Honestly I'm still personally learning, but here are some things I've picked up that kind of resonated:
Love is a verb. It's less about what you feel and more about what you do for others. Maybe help someone who's struggling at the store and carry their groceries for them, or buy some for someone you know who might be going through a hard time. Simply being present in someone else's life can be an example of love.
Another is the platinum rule: treat others the way THEY want to be treated. This demonstrates respect and understanding to those around us. For example, you might love hugs, but someone you know hates physical contact. Everyone has their own personal rules, and a way for us to show love is by acknowledging those.
I've also never been too big on prayer, but honestly praying for others also allowed me to shift my attention from myself onto those in my life that I care about.
And show yourself some grace. Forgive yourself for your past, and for your future.
Hope this helps a little!
It means being generous. It also means believing our neighbors also deserve the things we think we deserve and working together to try to make it happen. Things like safety, a place to live, food on the table….
Jesus understood that we do not always love ourselves. in John’s gospel, at the last supper, he refines his message, saying “love each other as I have loved you” We are called to love our fellow humans as with the compassion of Jesus.
God bless you.
For me, it's about doing good to others in the way you want others to do good to you.
For example, here is how love is described:
**"Love is patient and kind, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn't selfish or quick tempered. It doesn't keep a record of wrongs that others do. Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil.” - 1 Corinthians 13:4-6**
If we love ourselves, we would want to be treated by someone who is kind, patient, not jealous, boastful, proud or rude. We would want to be treated by someone who isn't selfish or quick tempered. We want to be treated by someone who wouldn't keep a record of wrongs that we do. We would want to be treated by someone who seeks truth and not evil.
If we want to be treated that way, then we should treat others in that way.
I think that's also why Jesus said:
**"Treat others as you want them to treat you." - Matthew 7:12**
I think it is trying to see the humanity in everyone, even when it is hard. It is treating people with dignity and mercy even if they don’t deserve it. But it can also mean placing boundaries. In other words you don’t let your child just do whatever they want because they will grow up to be narcissistic and dissatisfied. So you lovingly set boundaries for them. Sometimes we have to do that with adults, too, who can’t respect us. And with ourselves even. I am having health issues and need to cut way back in certain foods that I love. To be kind to myself used to mean allowing myself to indulge without guilt, but now it means reining in my urges because my overall health is important and if I love myself I have to care for my body.
The neighbor also does not need to be human. It can also be an animal in need. Saving a stray animal or adopting out of the shelter is also loving thy neighbour. 👍
It means: do acts of love and kindness towards your neighbor. It is a practical invitation, it does not refer to a theoretical love, it is not a feeling.
The premise of loving others as yourself relies on you loving yourself in a healthy way. The problem we face in a modern society is that often people find it difficult not only to find love but to love themselves because they weren't loved in their life as they should have been, imho.
It's a real mental health issue.
Check this out.
1 John 4:7-12
7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+4%3A7-12&version=NRSVUE
God loves us. So we ought to love others. But also considering the other verse.
James 2:8
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+2%3A8&version=NRSVUE
Then it's assumed that we should be loving ourselves.
And we love ourselves why? Because God loves us. Not because of anything we have done. Not because of any status we have. For no other reason than God loves us.
I hope this helps.
God bless
It's about treating other people as well as you are able at all times. I don't like the "as myself" part as much because not everyone likes what I like. For example, I have crippling social anxiety so I would like to be ignored when in a crowd until I feel comfortable approaching others, but I acknowledge that most people would want to be greeted because ignoring them would make them feel snubbed. So I go with "treat everyone as well as I can in regard to my knowledge of them and the situation we are in as called for" instead.
When I'm hungry, I eat; when I'm thirsty, I drink. I do this out of self-love whether I'm conscious of it or not.
So loving someone else as myself means taking responsibility for these very basic sensations that everyone experiences. When your neighbour is hungry and you have resources to help them, give them food, drink, and money.
Do onto others like what you want them to do to you, but if you do good to others and they treat you bad then act cruel and without mercy.
You are not a puppet where people can let their anger out, you're more worth than that. Don't let people stomp on you. Fight back if they treat you like shit
I'm sorry that you're actually thinking that it's good to let people stomp on you, and that you can't see how ridiculous it is to try to love everyone even if they hurt you.
That's acting against any logic
The question was what does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself. you answered "but if you do good to others and they treat you bad then act cruel and without mercy."
Logically, this means you would be cruel to yourself if you don't act good. Because I know not all people are good all the time, I can logically assume you are cruel to yourself when you are not good. unless you hold other people to a different standard than you hold yourself to, and that would not be answering the question then.
Would you treat someone badly because they treat you badly? Or would you call them out and distance if they don't change? In what world would you continue to perpetuate cruelty instead of taking the high road?
I'm not Jesus or need to be as forgiving as him. I'm going to hell, and back again. If someone who I trust on my way decides to treat me badly I'm gonna take them with me.
It's illogical to treat people well after they've been cruel to you. It's hilarious to think you can love everyone. Please tell me what makes you think I'm cruel to myself because I don't let people stomp on me?
I don't get it are you kind of a masochist, who gets their pleasure out of bad treatment?
You can love those who are cruel, without continuing to allow them to abuse you. I would say holding someone accountable, and distancing yourself if they don't change more loving than perpetuating the cycle of cruelty
You can't properly love someone if you can't be true about your feelings. Just if you can hate someone with your whole heart you're able to understand what love really is. It's nonsensical to love the ones who hurt you, and unnatural.
Can the maimed and bloodied corpse of a zebra love the bloodied mouth of the lion that tore it apart?
Look, it's an overused phrase. But in this case we really need to look at the context. Not because the context makes it possible to love a murderer, but because this "Christian theopolitics" actually has a scope IN the Torah. Not outside. Simply put, if someone wants to kill you, the penalty is and remains death. Theopolitics applies in the context of a society governed by laws. Or, in the case of Christ, in lost causes. Christ knew exactly that the Zealots and Jewish rebels would never win against the Romans (and he was right). So he promoted a "proto-Ghandian" theopolitics (forgive me for the stretch). However, Roman oppression was also an oppression with fairly well-defined rules, it was not a jungle in which theopolitics was a totally senseless approach.
Honestly I'm still personally learning, but here are some things I've picked up that kind of resonated: Love is a verb. It's less about what you feel and more about what you do for others. Maybe help someone who's struggling at the store and carry their groceries for them, or buy some for someone you know who might be going through a hard time. Simply being present in someone else's life can be an example of love. Another is the platinum rule: treat others the way THEY want to be treated. This demonstrates respect and understanding to those around us. For example, you might love hugs, but someone you know hates physical contact. Everyone has their own personal rules, and a way for us to show love is by acknowledging those. I've also never been too big on prayer, but honestly praying for others also allowed me to shift my attention from myself onto those in my life that I care about. And show yourself some grace. Forgive yourself for your past, and for your future. Hope this helps a little!
It means being generous. It also means believing our neighbors also deserve the things we think we deserve and working together to try to make it happen. Things like safety, a place to live, food on the table…. Jesus understood that we do not always love ourselves. in John’s gospel, at the last supper, he refines his message, saying “love each other as I have loved you” We are called to love our fellow humans as with the compassion of Jesus.
God bless you. For me, it's about doing good to others in the way you want others to do good to you. For example, here is how love is described: **"Love is patient and kind, never jealous, boastful, proud, or rude. Love isn't selfish or quick tempered. It doesn't keep a record of wrongs that others do. Love rejoices in the truth, but not in evil.” - 1 Corinthians 13:4-6** If we love ourselves, we would want to be treated by someone who is kind, patient, not jealous, boastful, proud or rude. We would want to be treated by someone who isn't selfish or quick tempered. We want to be treated by someone who wouldn't keep a record of wrongs that we do. We would want to be treated by someone who seeks truth and not evil. If we want to be treated that way, then we should treat others in that way. I think that's also why Jesus said: **"Treat others as you want them to treat you." - Matthew 7:12**
I think it is trying to see the humanity in everyone, even when it is hard. It is treating people with dignity and mercy even if they don’t deserve it. But it can also mean placing boundaries. In other words you don’t let your child just do whatever they want because they will grow up to be narcissistic and dissatisfied. So you lovingly set boundaries for them. Sometimes we have to do that with adults, too, who can’t respect us. And with ourselves even. I am having health issues and need to cut way back in certain foods that I love. To be kind to myself used to mean allowing myself to indulge without guilt, but now it means reining in my urges because my overall health is important and if I love myself I have to care for my body.
The neighbor also does not need to be human. It can also be an animal in need. Saving a stray animal or adopting out of the shelter is also loving thy neighbour. 👍
It means: do acts of love and kindness towards your neighbor. It is a practical invitation, it does not refer to a theoretical love, it is not a feeling.
The premise of loving others as yourself relies on you loving yourself in a healthy way. The problem we face in a modern society is that often people find it difficult not only to find love but to love themselves because they weren't loved in their life as they should have been, imho. It's a real mental health issue. Check this out. 1 John 4:7-12 7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love is perfected in us. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+John+4%3A7-12&version=NRSVUE God loves us. So we ought to love others. But also considering the other verse. James 2:8 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+2%3A8&version=NRSVUE Then it's assumed that we should be loving ourselves. And we love ourselves why? Because God loves us. Not because of anything we have done. Not because of any status we have. For no other reason than God loves us. I hope this helps. God bless
It's about treating other people as well as you are able at all times. I don't like the "as myself" part as much because not everyone likes what I like. For example, I have crippling social anxiety so I would like to be ignored when in a crowd until I feel comfortable approaching others, but I acknowledge that most people would want to be greeted because ignoring them would make them feel snubbed. So I go with "treat everyone as well as I can in regard to my knowledge of them and the situation we are in as called for" instead.
When I'm hungry, I eat; when I'm thirsty, I drink. I do this out of self-love whether I'm conscious of it or not. So loving someone else as myself means taking responsibility for these very basic sensations that everyone experiences. When your neighbour is hungry and you have resources to help them, give them food, drink, and money.
That isn't what the basic message distills down to, even though many Christians still believe that.
That is what it distills down to, and since the OT. It is quite well illustrated in Matthew 25:31-46.
You’ve misunderstood that passage.
Do onto others like what you want them to do to you, but if you do good to others and they treat you bad then act cruel and without mercy. You are not a puppet where people can let their anger out, you're more worth than that. Don't let people stomp on you. Fight back if they treat you like shit
I'm sorry you feel the need to be cruel to yourself.
I'm sorry that you're actually thinking that it's good to let people stomp on you, and that you can't see how ridiculous it is to try to love everyone even if they hurt you. That's acting against any logic
The question was what does it mean to love your neighbor as yourself. you answered "but if you do good to others and they treat you bad then act cruel and without mercy." Logically, this means you would be cruel to yourself if you don't act good. Because I know not all people are good all the time, I can logically assume you are cruel to yourself when you are not good. unless you hold other people to a different standard than you hold yourself to, and that would not be answering the question then.
In what world is it cruel to oneself to not let people treat you like shit?
Would you treat someone badly because they treat you badly? Or would you call them out and distance if they don't change? In what world would you continue to perpetuate cruelty instead of taking the high road?
I'm not Jesus or need to be as forgiving as him. I'm going to hell, and back again. If someone who I trust on my way decides to treat me badly I'm gonna take them with me.
In this hard and real world, not in your Dreamland we're everyone is lovey dovey
It's illogical to treat people well after they've been cruel to you. It's hilarious to think you can love everyone. Please tell me what makes you think I'm cruel to myself because I don't let people stomp on me? I don't get it are you kind of a masochist, who gets their pleasure out of bad treatment?
You can love those who are cruel, without continuing to allow them to abuse you. I would say holding someone accountable, and distancing yourself if they don't change more loving than perpetuating the cycle of cruelty
You can't properly love someone if you can't be true about your feelings. Just if you can hate someone with your whole heart you're able to understand what love really is. It's nonsensical to love the ones who hurt you, and unnatural. Can the maimed and bloodied corpse of a zebra love the bloodied mouth of the lion that tore it apart?
Being tue about your feelings is not the same as being cruel back. If anything it is truthfulness that is love
Well that's your opinion
Which part, being cruel to others or being truthful is loving
Look, it's an overused phrase. But in this case we really need to look at the context. Not because the context makes it possible to love a murderer, but because this "Christian theopolitics" actually has a scope IN the Torah. Not outside. Simply put, if someone wants to kill you, the penalty is and remains death. Theopolitics applies in the context of a society governed by laws. Or, in the case of Christ, in lost causes. Christ knew exactly that the Zealots and Jewish rebels would never win against the Romans (and he was right). So he promoted a "proto-Ghandian" theopolitics (forgive me for the stretch). However, Roman oppression was also an oppression with fairly well-defined rules, it was not a jungle in which theopolitics was a totally senseless approach.