Love Your Neighbor
Paul in Galatians 5:14 wrote: "For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" Why would Paul only include the second of what Jesus said were the two greatest commandments (the first being "love God with your heart, mind, soul, and strength") and say it fulfills the whole law? The clue is in John, who recorded that Jesus told the disciples, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments" and also noted that (1 John 4:20)
John says if we do not love one another, that's evidence that we don't really love God. It's easier to say "I love God" than to actually love our neighbors. Only if we have love for God will we truly be able to love our neighbors, therefore obeying the command to love our neighbors is a demonstration of our love for God.
This parallels what James says about faith. It's easy to say you have faith, but when faith is present there will be external evidence (works). Paul is correct that we are saved by faith alone not faith plus works. However, that faith will produce works. So also love for God will always display itself as love (an admittedly imperfect love in this life) for others.
"If anyone says, 'I love God,' and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen."
John says if we do not love one another, that's evidence that we don't really love God. It's easier to say "I love God" than to actually love our neighbors. Only if we have love for God will we truly be able to love our neighbors, therefore obeying the command to love our neighbors is a demonstration of our love for God.
This parallels what James says about faith. It's easy to say you have faith, but when faith is present there will be external evidence (works). Paul is correct that we are saved by faith alone not faith plus works. However, that faith will produce works. So also love for God will always display itself as love (an admittedly imperfect love in this life) for others.
posted by Taliesin at 11:30 AM
2 Comments:
First off I would like to say awesome blog! I had a quick question in which
I'd like to ask if you don't mind. I was interested to find out how you center yourself and clear your mind
before writing. I've had a hard time clearing my mind
in getting my ideas out. I truly do enjoy writing however it just
seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes tend to be lost just trying to figure out how to begin.
Any ideas or hints? Cheers!
For me, writing is an extension of reading. I need something, be it a book, an article, or a blog post, to spark an idea. Unfortunately, I haven't been reading as much so I don't post as much. When I do write I don't try to be perfect the first pass. I just write. Whatever the ideas are I put them down. Writing is a way of thinking for me. Much of what you find here was me working through things in my own mind, so I know when I start I'm going to have to re-write some, maybe a lot, of what I wrote the first time because by the end I have a better idea of how everything fits together. Not sure if that helps. From what I've read every writer is a little different in what techniques work for them but hopefully this sparks some ideas for you.
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