Thoughts on Love (Charity)

In Matthew 22: 36, a lawyer asks the Savior "which is the great commandment," to which Christ responds in verses 37-38, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart . . . This is the first and great commandment." That simple answer would probably have been enough to silence the man and to have made a strong spiritual point. So why did Jesus continue in verse 39 with "And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself?"

Christ clearly indicates in his answer that loving one's neighbor is "second" in order of importance, yet He also clearly states that it is "like unto" the first. In other words, loving one's neighbor is the second commandment, but it is just as important as the first commandment to love God.

A similar teaching is found in Luke, chapter 10. Only in this account the lawyer continues with an additional question in verse 29: "Who is my neighbor?" To this question the Lord gives the parable of the good Samaritan, which teaches that even our enemies are (or should be) our "neighbors."

I don't think this is stretching because in the Sermon on the Mount we are plainly commanded: "Love your enemies." We are instructed to "bless them," "do good to them," and "pray for them." We are told to forgive them, or we won't be forgiven.

If "life eternal" is "that [we] might know . . . the only true God (John 17:3)," and "god is love (1 John 4:8)," then it only seems logical that "whosoever is [even] angry with his brother shall be in danger of his judgment (3 Nephi 12:22)."

I know it's not easy to love like Heavenly Father and Christ, but I know that I need to be trying harder.