Introduction
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. 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. (Matthew 22:37-40)
And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. (Mark 12:29-31)
The Son of God stated in these two passages that loving our neighbor as ourselves is the second great commandment. Now, some have tried to argue that since He was speaking to a lawyer and a scribe, “Then one of them, which was a lawyer” (Mat 22:35), “And one of the scribes came” (Mar 12:28), that He wasn’t commanding this to His own servants and followers. However, both passages in Matthew and Mark also record His responses to the Pharisees and Sadducees that certainly do apply to His own.
The Pharisees tried to trick Him with a question about paying taxes: “Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk … Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s” (Mat 22:15,21); “And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words … Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mar 12:13,17). Simply because Christ spoke this to the Pharisees, we don’t use it as an excuse for not paying our taxes. Plus, Paul even commanded paying our taxes and loving our neighbor in the same passage, “Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour … Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Rom 13:6,9).
Likewise, the Sadducees told Christ a conundrum they hoped would cause Him to deny the bodily resurrection from the dead: “The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection … But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Mat 22:23,31-32); “Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection … And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living” (Mar 12:18,26-27). And simply because He was responding to Sadducees we don’t use it as an excuse to deny the resurrection.
Besides, many things Christ spoke were to people other than His disciples. For example, most of John chapter three is Christ speaking to a Pharisee. Well, so much for John 3:16! It must not apply to us. And John chapter four was His conversation with a Samaritan woman drawing water, as well as John chapter five was Him speaking to the Jewish leaders. Are we really to dismiss anything He didn’t speak to His disciples?
Furthermore, the second great commandment was also restated by both Paul and James, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Rom 13:9; Gal 5:14; Jas 2:8). They certainly didn’t misunderstand Christ! And this commandment also agrees in principle with Christ’s own commandment of love, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Mat 7:12), “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luk 6:31).
Finally, if we’re not commanded to keep the second great commandment, then we’re not commanded to keep the first either: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Mat 22:37-38); “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment” (Mar 12:29-30). If loving our neighbor is optional, then so is loving God.
The issue some have with understanding any of Moses’ commandments mandated upon us by Christ is that it’s supposedly placing us under the law of Moses. But that logic doesn’t follow simply because morality has never changed. Christ defining and restating the same morality commanded by Moses doesn’t place us under the Old Covenant but under Him. The moral righteousness commanded upon God’s people has always been the same whether under the Old Covenant or under the New.
Looking into a mirror
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. (James 1:22-25)
When James told us to be “doers of the word, and not hearers only,” he was referring to the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock …And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand” (Mat 7:24,26). Jesus Himself taught in His Sermon on the Mount that if we’ve heard what He said but don’t do it, we’ll be destroyed like a house in a storm that was built upon sand. And everything He said in His Sermon, He summarized in the one commandment of love, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Mat 7:12). It’s not “The Golden Rule” as some flippantly call it. It’s the second greatest commandment of all.
James’ analogy of looking into a mirror addresses specifically the law of love taught by Christ in the parable of the Good Samaritan. A priest and a Levite saw the wounded man but passed by without helping him, “And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.” (Luk 10:31-32). This is what James meant by “For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way” (Jas 1:24).
Of course when we look into a mirror we see our own face, “beholding his natural face in a glass” (Jas 1:23). And likewise, when we see our neighbor in need we see ourselves! We know what we would want done to us if we were the one laying by the road wounded, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” Therefore, seeing that wounded man, the priest and Levite saw themselves yet went their way, “For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way.” Christ’s parable of the Good Samaritan is an example of keeping the second great commandment, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself” (Luk 10:27).
Who is my neighbor?
The lawyer that questioned Jesus about the second great commandment was trying to justify himself for not having kept it, “But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?” (Luk 10:29). He hadn’t been treating everyone equally and was hoping Jesus would define that commandment in a narrower sense, therefore justifying his own discriminatory actions toward others. But Jesus forced him to define his neighbor by himself because the “neighbor” in His parable wasn’t the receiver but the giver, “Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?” (Luk 10:36). If this Jewish lawyer had been the person wounded on the side of the road about to die unless someone passing by helped, he wouldn’t care who it was that stopped—a fellow Jew, a Samaritan, or a barbarian. Our definition of neighbor tends to broaden when we find ourselves on the receiving side. “Neighbor” is more accurately defined, not looking at those needing our help but looking at ourselves needing help—looking in the mirror.
The reciprocal relationship between the giver and receiver of mercy is like a mirror reflection, “a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself” (Jas 1:23-24). When we see our neighbor, we see ourselves. Therefore, when we don’t help our neighbor in need, why should we be helped when we’re in need? When we disqualify our neighbor, we disqualify ourselves.
Christ commanded, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men [anthropos 444] should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Mat 7:12), “And as ye would that men [anthropos 444] should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luk 6:31). The Greek anthropos is “mankind” or “humans” in general. Therefore, we should do all things to anthropos because we would want anthropos to do all things to us. In other words, if we don’t care who it is that helps us when we’re in dire need, we shouldn’t care who it is we help when they’re in dire need. It’s about anthropos or all people in general.
Our neighbor isn’t strictly our fellow brethren in the body of Christ. In His Sermon on the Mount, the problem Jesus addressed wasn’t that God’s people were loving everyone the same but needed to love their brethren only—it was that they were loving their brethren only! “For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?” (Mat 5:46-47).
Under the law of Moses, “neighbor” was defined primarily as God’s people, “Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Lev 19:18). However, within the same passage God’s people were commanded to love the stranger just the same, “And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself” (Lev 19:33-34). The law also stated that God loves the stranger, “For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward: He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. Love ye therefore the stranger” (Deu 10:17-19).
James said, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (Jas 1:27). And many times the Scriptures listed the stranger right along with the fatherless and widows: “the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger” (Deu 10:18); “the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow” (Deu 14:29,16:11,14); “the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow’s raiment” (Deu 24:17); “the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow” (Deu 24:19,20,21); “the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow” (Deu 26:12); “the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow” (Deu 26:13); “the stranger, fatherless, and widow” (Deu 27:19); “the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow” (Jer 7:6); “the stranger, the fatherless, nor the widow” (Jer 22:3); “the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger” (Zec 7:10).
Furthermore, our neighbor is also our enemy, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” (Mat 5:43-44), “Therefore 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. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Rom 12:20-21). Our enemies are anthropos just like ourselves. David was the greatest example in the Old Testament of loving his enemies. He loved his father-in-law Saul who tried to kill him, and his son Absalom who tried to usurp his throne.
Our neighbor is anyone and everyone we happen to come across each day by chance, “And by chance there came down a certain priest that way” (Luk 10:31). The Greek adverb plēsion translated as “neighbor” is defined by Strong’s: “neuter of a derivative of pēlas (near); (adverbially) close by.” And the etymology of “neighbor” according to Merriam-Webster: “Middle English, from Old English nēahgebūr (akin to Old High German nāhgibūr); akin to Old English nēah near and Old English gebūr dweller.” Essentially, neigh is “near.” Our neighbor is anyone that’s nearby. It’s the people we’re around at our job, when we’re shopping at a store, and when we’re away on vacation. It’s the people around us in traffic driving selfishly—speeding, tailgating, and cutting in front of us. And it’s those we encounter over the internet, whether we’re communicating with them or about them.
Of course, there’s a hierarchy of importance in loving others. We must love God and the Son of God first, then our spouse, our children, our family, our fellow brethren in the Lord, and finally everyone else. But the love we’re commanded to show toward our neighbor, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself,” isn’t the same as toward our own spouse, “So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies” (Eph 5:28). A husband must meet his wife’s needs as his own body but certainly not his neighbors in the same way. He’s not obligated to pay the medical bills of everyone in his neighborhood! This wasn’t how “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” was understood and practiced by God’s people under the Old Covenant nor is it under the New.
Mercy rejoices against judgment
The second great commandment, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Jas 2:8), is the “law of liberty” by which James said we will be judged, “So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.” (Jas 2:12-13). Christ’s concluding point in His parable of the Good Samaritan was showing mercy to our neighbor, “Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him.” (Luk 10:36-37). Loving our neighbor is helping others when they’re in desperate need and when it’s in our power to help—when they’re at our mercy. But if we haven’t shown mercy, we won’t be shown mercy either.
On the day of judgment, we all will be at Christ’s mercy to either allow us into His Kingdom or to be banished to annihilation. Therefore, He gives us many opportunities in this life to show mercy to others so that we’ll be worthy of being shown mercy on that day. If we haven’t been forgiving, we won’t be forgiven: “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Mat 6:14-15); “But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses” (Mar 11:26). How we’ve treated others, likewise is how we’ll be treated.
Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. (Matthew 18:32-35)
Fulfilling all the law
Christ stated toward the beginning of His Sermon on the Mount, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (Mat 5:17), then concluded toward the end, “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” (Mat 7:12). What He commanded in His Sermon embodies and fulfills all the morality of Moses and the prophets. Furthermore, He said the same about the first and second great commandments, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. 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.” (Mat 22:37-40).
Paul and James both agreed about the one law of love fulfilling all laws yet approached it from two different angles: “For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Rom 13:9); “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Gal 5:14); “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well … For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill.” (Jas 2:8,10-11).
Paul’s approach was that keeping one law keeps all the laws, while James’ was that breaking one of the laws breaks all the laws. It’s the same conclusion but reached two different ways. Since all the laws are contained in one, then the one kept is the keeping of all while the breaking of one is the breaking of all. James wasn’t saying that righteousness under the Law of Moses meant keeping it perfectly without ever sinning. That line of teaching discourages righteous living altogether, “Well, we can’t do it anyway, so why even try?” Both Paul and James were simply reiterating what Christ said, “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets,” but in two different ways.
Christ’s law of love
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:19-20)
Christ preceded His commandments in His Sermon on the Mount with this statement about the righteous standard of living and teaching of the scribes and Pharisees. Their lives fell short of the righteousness God required in the Law of Moses and they taught that lower standard to others. They were like unjust stewards writing-off their master’s debts for pennies on the dollar, “How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.” (Luk 16:5-7). But Christ mandated that unless our righteousness meets the standard He was about to teach in His Sermon, we won’t be entering the kingdom of heaven—no exceptions.
The repeated pattern through the rest of chapter five is Christ quoting what the scribes and Pharisees had been saying and teaching to God’s people about the law of Moses, contrasted by what He was now saying and teaching about it: “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time … But I say unto you” (vs. 21-22); “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time … But I say unto you” (vs. 27-28); “It hath been said … But I say unto you” (vs. 31-32); “Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time … But I say unto you” (vs. 33-34); “Ye have heard that it hath been said … But I say unto you” (vs. 38-39); “Ye have heard that it hath been said … But I say unto you” (vs. 43-44). He wasn’t contrasting His sayings with the morality of the law but with the morality the scribes and Pharisees were teaching about the law. He upheld the moral standard of the law in His sermon and defined it succinctly as it pertains to the very thoughts and intents of the heart. He was defining the morality in the law and commanding that morality by His sayings, “these least commandments” (Mat 5:19), “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them” (Mat 7:24), “And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not” (Mat 7:26).
The law of Moses didn’t create morality but codified it. For example: it didn’t become morally evil to kill once the sixth commandment was given from Mount Sinai—it has always been evil since the beginning, “For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.” (1Jo 3:12). When Christ quoted the sixth commandment “Thou shalt not kill” (Mat 5:21), He wasn’t placing us under the law of Moses. He was defining, upholding, and enforcing the very moral righteousness of loving one another that has always been true since the beginning. And that morality isn’t just the action but even the thoughts of the heart, “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer” (1Jo 3:15). Christ defining and endorsing the moral commandments from the law of Moses upon God’s people as His own commandments makes them His own commandments. It’s not placing us under Moses’ law but under His.
His statements about the Law and the prophets at the beginning and ending of His sermon, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (Mat 5:17) “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” (Mat 7:12), form the bookends of His own commandments in between. And He defined and commanded the morality of the law as it pertains to the heart, “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God” (Mat 5:8), “But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Mat 5:28), “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Mat 6:21).
Morality from the heart that Christ commanded in His sermon is what the law and the prophets taught extensively. The Old Testament is replete with such statements: “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen 6:5); “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him” (Lev 19:17); “And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might” (Deu 6:5); “But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it” (Deu 30:14); “Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart” (1Sa 12:24); “the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (1Sa 16:7); “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him” (2Ch 16:9); “If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbour’s door” (Job 31:9); “He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart” (Psa 15:2); “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psa 51:10); “Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness” (Psa 95:8); “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding” (Pro 3:5); “I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (Jer 17:10); “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people” (Jer 31:33); “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh” (Eze 11:19); “And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart” (Zec 7:10).
James wasn’t talking about Moses by his statement, “For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill” (Jas 2:11). Rather, “he that said” is what the Lord Jesus Christ said about Moses’ commandments “Thou shalt not kill” (Mat 5:21), “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Mat 5:27). In giving the rich preferential treatment over the poor, “Sit thou here in a good place … Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool” (Jas 2:3), and showing favoritism, “But if ye have respect to persons” (Jas 2:9), James’ subjects were transgressing “Thou shalt not kill” (Mat 5:21), “Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law” (Jas 2:11). To fulfill the second great commandment “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Jas 2:8), we must not lust after others nor despise others, “Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?” (Jas 2:4), “But ye have despised the poor” (Jas 2:6).
Jesus Christ affirmed and upheld the moral righteousness of the law: “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees” (Mat 5:20); “Thou shalt not kill” (Mat 5:21); “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Mat 5:27); “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Mat 6:33); “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Mat 19:19,22:39; Mar 12:31). And He stated that it’s those breaking the law that won’t enter into the Kingdom, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven … I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity [anomia 458]” (Mat 7:21,23), “workers of lawlessness” (DBY), “you lawbreakers” (NET), “you who practice lawlessness” (NKJV), “you who break God’s laws” (NLT). The Greek noun anomia is the negation of the noun nomos for “law.” He didn’t come to destroy but uphold the moral righteous requirements of the law, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law [nomos 3551], or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (Mat 5:17). His one commandment concluding His sermon, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them,” fulfills the morality embodied in the law, “for this is the law [nomos 3551] and the prophets” (Mat 7:12).
The law written in our hearts
In His Sermon on the Mount, Christ taught God’s moral standard of righteousness by expounding upon just two of the Ten Commandments, “Thou shalt not kill” (Mat 5:21), “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (Mat 5:27). He wasn’t destroying but defining the morality in the law and the prophets, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (Mat 5:17) “for this is the law and the prophets” (Mat 7:12). It was the scribes and Pharisees that were destroying the moral righteousness in the law and the prophets by teaching a lower standard.
Christ’s sermon, of course, wasn’t an exhaustive explanation of all the morality within the law and the prophets. But by taking just two of the main commandments and defining the standard of moral excellence within them as it pertains to the heart, He conveyed the overall sense of God’s righteous requirements in everything else. Paul commended the Christians in Rome for having obeyed from the heart the “form,” “manner,” or “type” of Christ’s teaching that had been delivered to them, “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form [typos 5179] of doctrine which was delivered you” (Rom 6:17). It’s ultimately not about keeping a written list of commandments but about living righteously from a sincere heart.
Sin hardens the heart, “lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb 3:13). It hardened the first generation of God’s people under Moses, “Harden not your hearts … Wherefore I was grieved with that generation” (Heb 3:8,10). The hearts of His own people became as hard as the stones upon which their law had been written. And what happened to them serves as an example to us, “Now these things were our examples … Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition” (1Co 10:6,11), “we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters as were some of them … Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed … Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted … Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured” (1Co 10:6,7,8,9,10).
Although the hearts of God’s people became hardened, His breath would be put within them to turn them tender again, “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit [breath] within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh” (Eze 11:19), “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit [breath] will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh” (Eze 36:26). And the only way to have God’s breath is by obeying His Son, “written not with ink, but with the Spirit [breath] of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart” (2Co 3:3), “Now the Lord is that Spirit [breath]” (2Co 3:17). The Lord isn’t literally God’s breath but simply equated with it metaphorically. In other words, the Lord is the only way to have God’s breath within us, “the Lord is that Spirit [breath].” Sincere obedience to His Son as Lord is His requirement for His breath in our hearts.
The end purpose of the law and the prophets is obedience from the heart, “Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts” (Rom 2:15), “written not with ink, but with the Spirit [breath] of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart” (2Co 3:3), “I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts” (Heb 8:10). Of course this is simply an expression. We don’t literally have anything written in our hearts. But as God’s commandments were written on stone tablets, obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ from a sincere heart is being conveyed likewise.
The sense is that we love people, not simply because we’re told to, but because we sincerely do. We’re to truly want our enemies blessed even as ourselves, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Mat 5:44-45). To be God’s child, “That ye may be the children of your Father,” we must love as He loves. If we’re not loving our enemies sincerely from our hearts—blessing them, doing good to them, and praying for them—then we’re not a child of God regardless of what we claim. The litmus test of belonging to Him is sincere love for the unloving, and even for the hating, “But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you” (Luk 6:27-28).
We owe the debt of love
He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. … Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought [opheilo 3784] to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. (John 13:4-5,13-15)
We’re to love each other after Christ’s example. Washing dirty feet was a job consigned to the lowest servant of any house. And although Jesus is the greatest, He humbled Himself to do what was esteemed least. Keep in mind that He not only washed the feet of eleven but all twelve—including Judas Iscariot. The Lord Jesus Christ with all things under His feet, for a moment, stooped Himself under Judas’ feet. He loved His enemy with the same love as the others. Though He had known from the beginning that Judas would betray Him, “For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him” (Jhn 6:64), He hadn’t treated him any differently than the others. We know this because when He finally told them that one of them would betray Him, they didn’t have a clue about whom He spoke, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake.” (Jhn 13:21-22). They didn’t all point to Judas and say, “It’s Judas! We knew there must have been a reason you’ve been treating him differently!” Therefore, His example of love wasn’t just what He did that evening when He washed their feet, but what He had been doing all along since they had been with Him.
This kind of love that humbles oneself to that of a lowly servant, even serving our enemies, isn’t just a suggestion or good advice. After having washed His disciples’ feet, He commanded this same example of love to the remaining eleven: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (Jhn 13:34); “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you” (Jhn 15:12). He had told them, “If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought [opheilo 3784] to wash one another’s feet” (Jhn 13:14).
The Greek opheilo carries the meaning of a debt that is owed out of duty: “But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed [opheilo 3784] him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest [opheilo 3784]” (Mat 18:28); “There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed [opheilo 3784] five hundred pence, and the other fifty” (Luk 7:41); “And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted [opheilo 3784] to us” (Luk 11:4); “So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou [opheilo 3784] unto my lord?” (Luk 16:5); “We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty [opheilo 3784] to do” (Luk 17:10).
The mindset of a servant isn’t to receive a profit or wages for his work, “We are unprofitable servants” (Luk 17:10). Servants recognize that everything they do is out of duty for what they owe their lord, “we have done that which was our duty to do” (Luk 17:10). We’re indebted to our Lord to do everything He commanded, and since He commanded us to love one another, we owe the debt of love out of duty to Him. This is what Paul taught in Romans:
Owe [opheilo 3784] no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (Romans 13:8-9).
Being right before God by Christ’s law is fulfilling our duty of living righteously for that standing we’ve already been freely given by Christ’s merit before God. We’re to live righteously, not attempting to gain favor we don’t have, but fulfilling our duty for the favor we already have. An employee of a company, for example, is free and works to earn or merit income to pay his own debts. But a servant, however, is owned by his master and works out of duty for his debts that His master already paid.
Salvation is that if we’ll relinquish our freedom to become a slave of the Lord Jesus Christ, He will set us free from our debt of sin. But in exchange, we become completely indebted to Him! We must now obey everything He commanded to be saved. If we’re unfaithful, we’ll be cast out from our service to Him, “And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Mat 25:30).
Loving our enemies
Christ’s law “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” isn’t the family and friends plan! It includes our enemies. The scribes and Pharisees hated their enemies and were teaching others to do the same, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Mat 5:43-44). Furthermore, when Christ quoted what they had been saying, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy,” the last part of the commandment “as thyself” is missing. The commandment given by Moses and restated by Christ, Paul, and James, always included it, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Lev 19:18; Mat 22:39; Mar 12:31; Rom 13:9; Gal 5:14; Jas 2:8). Apparently, the scribes and Pharisees didn’t want to look at themselves in the mirror when defining their neighbor, and therefore dropped the “as thyself” part. But Christ defined the commandment as looking at ourselves first, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men [anthropos 444] should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Mat 7:12).
The law of loving our neighbor includes our enemies because Christ commanded us to love all humans, not just our brethren, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men [anthropos 444] should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets” (Mat 7:12). This final commandment given toward the end of His sermon summarizes all that He just taught up to this point. The two commandments from the law of Moses that He reiterated and reinforced, “Thou shalt not kill” (Mat 5:21), “Thou shalt not commit adultery” (5:27), certainly aren’t limited to how we treat God’s people only. In other words, it’s not that we shouldn’t kill and shouldn’t commit adultery among God’s people yet perfectly fine to commit these things with others. And likewise, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour” (Mat 5:43) isn’t limited to how we treat our fellow brethren only. In fact, He even stated explicitly, “And if ye salute your brethren only” (Mat 5:47).
And as ye would that men [anthropos 444] should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But 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. (Luke 6:31-35)
Loving our neighbor includes loving those that are hating, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you” (Mat 5:44), and haters are murderers. Thus, we’re to love even those that wish we were dead! This is what Christ did. He loved Judas that betrayed Him to be crucified. And while on the cross He prayed for those that put Him there, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luk 23:34). He did what He commanded us to do, “pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Mat 5:44).
Our enemies are also anthropos or human beings. If the tables were turned and we were someone’s enemy, despitefully mistreating them, yet found ourselves laying on the side of the road about to die unless someone showed us mercy, would we care that the person saving our life was our very enemy himself? Would we refuse their help? We all have the same essential needs of air, water, food, clothing, and medical attention. To be unmerciful and deprive someone else from the necessities of life when it’s in our power, is to not love our neighbor and be in danger of forfeiting all hope of salvation.
Be complete or consistent
“Every good gift and every perfect [teleios 5046] gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (Jas 1:17). The Greek adjective teleios translated here and many other places in the KJV as “perfect” is better understood as “complete” or “consistent.” When Christ commanded us to “Be ye therefore perfect [teleios 5046], even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect [teleios 5046]” (Mat 5:48), it’s not utter perfection like God but being complete or consistent in our love like Him, “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Mat 5:45). The “Father of lights” speaks of the heavenly bodies of light. And that there is “no variableness, neither shadow of turning” with Him is that He shines the sun equally upon all. He doesn’t just shine upon the crops of good people but then turns the sun away from the evil, leaving their crops in shadows to wither and die. We’re being complete or consistent like God, “Be ye therefore perfect [teleios 5046], even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect [teleios 5046]” (Mat 5:48), when we’re loving our enemies like God does, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies” (Mat 5:44).
John also taught, “Herein is our love made perfect [teleioō 5048], that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect [teleios 5046] love casteth out fear” (1Jo 4:17-18). And he said twice in this chapter “God is love” (vs. 8,16). Of course this isn’t literal but simply a metaphor. God’s love toward all people is so thoroughly complete and consistent that John could say “God is love.” That “as he is, so are we in this world,” is that as “God is love” so we’re also to be “love” in this world.
Complete or consistent love is the action of Christ’s law of love, “But whoso looketh into the perfect [teleios 5046] law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work [ergon 2041]” (Jas 1:25). The Greek noun ergon is simply “an action,” whatever action is indicated by the context. In this context it’s the action of consistent love. To be “a doer of the work [action]” is that once we’ve looked at ourselves considering what we would want done to us, we’re then to do that action consistently to others. It’s “the perfect [teleios 5046] law” because it’s actions are consistent to all people without discrimination or favoritism.
Christ’s law of love, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Mat 7:12), “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luk 6:31), “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Mat 19:19,22:39; Mar 12:31), James calls the “law of liberty” (1:25, 2:12). The reason it’s liberty is because Christ set us free from the non-moral requirements of the law, mainly abstinence from unclean meats, keeping the Sabbath day, and observing the annual feasts. Loving our neighbor excludes the requirement of such non-moral actions. Love doesn’t require avoiding pork unless it causes an offence, “But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably” (Rom 14:15), “you are no longer walking in love” (NET, NKJV), “you are no longer acting in love” (NIV). And if we see someone drowning but make no effort to save them because it’s the Sabbath day, then we’re certainly not loving our neighbor!
James was writing to his Jewish brethren scattered abroad among Gentiles, “to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad” (Jas 1:1). He was emphasizing to them in particular that Christ’s law must be kept consistently to all people whether Jew or Gentile. Also, that it must be kept with liberty in mind, that Christ set all people free from the yoke of bondage that had been imposed under the law, “Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” (Act 15:10).
Freedom from the yoke required by circumcision was foreseen figuratively in Abraham’s two sons by two different women, “he who was of the bondwoman … he of the freewoman … these are the two covenants” (Gal 4:23,24). Under the New Covenant law of Christ, we’re free from the non-moral bondages of the Old Covenant, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage” (Gal 5:1). But we’re not free, however, from the moral righteousness of the law, “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Gal 5:14). Christ didn’t lower the moral standard of righteousness embodied within the law, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil” (Mat 5:17), but requires it fully without exception, “That except your righteousness … ye shall in no case enter” (Mat 5:20).
James also reprimanded his brethren for their actions of regarding the rich and despising the poor, “For 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; And 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” (Jas 2:2-3), “But ye have despised the poor” (v. 6). What they were saying to the rich, “Sit thou here in a good place” and to the poor, “Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool,” was breaking Christ’s law of love. He reminded them, “So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty” (v. 12). To “speak ye, and so do” is that everything we say and do to others should be with conscience that one day we’ll be “judged by the law of liberty.” We’ll be judged by our love toward others in consistency with our liberty in Christ.
“Thou shalt,” not “Thou shalt not”
“For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Rom 13:9-10). The first half of the Decalogue deals with how we relate to God and to our parents but Paul quoted the second half concerning how we relate to our neighbor. And all of these “Thou shalt not” commandments are kept when obeying one “Thou shalt” commandment. Adultery, killing, stealing, bearing false witness, and coveting are ill or evil actions but “Love worketh no ill” because it’s a good action. Simply do this one good and we won’t be doing any of the evil.
Jesus commanded, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Mat 7:12), “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luk 6:31).
Loving our neighbor isn’t about what we don’t do but what we do. It’s not just passive but active. Having not done something to others isn’t the same as having done something for others. Loving our neighbor certainly includes the former but is essentially the latter. That we haven’t been killing, stealing, or committing adultery doesn’t mean necessarily we’ve been loving our neighbor. Loving our neighbor is doing to them what we want done to us, “all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,” “as ye would that men should do to you.” That God loves His enemies isn’t that He doesn’t strike them with lightning! It’s that He shines the sun and sends rain down upon them, “he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Mat 5:45). It’s what He does do them—He does good.
Loving our enemies isn’t that we simply don’t do evil in return, getting revenge, but that we do good in return, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Mat 5:44), “Therefore 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. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Rom 12:20-21). When David’s enemies were sick, he prayed for them earnestly as he would for his friends, brothers, or even his own mother, “But 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. I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother.” (Psa 35:13-14). In fact, his love for his enemy Absalom was so great that he was even perceived as hating his own friends and family by comparison, “In that thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that thou regardest neither princes nor servants: for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well” (2Sa 19:6).
Jesus said, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple” (Luk 14:26). Now, He certainly isn’t to be misunderstood as destroying the Fifth Commandment, “Honour thy father and thy mother” (Exo 20:12; Deu 5:16), which He affirmed, “For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death” (Mat 15:4), “For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death” (Mar 7:10). But like David, we’re truly loving our enemies when we’re wrongly perceived as hating our family and friends by comparison. If our love isn’t being mistaken, we might need to re-evaluate our love.
This kind of love, sincerely doing good to our enemies as we would our family and friends, is only possible by God’s breath in our hearts. We can’t just invoke this love within ourselves by our own strength. When we don’t belong to God, we don’t have His breath in us and simply cannot love this way. It’s this kind of love that indicates we’re His.
We belong to God when we have His breath from His Son dwelling in us, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit [breath], if so be that the Spirit [breath] of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit [breath] of Christ, he is none of his” (Rom 8:9), “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit [breath] of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Gal 4:6). His children are those being led by His breath, loving as He loves, “For as many as are led by the Spirit [breath] of God, they are the sons of God” (Rom 8:14), “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven” (Mat 5:44-45), “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children” (Eph 4:32-5:1).
We’re fulfilling all the moral righteousness the law requires when we’re keeping the one “Thou shalt” commandment, “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Gal 5:14). Although not under the law ourselves, we’re keeping the law by being led of the breath, “But if ye be led of the Spirit [breath], ye are not under the law” (Gal 5:18). It’s through the leading of the breath that we mortify or put to death the evil practices of the body, “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit [breath] do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Rom 8:13). There’s no killing, stealing, or committing adultery when we’re loving our neighbor as ourselves.
The law manifested or made known the actions of the flesh by its “Thou shalt not” commandments, “Now the works [actions] of the flesh are manifest [made known], which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like” (Gal 5:19-21). On the other hand, there are no “Thou shalt not” commandments against the fruit of the breath, “But the fruit of the Spirit [breath] is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith [faithfulness], Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Gal 5:22-23). The breath produces love, joy, and peace in us so that there’s no hint of adultery, fornication, or uncleanness.
Loving our neighbor through the breath is how we overcome the lusts of our flesh, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself … This I say then, Walk in the Spirit [breath], and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh” (Gal 5:14,16). When we focus on loving our neighbor, we won’t be lusting after them or the things they have. It’s not so much that we’ve got to stop lusting, it’s more that we’ve got to start loving! We must submit ourselves fully to the Son of God as the Lord of our lives—living to the moral standard of righteousness He commanded. Obeying His “Thou shalt,” fulfills every “Thou shalt not.”
How do we show love to God?
Paul said, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God” (Rom 8:28). And when giving His people the Ten Commandments, God Himself said, “And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments” (Exo 20:6). Likewise, Jesus said repeatedly, “If ye love me, keep my commandments … He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me … If a man love me, he will keep my words … He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings” (Jhn 14:15,21,23,24). We show God our love for Him by keeping His commandments, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments” (1Jo 5:3). We can say we love God and love Jesus, but if we have His commandments and we’re not keeping them, we really don’t.
There’s a direct correlation between our love for God and our love for one another, “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?” (1Jo 4:20). We can’t see God or have any tangible contact with Him. How then can we show Him our love? By acts of love to those we can see and affect in tangible ways. We show love to Him by showing love to one another. Saying we love God doesn’t necessarily mean we really do. It’s our actions, not our words, that speak loudest, “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed [action] and in truth” (1Jo 3:18).
James taught about the tongue, “Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude [image] of God” (Jas 3:9). We’re all made after God’s image and all equally important. When we see others, we’re seeing the image of God in them as in ourselves—like looking in a mirror. Therefore, our love toward God’s image reflects our love toward God Himself. Although we can’t show love to God directly, we can show love to Him indirectly by loving those made in His image. James’ point is that our actions toward people betrays us. If with the tongue “bless we God” but with the same tongue “curse we men” made after His image, then the truth is that we really don’t love God. Cursing people, complaining and grumbling about them, mocking and ridiculing them, is a reflection upon God Himself.
Only the doers teach others to do
Speaking of His commandments in His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Mat 5:19). The scribes and Pharisees had been teaching a lower standard of righteousness than God requires. They taught a lower standard because they lived a lower standard. And the same is true today. Many teach “Thou shalt love they neighbour as thyself,” but a lower standard than what Christ taught. Rather than defining it as He did, they define it for themselves then claim they’re keeping it. Recently I heard someone teach that this commandment means we’re to love those that annoy us, those that get on our nerves. But like the scribes and Pharisees, that’s simply lowering God’s standard of righteousness. The standard Jesus Christ taught is that we’re to love our enemies, those that hate us and persecute us. Teachers that don’t do, don’t teach others to do. It’s only those keeping His commandments that teach others to keep them as well, “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Mat 28:20).
Now, some have tried to claim that although those breaking and teaching others will be “called the least” in the Kingdom, yet they’ll still make it in! But the least were the scribes and Pharisees, those whom Christ said won’t make it in, “That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Mat 5:20). It’s those that do His commandments that enter in, “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Rev 22:14).
Furthermore, if this is true with what’s less, what about with what’s greater? If those breaking even the least commandment and teaching others the same won’t be entering, how much more with the second greatest commandment of all, “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Mat 22:39), “And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Mar 12:31)? The second greatest commandment fulfills all lesser commandments. If we’re keeping what’s greatest, we’re keeping what’s less. But if we’re breaking what’s greatest, does it ultimately matter that we’re keeping what’s less?
Conclusion
The Son of God commanded the second great commandment upon us, “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Mat 22:39), “And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Mar 12:31). Both Paul and James commanded it upon us as well (Rom 13:9; Gal 5:14; Jas 2:8). And all three taught that keeping this one commandment fulfills the requirements of all the commandments: “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” (Mat 7:12); “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (Mat 22:40); “if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Rom 13:9); “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Gal 5:14); “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well … For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (Jas 2:8,10).
Jesus began His Sermon on the Mount stating we must live to the righteous standard He commanded or we won’t be entering the Kingdom, “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Mat 5:20), “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Mat 7:21). His one commandment fulfills all of them, “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” (Mat 7:12). If we hear and do this commandment, we’ll be like a wise man who built his house on a rock that withstood the storm, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock” (Mat 7:24). But if we hear this commandment and don’t do it, we’ll be like a foolish man who built his house on sand that was destroyed by the storm, “And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand” (Mat 7:26).
Understanding Scripture 