HOW TO LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR AS YOURSELF?
INTRODUCTION
Prv. 12:26 The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them.
The first requirement is to know and keep God’s commandments only then can we know how to love others. Otherwise one would be like the unrighteous judge who neither feared God nor regarded man.
Luke 6:35-36 35But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
Lev. 19:15-18 15Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour. 16Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbour: I am the LORD. 17Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. 18Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
WHAT OUGHT WE TO DO TO MANIFEST OUR CHRISTIAN WAY OF LIFE IN LOVING OUR NEIGHBOUR ?
1．Be patient, compassionate and kind to others.
1Cor. 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up
Eph. 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
2．Build them up and edify others.
Rom. 15:1-2 1We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
Eph. 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
3． Look into the interest of others, like sharing the benefit of the true gospel.
Phil. 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
1Cor. 9:22-23 22To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.
4． Love in deed and in truth. Labour in love.
1John 3:17-18 17But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
1Thess. 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
5． Forgive others. Do not harbour hatred.
Eph. 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
1Cor. 13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.
6． Purify ourselves first in the truth and love others.
1Pet. 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
7． Obey the truth of God.
2John 1:6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
8． Love others because of God’s love for us.
If we manifest our love towards our brethren then it shows that we love God.
1John 4:19-21 19We love him, because he first loved us. 20If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? 21And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also.
Matt. 25:35-40 35For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
9． Be generous towards others.
Contribute to the physical needs of others.
2Cor. 8:7-8 7Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also. 8I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.
2Cor. 8:24 Wherefore shew ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love, and of our boasting on your behalf.
Luke 6:35 ut love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
Acts 20:35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
10． Be hospitable and serve others.
Gal 5:13-14 13For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Tit. 1:8 But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate;
11. Pray, make intercession and thanksgiving for everyone, even mourn for our enemies.
1Tim. 2:1-4 1I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
Ps. 35:12-14 12They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul. 13But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom. 14I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother.
12. Should not hate others.
If we hate our brother, how can we love God?
1John 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
One who hates his brother is a murderer.
1John 3:14-20 14We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 15Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? 18My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. 19And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. 20For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
We should forgive others from our hearts.
Matt. 18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
Do not to others what we do not want others to do unto us.
Matt. 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
13. Should not take revenge against others. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
If your enemy is hungry or thirsty, give him bread or water to eat or drink.
Prv. 25:2122 21If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: 22For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.
Do not avenge ourselves; do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Rom. 12:19-21 19Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
14. Do not withhold good from those in need.
In the parable of the good Samaritan, we should not be like the priest or Levite who were hypocrites, who did not help the injured man who was also a Jew. Instead, it was the Samaritan who helped the man, and therefore was his true neighbour. (Luke 10:25-37)
Prv. 3:27-28 27Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. 28Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
We should not withhold good from those to whom it is due, if it is in our power to do so.
15. We should not be a talebearer and gossip about others.
We should not be a talebearer and gossip about others.
Prv. 18:8 The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.
We should not bear false witness or cause discord among our brethren.
Prv. 6:19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
16. Do not treat others unfairly. Do not show partiality and despise the poor. Give fair and just wages.
Masters should treat their servants justly and fairly.
Col. 4:1 1Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.
Eph. 6:9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.
We should not show partiality or despise the poor.
Jas. 2:1-6 1My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? 5Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? 6But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?
(Religious Education Unit – Sharing Session-Acts-12-0708)