Where this command is found:
“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
When questioned by a lawyer on what the most important commandment was, Jesus replied by giving the greatest commandment of all: to Love the Lord. But Jesus did not stop there; He then gave the second greatest commandment which is like the first: Love Your Neighbor. Jesus stated that “on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” But why love your neighbor? Isn’t loving God enough?
If we take the time to Biblically define what loving God really looks like, we will quickly come to see that loving Him and loving our neighbor are inseparably linked! This is exactly what John speaks of in 1 John 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?” But why is loving God and loving our neighbor so closely connected?
One of the reasons for this is because as we love God with our whole heart, He transforms us into a channel of His love to those around us. God is the only Source of genuine love. It was God’s love that compelled Christ to go to Calvary. Christ saved us as a result of His love for us and it is His love in us that enables us to love others. 1 John 4:16 says, “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” The key to loving others is not gritting our teeth and trying our hardest to fulfill this command, but rather abiding in the very Person of love Himself.
Jesus explains how we abide in His love in John 15:10, “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.” By memorizing, meditating upon, and treasuring Christ’s commands within our heart, we abide in love. When we abide in love, a natural fruit of our lives will be loving others! As we become a channel of Christ’s amazing love to our neighbor, not only will we fulfill this command, but the lost will see our love for each other, recognize that we are Christ’s disciples, and will be drawn to the Savior!
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God's love is not passive but active, requiring us to serve selflessly, forgive freely, and reflect on Christ’s sacrificial love to everyone — family, neighbors, strangers, and even enemies. We cannot love in our own strength; only by abiding in Christ and receiving His love can we truly love others.
Loving our neighbor fulfills God’s law because it mirrors His character in us. This love is not based on fleeting emotions but on a commitment to put others above ourselves.
True love is active and selfless, expressed through kind deeds, forgiveness, and humility. By relying on Christ’s strength, we can love even those who are difficult to love.
