Is "Love Thy Neighbor" Even Possible?

[Kimchi Expert]

I'm still baffled about this one Commandment asking that we love our neighbor as our self, which is something we absolutely cannot do. We will always fall short of this instruction.

I have money in my bank account that I don't actually need, that could do a lot for others. I have clothes hanging in my closet that I'm not currently wearing that could go to others. I have spare rooms in my house that nobody sleeps in, that I could give to a homeless person. I've thrown food away that could have fed others.

I love myself very much. I take good care of myself. I am simply not willing to do as much for others as I am for myself. And as much as nobody likes to say it, I think the way I live my life is fairly common.

So how do we then justify this Commandment that seeks to create equality among Man?

 

[Greg J.]

It is justified by God saying to do it. We do not decide what is right and wrong by looking at what others do, or even what we are capable of doing.

 

[SkyWriting]

I'm still baffled about this one Commandment asking that we love our neighbor as our self, which is something we absolutely cannot do. We will always fall short of this instruction.
I have money in my bank account that I don't actually need, that could do a lot for others. I have clothes hanging in my closet that I'm not currently wearing that could go to others. I have spare rooms in my house that nobody sleeps in, that I could give to a homeless person. I've thrown food away that could have fed others.
I love myself very much. I take good care of myself. I am simply not willing to do as much for others as I am for myself. And as much as nobody likes to say it, I think the way I live my life is fairly common.
So how do we then justify this Commandment that seeks to create equality among Man?

Do you really want people to give you money-for-nothing? How great would your life be if you never had to work and people gave away stuff to you? Is your house big enough for all the goodies?

If you like your current life, then you wish others to have a similar life.
Loving your neighbor, is helping them find worthwhile activities that
add value to the lives of others. Likely that will result in them getting
paid for their work at some point.

 

[RaymondG]

I like to think of this as similar to "doing unto others as you would have them do unto you".....Not maintaining comparable material possessions and wealth. You should never wish anything on your neighbor that you wouldn't want for yourself and family.....And this, every "Christian" should be able to do.

 

[SnowyMacie]

I'm still baffled about this one Commandment asking that we love our neighbor as our self, which is something we absolutely cannot do. We will always fall short of this instruction.

I have money in my bank account that I don't actually need, that could do a lot for others. I have clothes hanging in my closet that I'm not currently wearing that could go to others. I have spare rooms in my house that nobody sleeps in, that I could give to a homeless person. I've thrown food away that could have fed others.

I love myself very much. I take good care of myself. I am simply not willing to do as much for others as I am for myself. And as much as nobody likes to say it, I think the way I live my life is fairly common.

So how do we then justify this Commandment that seeks to create equality among Man?

Yes, absolutely it is possible, and it does not mean just be charitable and kind like many think (though that is part of it). It is the commandment, by which all other commandments follow. There is a story recorded in the Talmuds about two Rabbinical schools, a Roman centurion came to the first school and demanded "Teach me your Torah (the Law) while I stand here on one foot." The rabbi in charge hew him out without saying anything. So he went across town and said the same thing to the other school. The rabbi there said to him "Love God with your whole being and Love your neighbor as yourself. The rest is commentary." THEN he threw him out. The latter is the teachings that Jesus and Paul affirmed in their teachings. When Jesus is asked "What is the greatest command?", he's essentially being asked the same question the centurion is asking those rabbis. Christ answers "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' The second is like it, 'love your neighbor as yourself'. All of the law and the prophets hang on those two commandments." Paul, after building an argument in Romans about law, grace, and sin says "Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet'; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law" is saying the same thing, if not kind of explaining it as a Jew to his partially Gentile audience. Everyone agreed the greatest commandment was Love the Lord your God, and how you loved God (besides the laws directly against God: idolatry, blasphemy, and apostasy) was by keeping his commandments, and what Jesus and Paul are saying is that you love God by loving your neighbor as yourself. ALL of the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments. That "all" is where it seems like many people get caught up, it seems like we've interpreted this, not as "You love God by loving your neighbor", but "Love God" and "Be kind to people, and also don't do this, this, that, and all of those other things." What Jesus and Paul are saying about loving your neighbor is that if you focus on that, it will all fall into place and you can't go wrong.

 

[Hidden In Him]

I'm still baffled about this one Commandment asking that we love our neighbor as our self... I love myself very much. I take good care of myself. I am simply not willing to do as much for others as I am for myself... So how do we then justify this Commandment that seeks to create equality among Man?

The Second Greatest Commandment does not mean that we necessarily subjugate our standard of living down to below that of some third world nation to give it all away to others. If so I can promise you you would probably get taken. Different circumstances call for different fulfillments of this commandment among different people.

Let me explain. I am called as a teacher of God. I have a nice little house, not ostentatious but not at all run down, nice neighborhood, etc. I live a far better standard of living than say many of the Christian refugees are living in Syria and other Middle Eastern countries are living right now.

Do I feel guilty about this? No. Why? Because the best help I can be to the body of Christ is to have a quiet, peaceful home to stay in so I can read, study, hear the Voice of God, write, and do the work He has called me to do.

Instead of seeing yourself as being lax in your willingness to fulfill this commandment, see everything at your disposal as a means to fulfill it. Maybe all those things you mentioned are indeed things you could use to help others with, all in their due time, and only as the Spirit leads you (inviting someone into your home to help the homeless is noble, but could be a mistake if you are not led by God and end up inviting in the wrong element). But money, clothes, food you don't need... Is not God essentially speaking to and through you now in this post that there are many more ways He'd love to use you if you would only let Him? You wouldn't be giving up your lifestyle, just finding a way to be obedient and please Him. If you will be obedient, He may well see fit to begin blessing you in more and more ways so that your ministry of giving increases to a much greater level of generosity in the future.

In short, no, I do not think it is at all impossible to keep. In fact, the commandment is designed to work both ways. Just as you are to be doing unto your neighbor as yourself, so are they to be doing unto you as they would have you do unto them, which means that only truly wicked people would want you to be giving everything you have to them and leave yourself with nothing. But people who loved God and loved you would most certainly want to see you giving away things that you don't really need to those who could use them because they would want to see you be used of God and be a great blessing to others.

Hope that answer does you some good,
HiH

 

[Hidden In Him]

Post cleaned up. Truly hate spell checking.

 

[LilShepherdBoy]

I'm still baffled about this one Commandment asking that we love our neighbor as our self, which is something we absolutely cannot do. We will always fall short of this instruction.

I have money in my bank account that I don't actually need, that could do a lot for others. I have clothes hanging in my closet that I'm not currently wearing that could go to others. I have spare rooms in my house that nobody sleeps in, that I could give to a homeless person. I've thrown food away that could have fed others.

I love myself very much. I take good care of myself. I am simply not willing to do as much for others as I am for myself. And as much as nobody likes to say it, I think the way I live my life is fairly common.

So how do we then justify this Commandment that seeks to create equality among Man?

Kimchi, this is how you love others in the words of Jesus Himself. Jesus gave examples and also revealed how He'll judge the the world when He returns. Below are examples of what Jesus meant by loving others. Just follow the things He said to do.

Matthew 25:31-46 New King James Version (NKJV)
31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”


Luke 10:25-37 New King James Version (NKJV)
25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”
27 So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”
29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”

37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

QUOTE=]I love myself very much. I take good care of myself. I am simply not willing to do as much for others as I am for myself. And as much as nobody likes to say it, I think the way I live my life is fairly common.[/QUOTE

Wide is the road (common), that leads to destruction, and many
choose to stay on it.

Narrow is the way, (not common), that leads to life, and few are there who find it.

 

[SkyWriting]

It is justified by God saying to do it. We do not decide what is right and wrong by looking at what others do, or even what we are capable of doing.

Yet:

Matthew 7:12
"In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Luke 6:31
"Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.

Matthew 22:39-40
"The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."

Mark 12:31
"The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

Romans 13:8-9
Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, "YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET," and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying,
"YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."

Galatians 5:14
Verse Concepts
For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement,
"YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."

 

[SkyWriting]

Wide is the road (common), that leads to destruction, and many
choose to stay on it.
Narrow is the way, (not common), that leads to life, and few are there who find it.

Many people miss "the narrow way" being spelled out in preceding verse:

12In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the prophets.
13Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadsto destruction, and many enter through it.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

So ? That's basically the point anyway....

When they do not seek the Kingdom , why they do not find the narrow road to life doesn't really matter much why ---it is an epic fail in any case.... if they do not seek and find the narrow way...

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

QUOTE=]I'm still baffled about this one Commandment asking that we love our neighbor as our self, which is something we absolutely cannot do. We will always fall short of this instruction.[/QUOTE

Well, it is actually simple as someone posted earlier -
but no one selfish ever gets to see heaven, nor enter in,
unless they give up their life to Jesus, and do as He says ....

Multitudes did not fall short, but obeyed Jesus not only in life, but even unto death , UNselfishly not even counting their lives as something to protect.

So with God's Word says so, Jesus requires it, and multitudes (though few in comparison) have obeyed,
it is not necessary to fall short, not to say we absolutely cannot do,
so falling short is not an excuse - it won't work ,
many have absolutely done it (gotten saved, and loved unselfishly as God says ) ... loving others even seeing them as more important than our own lives... it is done every day by ekklesia around the world.

 

[chihwahli]

I'm still baffled about this one Commandment asking that we love our neighbor as our self, which is something we absolutely cannot do. We will always fall short of this instruction.

I have money in my bank account that I don't actually need, that could do a lot for others. I have clothes hanging in my closet that I'm not currently wearing that could go to others. I have spare rooms in my house that nobody sleeps in, that I could give to a homeless person. I've thrown food away that could have fed others.

I love myself very much. I take good care of myself. I am simply not willing to do as much for others as I am for myself. And as much as nobody likes to say it, I think the way I live my life is fairly common.

So how do we then justify this Commandment that seeks to create equality among Man?

My answer to OP:
You are right, we cannot do it by ourselves. That's why God says: When you are weak I am strong.
When are you weak? When you ask the Lord Jesus to help you when you know 100% sure you cannot. From that moment you start to become stronger and stronger in Christ.

Matthew 5:44 (NIV): But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

If you read the above bible verse, it becomes even more extreme. Lord Jesus is asking you not just love your neighbor, but love you enemy!! Now that is really impossible by human standards.

But how good are you and I expressing love?
If anything small agitates you or annoys you, then that moment you are not expressing love , but expressing contempt for a specific person. We humans see others as the person who is wrong very easy, because that is what our flesh wants. Our flesh gives the fault to everyone but ourselves.
And in some cases, people don't want to talk to you and start to ignore you completely.
I experienced and still experience this kind of things. So, these kind of people who ignore others, whether just or unjust are not expressing love as God wants. But many are blind. They see themselves as just and being the person with love and others not. So these kind of persons will have a hard time when oppression comes. Because, if you cannot love a brother / sister who is perhaps irritating. How in heaven can you love your enemies at all??????

We have to let God expand our heart to contain more love. And stop thinking we know what love is already. We all have a long way to go and to love as Christ is loving us all.

So, how far are we with the lessons of loving more, and ultimately, loving like Christ did? Only you and God knows.... God bless you...

 

[Bethany35]

what is so impossible about loving thy neighbour? It is about accepting others as they are surely, and not pressing them to change and become more like us.
I am a volunteer listener in my church and if I can, when I see a homeless person on the street, I will offer to buy them a coffee and point towards organisations that can help if I know of any. I understand not everyone can do that, but if you can be there when a friend is going through troubles then you should do so.
Perhaps the best way to love our neighbours is just to greet others with a smile, handshake and how you doing?
The important thing to know is that there is good and bad in all people, we aren't God or Yeshua.
So I suggest going out and finding someone who needed a hand, then giving it if you can.
*destroys my soap box*

 

[Jorge]

NEWSFLASH!!! : We will ALWAYS fall short of God's commandments, whether it's this one ("Love thy neighbor...") or any other. God knows this, of course. It's our personal relationship with God, reflected in our attitude towards His commandments, that you should be interested in.

 

[Bethany35]

NEWSFLASH!!! : We will ALWAYS fall short of God's commandments, whether it's this one ("Love thy neighbor...") or any other. God knows this, of course. It's our personal relationship with God, reflected in our attitude towards His commandments, that you should be interested in.

Amen, I hear you

 

[Bethany35]

It doesn't have to cost anything to be good to your neighobours

 

[meconstant3402]

Love thy neighbor as thyself is just about as important as loving God with all they heart and mind. In fact, it is a mirror reflection of loving God, in the sense that the love of God is seen best in people who love their neighbors as themselves. I would not downplay the importance of this commandment. But why not start small? If you are unable to give away food, why not buy a sandwich that IS good and IS healthy for a homeless man? Why not go to your local church with canned goods that are nutritious and tasty? If you can't shelter a person, why not offer your spare bedroom air bnb for a very low rate? And keep people on who can't pay. Finally, why not always be gentle with another person even if they make you mad? These things are small, I do them, I fail at them but I keep doing them.

 

[joshhuntnm]

I'm still baffled about this one Commandment asking that we love our neighbor as our self, which is something we absolutely cannot do. We will always fall short of this instruction.

I have money in my bank account that I don't actually need, that could do a lot for others. I have clothes hanging in my closet that I'm not currently wearing that could go to others. I have spare rooms in my house that nobody sleeps in, that I could give to a homeless person. I've thrown food away that could have fed others.

I love myself very much. I take good care of myself. I am simply not willing to do as much for others as I am for myself. And as much as nobody likes to say it, I think the way I live my life is fairly common.

So how do we then justify this Commandment that seeks to create equality among Man?

I love this quote on the impossibility of Christian living:

Think about this. If we don’t need any help, why send a helper? The promise of the Holy Spirit presupposes that we require assistance. Telling us about His provision was Jesus’ way of tipping us off to one of the most profound truths concerning the Christian life—it’s impossible. The quality of life Jesus expects from His followers is unattainable apart from outside intervention.
The Christian life is not simply difficult. It is not something that gets easier with time. It is not something you grow into. It’s absolutely unattainable. You can’t live it. I can’t live it. And God doesn’t expect us to live it. He knows it’s unfeasible through our own strength.
It is time that we come to grips with this liberating truth—the Christian life is impossible.
You may be thinking, Liberating? Why is this liberating? It sounds depressing to me.
It is freeing because you may be on the verge of understanding why you have failed in your attempts to live the Christian life. It is also liberating from the standpoint where you can be absolutely certain that there is nothing wrong with God’s plan. I meet people all the time who say something to the effect of, “I tried to live the Christian life, but it doesn’t work.”
I’ve got good news. Christianity is not the issue. More than likely, you have been trying to live the abundant life Jesus provided for you apart from the help of the Holy Spirit—and it’s worn you out. But that, my friend, is a problem that can be fixed.


Charles Stanley, The Spirit-Filled Life: Discover the Joy of Surrendering to the Holy Spirit (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2014).