and Jesus said : A new commandment do I give you. LOVE God and LOVE your neighbor

[Heart2Soul]

You know by applying LOVE, pure unconditional, agape LOVE you truly do fulfill all the laws of Moses. Love does not envy, is not boastful or prideful, is humble and gentle, and desires only Joy and happiness to be it's reward.

Here's the catch: We can't love our neighbor as ourself if we DON'T love ourselves. Living with constant guilt, regrets and shame is not what God wants for you. When you got saved you were given a Robe of Righteousness through Christ Jesus and made joint heir to the Kingdom of God. You will always remember the bad things you did but God cast those sins into the sea of forgetfulness and remembers them no more. So forgive yourself, love yourself and become a mighty witness for the Lord. Let those things of the past become testimonies for God's Glory! AMEN! Now go out and love a neighbor....as you love yourself.
Mark 12:30-31New International Version (NIV)

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

So why we fail to LOVE unconditionally can be linked to disobeying these 2 commandments.
Not to go too deep I just want to focus especially on verse 31.....if you don't love yourself then you need healing inside. Forgive yourself, love yourself, speak life over yourself and don't forget to forgive those who hurt you. Gotta love yourself before you can truly love a neighbor, friend, relative or even God.

 

[brinny]

You know by applying LOVE, pure unconditional, agape LOVE you truly do fulfill all the laws of Moses. Love does not envy, is not boastful or prideful, is humble and gentle, and desires only Joy and happiness to be it's reward.

Here's the catch: We can't love our neighbor as ourself if we DON'T love ourselves. Living with constant guilt, regrets and shame is not what God wants for you. When you got saved you were given a Robe of Righteousness through Christ Jesus and made joint heir to the Kingdom of God. You will always remember the bad things you did but God cast those sins into the sea of forgetfulness and remembers them no more. So forgive yourself, love yourself and become a mighty witness for the Lord. Let those things of the past become testimonies for God's Glory! AMEN! Now go out and love a neighbor....as you love yourself.
Mark 12:30-31New International Version (NIV)

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

So why we fail to LOVE unconditionally can be linked to disobeying these 2 commandments.
Not to go too deep I just want to focus especially on verse 31.....if you don't love yourself then you need healing inside. Forgive yourself, love yourself, speak life over yourself and don't forget to forgive those who hurt you. Gotta love yourself before you can truly love a neighbor, friend, relative or even God.

This is profound, Patty. It's something that is overlooked, not understood, and not delved into, and therefore not taught.

This is soooo true:

if you don't love yourself then you need healing inside.

If we don't love ourself in a balanced, God-given way, we CANNOT love others. Healing is desperately needed. If healing does not happen, we will hurt others (and ourselves).

A Bible teacher once said:

"Hurting people hurt people,"

 

[Another Lazarus]

In other words :
Matt 5:44 ... love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

 

[Dave-W]

Mark 12:30-31New International Version (NIV)

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

I find it interesting that your title references one scripture; but you list this one in your OP.

As I see it, the one you have in the title John 13:34 actually supersedes Mark 12.30 which is quoting Deut 6.5. In that way our Lord took it out of the realm of how much you do or do not love yourself, and made Himself the example:

John 13:34
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.​

 

[lastofall]

"care for"

 

[Heart2Soul]

I find it interesting that your title references one scripture; but you list this one in your OP.

As I see it, the one you have in the title John 13:34 actually supersedes Mark 12.30 which is quoting Deut 6.5. In that way our Lord took it out of the realm of how much you do or do not love yourself, and made Himself the example:

John 13:34
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.​

Well I wasn't really trying to start a bible study, I just made a quick reference to emphasize the importance of healing in areas of self guilt and condemnation. But thanks for the additional scriptures. And which translation are you using here? The one I posted is the NIV version word for word cause I just copied and pasted it on my thread.

 

[Dave-W]

But thanks for the additional scriptures.

You are welcome. As I said, you already referenced that one in the title.

And which translation are you using here? The one I posted is the NIV version word for word cause I just copied and pasted it on my thread.

I usually use the NASB. I also cut and pasted into my post.

 

[messager777]

In other words :
Matt 5:44 ... love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

.
MATTHEW.5: =
Love for Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. .......
.
27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. .......
.
.
IOW, if, like the Pharisees, you do not wanna be saved from hell by Jesus Christ(= reject Jesus as your Christ/Messiah) but still wanna go to the kingdom of heaven, eg through your own efforts/works(of the Law - GAL.2:16), then you will have to pluck out your eyes and cut off your limbs, love your enemies, turn the other cheek, walk the extra mile and lend to all who ask.
... Why.? = because we are not even supposed to be sinning-in-thoughts(eg sexually immoral lust) or be imperfect when we are in God's heaven, what more sinning-in-deeds(eg adultery, incest, homosexuality, rape, etc)(ROMANS.5:12, LEV.17:11, HEB.9:22).

 

[Truthfrees]

MOD HAT

moving to deeper fellowship forum where members can discuss the love of God and how to walk in it

 

[Soyeong]

You know by applying LOVE, pure unconditional, agape LOVE you truly do fulfill all the laws of Moses. Love does not envy, is not boastful or prideful, is humble and gentle, and desires only Joy and happiness to be it's reward.

Here's the catch: We can't love our neighbor as ourself if we DON'T love ourselves. Living with constant guilt, regrets and shame is not what God wants for you. When you got saved you were given a Robe of Righteousness through Christ Jesus and made joint heir to the Kingdom of God. You will always remember the bad things you did but God cast those sins into the sea of forgetfulness and remembers them no more. So forgive yourself, love yourself and become a mighty witness for the Lord. Let those things of the past become testimonies for God's Glory! AMEN! Now go out and love a neighbor....as you love yourself.
Mark 12:30-31New International Version (NIV)

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

So why we fail to LOVE unconditionally can be linked to disobeying these 2 commandments.
Not to go too deep I just want to focus especially on verse 31.....if you don't love yourself then you need healing inside. Forgive yourself, love yourself, speak life over yourself and don't forget to forgive those who hurt you. Gotta love yourself before you can truly love a neighbor, friend, relative or even God.

The greatest two commands are such because they encapsulate all of the other commands and all of the other commands are examples that paint a picture of what it looks like to correctly obey the greatest to commands. Love fulfills the Law of Moses because that is what the Law of Moses is essentially about how to do, in the same way that fulfilling one another's burdens fulfills the Law of Christ.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

.
MATTHEW.5: =
Love for Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?
47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?
48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. .......
.
27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell. .......
.
.
IOW, if, like the Pharisees, you do not wanna be saved from hell by Jesus Christ(= reject Jesus as your Christ/Messiah) but still wanna go to the kingdom of heaven, eg through your own efforts/works(of the Law - GAL.2:16), then you will have to pluck out your eyes and cut off your limbs, love your enemies, turn the other cheek, walk the extra mile and lend to all who ask.
... Why.? = because we are not even supposed to be sinning-in-thoughts(eg sexually immoral lust) or be imperfect when we are in God's heaven, what more sinning-in-deeds(eg adultery, incest, homosexuality, rape, etc)(ROMANS.5:12, LEV.17:11, HEB.9:22).

Offending parts should be cut off and cast aside, but it must be remembered that the New Testament is a spiritual leading from God so is not to be interpretated in the physical sense of cutting off. Lusts of the flesh cool in suffering. Christ's redemption has delivered us from inherited vanity of life 1 Peter 1:18-19.

 

[Dave-W]

Offending parts should be cut off and cast aside, but it must be remembered that the New Testament is a spiritual leading from God so is not to be interpretated in the physical sense of cutting off. Lusts of the flesh cool in suffering. Christ's redemption has delivered us from inherited vanity of life 1 Peter 1:18-19.

One of the problems historically of Christianity is to overly-spiritualize things and neglect the physical side which is sometimes just as important.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

One of the problems historically of Christianity is to overly-spiritualize things and neglect the physical side which is sometimes just as important.

Are you implying that the posters recommendation of

if, like the Pharisees, you do not wanna be saved from hell by Jesus Christ(= reject Jesus as your Christ/Messiah) but still wanna go to the kingdom of heaven, eg through your own efforts/works(of the Law - GAL.2:16), then you will have to pluck out your eyes and cut off your limbs,

is good advise?

 

[Dave-W]

Are you implying that the posters recommendation of

is good advise?

No. But as the writer of Hebrews comments, we must be willing to shed blood in our striving against sin.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

No. But as the writer of Hebrews comments, we must be willing to shed blood in our striving against sin.

That's what others justify with self-flogging and isn't the intent of scripture imo. Jesus resisted evil to the point of shedding blood.

 

[Heart2Soul]

One of the problems historically of Christianity is to overly-spiritualize things and neglect the physical side which is sometimes just as important.

However we must realize that the Word of God says our battles are not fleshly but spiritual:

Ephesians 6:10
10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

It is my understand that we are to be spiritually minded for to be carnally minded is enmity against God. And Jesus tells us to walk in the spirit and we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. It is the spirit realm that created the physical realm. Hebrews 11:3
1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 2For by it the elders obtained a good report.

3Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

So I believe that God wants us to be spiritual. I guess what I am not sure about is what you mean by being overly-spiritualize...because to be otherwise is disobeying God's Word. Will you please share your thoughts. Thank you.

 

[messager777]

MATTHEW.5: =
27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
.

Offending parts should be cut off and cast aside, but it must be remembered that the New Testament is a spiritual leading from God so is not to be interpretated in the physical sense of cutting off. Lusts of the flesh cool in suffering. Christ's redemption has delivered us from inherited vanity of life 1 Peter 1:18-19.

.
Does that mean MATTHEW.5:17-48 is also not to be interpreted in the physical sense of 'turning the other cheek', 'loving your enemy', 'walking the extra mile' and 'lending to all who ask'.?

 

[Dave-W]

So I believe that God wants us to be spiritual. I guess what I am not sure about is what you mean by being overly-spiritualize...because to be otherwise is disobeying God's Word. Will you please share your thoughts. Thank you.

One of the interesting things about the Hebrew language (actually ALL Semitic languages) is that it is layered with all of the layers saying different things but all being simultaneously true. And even the NT (written by native Aramaic speakers) often has the layers as well. (even though Greek really does not support that)

The plain meaning (peshat) which it says is always true. The higher levels of meaning (remez, drash) are derived meanings and teachings and include your spiritualization. These are also true, but NOT to the exclusion of the peshat - plain meaning.

When you exclude the peshat in favor of a spiritualized meaning, you are left with questions like this:

Does that mean MATTHEW.5:17-48 is also not to be interpreted in the physical sense of 'turning the other cheek', 'loving your enemy', 'walking the extra mile' and 'lending to all who ask'.?

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

MATTHEW.5: =
27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
.

.
Does that mean MATTHEW.5:17-48 is also not to be interpreted in the physical sense of 'turning the other cheek', 'loving your enemy', 'walking the extra mile' and 'lending to all who ask'.?

The reason for having witnesses from more than just one quote becomes obvious in this.

Matthew 5:30b
...it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.
Romans 8:13
for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Colossians 3:5
Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is​

Your interpretation is presented as a means of getting to the Father sans the means of the Son and is therefore not a good recommendation because that also has been made clear in many other bible references.

 

[messager777]

MATTHEW.5: =
27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

.

Offending parts should be cut off and cast aside, but it must be remembered that the New Testament is a spiritual leading from God so is not to be interpretated in the physical sense of cutting off. Lusts of the flesh cool in suffering. Christ's redemption has delivered us from inherited vanity of life 1 Peter 1:18-19.

.
@ Cassia,

My point is that if you say that MATTHEW.5:27-30 is not to be interpreted in the physical sense of cutting off, then you are also saying that the rest of MATTHEW.5:17-48 is not be interpreted in the physical sense of 'turning the other cheek', 'loving your enemy', 'walking the extra mile', 'lending to all who ask' or other foolish physical acts/deeds.
....... IOW, you claim to have an alternate spiritual sense for 'cutting off', 'turning the other cheek', 'loving your enemy', etc.