Who Are the Neighbors We are to Love? (TMF:445)

Friday, July 08, 2016
Peace to Live By: Who Are the Neighbors We are to Love? (TMF:445) - Daniel Litton
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       Now, let’s shift gears here a bit and talk about how, we, as Christians, should love our neighbors as ourselves. You might asking, much like the lawyer did in Luke chapter 10, 'Who is my neighbor?' Well, really, that's a good question because it can provide us with further clarification. After all, this is the second greatest command, 'to love our neighbors as ourselves,' and we want to be sure that we get it right. In the most basic sense, our neighbors include everyone and anyone, really. Jesus demonstrated this fact in the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke chapter 10. After Jesus told the parable, he asked, “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise” (Luke 10:36, 37, ESV). The lawyer got it right. We are to love others as we have opportunity, and God may even have us love them to a fuller extent than the norm, like the Good Samaritan did in the parable. So, we learn that our neighbors then include both non-Christians and Christians alike. It is important to note that, for the Christian, God puts great emphasis on loving both groups of people.