THE SECOND GREAT COMMANDMENT

“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 neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40).

WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR? See Luke 10:25-37.

HOW WILL WE ACT IF WE LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR?

1. Love will cause us to visit (those who are widows, fatherless sick, needy, etc.) See James 1:27.

2. Love will cause us to relieve those who are in need. (See Matthew 25:34-40.)

3. Love for our fellow men will cause us to sympathize with them. (See Romans 12:15;I Corinthians 12:26.)

4. Love will cause us to forgive. (See Ephesians 4:32; Col. 3:13.)

5. Love will cause us to overlook their faults. (Proverbs 10:12; I Pet. 4:8)

6. Love will cause us to have them in our homes. (I Peter 4:9; Rom. 12:13; Heb. 13:2)

7. Love will prevent us from envying. (I Cor. 3:3; 13:4)

8. Love will cause us to be humble. (I Cor. 13:4)

9. Love will cause us to be longsuffering. (I Cor. 13:4)

10. Love will cause us to correct when someone is going in the wrong direction (I Cor. 5; Proverbs 13:24)

WHO DOES THE BIBLE SAY WE ARE TO LOVE?

1. We are to love our families. (Eph. 5:25; Titus 2:4)

2. We are to love our brethren. (Hebrews 10:24; 13:2; I Pet. 2:17; I John 5:1)

3. We are to love strangers. (Leviticus 19:34; Deuteronomy 10:19)

4. We are to love God’s ministers. (I Thess. 5:13)

5. We are to love our enemies. (Matt. 5:44; Rom. 12:14,20)

6. We are to love all men. (Gal. 6:10)

EXAMPLES:

1. Moses- Exodus 32:32 3. Paul- Romans 9:3

2. Esther- Esther 4:11-17; 5:1 4. Jonathan- I Sam. 20:17,41,42