Possibly the most misconstrued doctrine in all of Christianity

Minister Monardo · Feb 5, 2026

Romans 2:
14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law,
these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness,
and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another.
“and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which
you could not be justified by the law of Moses. [Acts 13:39]
******************************************************************************************
Must you be born again from above to love your neighbor as yourself?
Romans 13:
8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
9 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.
10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Matthew 5:20 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.
****************************************************************
You must be born again from above to fulfill the Law of Christ
Luke 6:
32 But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?
For even sinners love those who love them.
33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?
For even sinners do the same.
34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?
For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.
35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward
will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.
36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

Luke 17:10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say,
We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.

Saying “Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself” is the fulfillment of the Law has little to do with the justification of Christ.

Romans 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation;
even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

BobRyan · Feb 5, 2026

What doctrine is being misconstrued??

Minister Monardo · Feb 5, 2026

BobRyan said:
What doctrine is being misconstrued??

Are you seeing more than one in the OP, and if so, is there a point of intersection?

BNR32FAN · Feb 5, 2026

Minister Monardo said:
Are you seeing more than one in the OP, and if so, is there a point of intersection?

Yeah I have no idea what you’re getting at in the OP.

Minister Monardo · Feb 5, 2026

BNR32FAN said:
Yeah I have no idea what you’re getting at in the OP.

Maybe in the answer to a simple question proposed in the OP?

Minister Monardo said:
Must you be born again from above to love your neighbor as yourself?

bling · Feb 5, 2026

Minister Monardo said:
Romans 2:
14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law,
these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness,
and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another.
“and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which
you could not be justified by the law of Moses. [Acts 13:39]
******************************************************************************************
Must you be born again from above to love your neighbor as yourself?
Romans 13:
8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.
9 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.
10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Matthew 5:20 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.
****************************************************************
You must be born again from above to fulfill the Law of Christ
Luke 6:
32 But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?
For even sinners love those who love them.
33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?
For even sinners do the same.
34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?
For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.
35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward
will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.
36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

Luke 17:10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say,
We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.

Saying “Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself” is the fulfillment of the Law has little to do with the justification of Christ.

Romans 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation;
even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

Yes

BobRyan · Feb 5, 2026

Minister Monardo said:
Are you seeing more than one in the OP, and if so, is there a point of intersection?

ok the OP appears to affirm the Bible teaching of the New Covenant in Jer 31:31-34 and Heb 8 where the Holy Spirit writes the Law of God on the heart when one is born again.

Rom 8 says it this way..

4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Minister Monardo · Friday at 8:43 AM

Minister Monardo said:
10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Philippians 3:6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Galatians 2:21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.
Philippians 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Consider a man who has a highly esteemed reputation as a good neighbor. He uses that reputation to run a successful campaign to be Mayor of his city. "touching the Righteousness which is in the Law" like Paul he is blameless. Your motive for doing no harm to a neighbor is not judged by the Law, but no Righteousness is imputed, because only love that gains Christ is justified by faith. As to your new mayor, Jesus had this to say "he has his reward."
Philippians 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

NewLifeInChristJesus · 2026-02-11T10:01:27-0600

Minister Monardo said:
Philippians 3:6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Galatians 2:21 I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.
Philippians 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Consider a man who has a highly esteemed reputation as a good neighbor. He uses that reputation to run a successful campaign to be Mayor of his city. "touching the Righteousness which is in the Law" like Paul he is blameless. Your motive for doing no harm to a neighbor is not judged by the Law, but no Righteousness is imputed, because only love that gains Christ is justified by faith. As to your new mayor, Jesus had this to say "he has his reward."
Philippians 3:7 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

It seems that you are proposing that the core teaching of Christianity (i.e., salvation not by works of righteousness but by faith in Christ) is the most misconstrued doctrine of Christianity. If so, you are raising a greatly ironic proposition.

Minister Monardo · 2026-02-11T10:12:17-0600

NewLifeInChristJesus said:
It seems that you are proposing that the core teaching of Christianity (i.e., salvation not by works of righteousness but by faith in Christ) is the most misconstrued doctrine of Christianity. If so, you are raising a greatly ironic proposition.

The OP is not about salvation. The teaching that love thy neighbor fulfilling the Law is to abide in the Love of God.
Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Does "love thy neighbor as thyself" keep you in the Love of God?

NewLifeInChristJesus · 2026-02-11T10:32:55-0600

Minister Monardo said:
The OP is not about salvation. The teaching that love thy neighbor fulfilling the Law is to abide in the Love of God.
Jude 1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Does "love thy neighbor as thyself" keep you in the Love of God?

No, but this is too esoteric a point to be "the most misconstrued doctrine in all of Christianity".

Minister Monardo · 2026-02-11T10:34:44-0600

NewLifeInChristJesus said:
No, but this is too esoteric a point to be "the most misconstrued doctrine in all of Christianity".

Minister Monardo said:
You must be born again from above to fulfill the Law of Christ
Luke 6:
32 But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?
For even sinners love those who love them.
33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?
For even sinners do the same.
34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you?
For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.
35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward
will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.
36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

Luke 17:10 So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say,
We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.

Saying “Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself” is the fulfillment of the Law has little to do with the justification of Christ.

Was this portion of the OP too esoteric?

NewLifeInChristJesus · 2026-02-11T10:42:43-0600

Minister Monardo said:
Was this portion of the OP too esoteric?

I guess what I'm saying is that you are right that loving your neighbors as yourself does not lead to salvation. But I also do not hear anyone promoting the idea that loving their neighbors leads to salvation. That's what makes it esoteric ("esoteric (adjective): intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest" BING AI).

Minister Monardo · 2026-02-11T10:57:11-0600

NewLifeInChristJesus said:
I guess what I'm saying is that you are right that loving your neighbors as yourself does not lead to salvation. But I also do not hear anyone promoting the idea that loving their neighbors leads to salvation. That's what makes it esoteric ("esoteric (adjective): intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest" BING AI).

What makes it misconstrued is that parroting Jesus "love God and love thy neighbor hangs all the Law and the prophets" has anything to do with being baptized in the Holy Spirit and the reference "born again Christian". Salvation may be by Grace through faith, but it is also established in God's purpose. Do no harm to the neighbor does not define that purpose.

Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain

For those in Christ it is to "love one another fervently with a pure heart". 1 Peter 1:22
That's what broke me. Love fervently? I am going to need a lot of help with that Lord. That is a holy calling.

2 Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.

.

NewLifeInChristJesus · 2026-02-11T11:47:40-0600

Minister Monardo said:
What makes it misconstrued is that parroting Jesus "love God and love thy neighbor hangs all the Law and the prophets" has anything to do with being baptized in the Holy Spirit and the reference "born again Christian". Salvation may be by Grace through faith, but it is also established in God's purpose. Do no harm to the neighbor does not define that purpose.

Galatians 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain

For those in Christ it is to "love one another fervently with a pure heart". 1 Peter 1:22
That's what broke me. Love fervently? I am going to need a lot of help with that Lord. That is a holy calling.

2 Timothy 1:9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.

Going back to the question of the OP, what doctrine is perhaps the most misconstrued, who is misconstruing it, and how are they misconstruing it? Please don't take offense at these questions because I am honestly trying to understand.

Minister Monardo · 2026-02-11T11:57:13-0600

NewLifeInChristJesus said:
Going back to the question of the OP, what doctrine is perhaps the most misconstrued, who is misconstruing it, and how are they misconstruing it? Please don't take offense at these questions because I am honestly trying to understand.

I cannot explain it any different than what I just posted.
What is God's purpose in salvation?
To fulfill the Law by doing no harm to a neighbor, or to love one another fervently?
In 6-7 years on forums, I have heard "Love God and love neighbor" as if
that is a defining doctrine of Christianity.
This grossly misconstrues God's purpose in Christ.
John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another;
as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

NewLifeInChristJesus · 2026-02-12T08:51:18-0600

Minister Monardo said:
I cannot explain it any different than what I just posted.
What is God's purpose in salvation?
To fulfill the Law by doing no harm to a neighbor, or to love one another fervently?
In 6-7 years on forums, I have heard "Love God and love neighbor" as if
that is a defining doctrine of Christianity.
This grossly misconstrues God's purpose in Christ.
John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another;
as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Thank you for the explanation.

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