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In my previous post, my focus was on discerning who our neighbors are and what it means to love your neighbor as yourself. In today’s post, the focus will be on 45+ Scriptures that reveal how to love your neighbor God’s way, and 30+ Scriptures of what I call “Thou Shall Not” do. Additionally, if you have not had the opportunity to read the first four posts of this series, here are the links to Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.
The 5 Commandments for Loving Your Neighbor
Five of the commandments God gave to Moses reflect how to live with integrity and show love to your neighbor.
God commanded: you shall not murder, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness against your neighbor, and you shall not covet your neighbor’s house… wife… or anything else that belongs to your neighbor. The complete list of Commandments can be found in Ex 20:2-17 and Deut 5:6-21.
The apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans states: For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” – Rm 13:9 (emphasis added)
God Reveals What It Means to Love Your Neighbor
Moreover, God tells us in Philippians 2:3-4: Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ESV (emphasis added)
So much for the ‘it’s all about me, me, me,’ culture.
God is crystal clear that we love people by genuinely seeking what is best for them. Therefore, loving our neighbors means having compassion as Jesus did and attending not only to their physical needs but, more importantly, to their spiritual needs. In essence, as I like to say, we are to be “Jesus with skin on”.
However, loving our neighbor is not always easy. We need the help of the Holy Spirit and the wisdom He provides to walk in love toward those we interact with. (Especially if your neighbors remind you of (“The Burbs”).
Together, let’s examine ourselves to see if we love our neighbor as God reveals in His Word.
Are you ready? Let’s do this. We can do this! (“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” – Phil 4:13).
Biblically, Loving Your Neighbor Means:
- Doing no harm or wrong – Rm 13:10
- Serving others – Gal 5:13
- Taking delight in honoring others. – Rm 12:10
- Being hospitable without grumbling. – 1 Pet 4:9
- Loving from a pure heart, a good conscience, and from sincere faith. – 1 Tim 1:5
As Christians, Our Attitude Matters
- Let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. – 1 Jn 3:18
- Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good – Rm 12:9
- He who loves his brother abides in the light – 1 Jn 2:10
- He who does not love his brother abides in death. – 1 Jn 3:14
- Jesus said: “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.” – Jn 15:12
- “It is a sin to belittle one’s neighbor.” – Pro 14.21
- Jesus also stated: “Whatever you desire that others would do to and for you, even so do also to and for them” – Mat 7:12 (AMPC)
Loving Your Neighbor Does Not Mean:
- Agreeing with them on everything.
- Condoning their actions or lifestyles.
- Acting in unscriptural ways to gain their approval.
- Accommodating to whatever your neighbor believes is in their best interest. (In other words, it is not an invitation to moral relativism.)
Have you ever considered: Loving Your Neighbor Might Not Mean What You Think It Means? The following is an excerpt from the article.
“Doing unto others as you would have done to yourself” does not mean that we are required to extend the same rights to all men as if they were us under our circumstances; it requires that we empathetically put ourselves into the place of others and treat them according to the way we would expect to be treated if we were them under their circumstances. – Stuart DiNenno
To Love Your Neighbor Means Sharing God’s Truth
If we love our neighbors, we will always be truthful. There is no greater truth to be found than God’s Word. Share His truths and share the Gospel of Jesus with them. He alone can meet people’s every need.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” – 2 Tim 3:16-17
Share Jesus
- “Do not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes”… – Rm 1:16
- Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – Jn 14:6
- “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. “– Acts 4:12
- Try to please others instead of yourself, in the hope that many of them will be saved. – 1 Cor 10:33
Speak Truth
- “The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in those who tell the truth.” – Pro 12.22
- “Therefore, putting away lying, ‘Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor…” – Eph 4:25
- “The mouth of the godly person gives wise advice.” – Pro 10:31
- “The words of the godly save lives.” – Pro 12:06
- “An honest answer is like a kiss of friendship” – Pro 24:26
- “Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.” – Pro 27:6
Offence and Forgiveness
I recently read a book by John Bevere titled The Bait of Satan. In it, he explains that one of Satan’s most used tactics is the trap of offense. By continually feeding on the perceived wrong done to us, we have taken the bait and have become trapped by the perceived offense. The only way out is forgiveness.
(Photo by hello aesthe on Pexels.com)
The most effective way for the enemy to blind us is to cause us to focus on ourselves. However, God wants us to focus on Him and the needs of others. Therefore, to be set free, we are commanded by Jesus Christ to forgive others just as He has forgiven us.
Similarly, as we saw earlier, this is something we cannot accomplish on our own. We need the Holy Spirit’s ever-present help to remind us of God’s Word. Below are Scriptures that I believe speak to the offense trap we can step into if we are not vigilant.
The Offense Trap
- “Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble” – Heb 12:15
- “An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars.” – Pro 18:19
- “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” – Lev. 19:18
- “Repay no one evil for evil.” – Lk 6:36
- “See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.” – 1 Thes 5:15
- “Bless and do not curse those who persecute you.” – Lk 6:36
- “Live in harmony with one another.” – Lk 6:36
- “As much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. “- Lk 6:36
- “Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” – Lk 6:36
- “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” – Heb 12:14
- “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger” – Eph 4:26
- “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” – Ja 1:19-20
Read More: What does the Bible say about anger? – GotQustions.org
God’s Command to Forgive is for Our Benefit
Forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation. Likewise, it is not letting an unrepentant person off the hook. Forgiving others is for our benefit. Moreover, when we let go of the offense and forgive, it allows the peace of God to flow in us again.
Eph 4:32 states: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”
- “Watch yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him.” – Lk 17:3
- “If he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”- Lk 17:4
- Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” and Jesus replied, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven.” – Mat 18:21-22
- “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” – Mk 11:25
- “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.” – Mat 6:14
- “Make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” – Col 3:13
Christians are to Love Their Enemies
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” – Mat 5:43-44
In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that we must live differently from the world. On our own, this is impossible. However, as Matthew 19:26 states: “…but with God all things are possible.”
What is impossible for man becomes possible for those who give their lives to Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in our hearts. We love our neighbors, who seem like enemies to us, with a heart that first loves God.
- “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” – Rm 12:20-21
- “Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” – Luke 6:35
- “Don’t rejoice when your enemies fall; don’t be happy when they stumble. For the Lord will be displeased with you and will turn his anger away from them.” – Pro 24:17-18
Read More:
The Shall Nots of Loving Your Neighbor
The Lord states you shall not:
- Grumble against one another – Ja 5:9
- Speak evil of one another – Ja 4:11
- Let corrupt words proceed out of your mouth, – Eph 4:29a
- Lie to one another – Col 3:9
- Lie about them. – Pro 24.28-29
- Be a stumbling block to anyone – 1 Cor 10:32; Rm 14:13
- Stand idly by when your neighbor’s life is threatened – Lev 19:16b
- Testify against your neighbors without cause – Pro 24.28
- Devise evil in your hearts against one another” – Zech 8:17a
- Avenge yourself, God states, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” – Rm 12:19
- Say, “Now I can pay them back for what they’ve done to me! I’ll get even with them!” – Pro 24.29
You Shall Not Treat Your Neighbor with Partiality or Favoritism
“Showing partiality is never good, yet some will do wrong for a mere piece of bread.” – Pro 28.21
The Scriptures illustrate that God’s love extends to every individual. All men are created in the image of God. We are His masterpieces (Eph 2:10). Moreover, the only difference in His eyes is “have we accepted Jesus Christ as Lord,” or are we still following the world’s (satan’s) ways.
Our Father’s Example
- “God does not show favoritism.” – Rm 2:11; Gal 2:6b
- “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.” – Deut 10:17
Abba Does Not Ignore the Less Fortunate
- “The LORD executes righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.” – Ps 103:6
- “He defends the cause of the weak and the fatherless; He maintains the rights of the poor and the oppressed.” – Ps 82:3
God does not ignore the less fortunate. Likewise, we are not to ignore our less fortunate neighbors either.
- “Blessed are those who help the poor.” – Pro 14:21
- “He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed.” – Pro 19:17
- “Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker, but helping the poor honors him.” – Pro 14:31
- “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.” – Isa 1:17
- “Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed.” – Pro 28:27
- “Those who shut their ears to the cries of the poor will be ignored in their own time of need.”
– Pro 21:13 - “If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” – 1 Jn 3:17
You Shall Not Judge Unfairly
The Word of the Lord says, You shall not:
- “Deny justice or show partiality.” – Deut 16:19a
- “Accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.”
– Deut 16:19b - “Twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial to the rich and powerful.” – Lev 19:15a
- “Judge people unfairly.” – Lev 19:15
- “Follow the crowd in wrongdoing. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.” – Ex 23:2
- “Show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.” – Ex 23:3
- “Show partiality to the wicked” – Pro 18:5a
- “Depriving the innocent of justice.” – Pro 18:5b
You Shall Not Hate Your Neighbor
- “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” – 1 Jn 4:20
- “He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.” – 1 Jn 2:9
- “Whoever hates disguises himself with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart” – Pro 26:24
- “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” – 1 Jn 3:15
In Closing
How did you do? Are you loving your neighbor (anyone you come in contact with) according to the above Scriptures as revealed in God’s Word? If you said yes, may I remind you of the 9th commandment? I know I don’t always love perfectly. However, thank God, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rm 8:1, emphasis mine).
Moreover, we all fall short (Rm 3.23). Therefore, let’s get back up and brush ourselves off. Additionally, we seek the forgiveness of God and those we may have offended, and press on toward the goal (Phil 3.14).
Hence, we are to: “Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.” – 1Pe. 2.12
Remembering that “The Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will repay each person according to what he has done.” – Mat 16:27
Maranatha!
Father, I pray that those who visit this site are touched by my love to teach and encourage others from Your Word. I thank You for the gift of grace and mercy that You have given us through the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Create in us a clean heart, I pray, and renew a right spirit within us. Help us to be a light in this dark world and bring you the glory you deserve. In Jesus’ precious Name, Amen!
I am Passionately Loving Jesus, who is the Anchor of my soul!
Bonnie
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