dark world (Matthew 5:12-16). This means that we are to be ordered toward love of God and love of our neighbors. When we love our neighbors as ourselves, we are to be ready to make restitution and satisfaction for all injuries and wrongs done by us to any other.

Loving our neighbors as ourselves requires us to love God first and foremost. If we love ourselves first and foremost, we cannot love God first and foremost. This is because our love for God is the source of our love for ourselves and our neighbors. When we love God, we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, doing unto them as we would have them do unto us (Matthew 7:12). This means that we are to share with our neighbors our knowledge of Christ, finding ways and means of doing them good. Ultimately, loving our neighbors as ourselves is not just about ethics or morality, but about reflecting God's love in a world of division and chaos.