Love for your neighbour according to the Bible
“Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Few sentences in the Bible are so well known, and few so demanding. Jesus placed it beside the first commandment, love for God, as the summary of all the law and the prophets. But who is my neighbour? What does it mean to love them as myself? Is it a feeling, a duty or a way of life? In this article we trace what the Bible teaches about love for one’s neighbour, from the law of Moses to the letters of the apostles, and how to live it today in the family, at work, in the church and in society.
An ancient commandment
The commandment first appears in the book of Leviticus, in a chapter full of very practical instructions: leaving part of the harvest for the poor and the stranger, paying the hired worker on time, not cursing the deaf or putting a stumbling block before the blind, judging justly and not bearing a grudge:
“Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord.”
Leviticus 19:18
A few verses later, the law adds something surprising about the foreigner: “the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Leviticus 19:34). From the beginning, love for one’s neighbour in the Bible was concrete and reached those who were different too.
The great commandment
When a lawyer asked Jesus which was the great commandment, he answered:
“Jesus said unto him, 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 neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus joined two commandments found in different books of the law (Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18) and presented them as inseparable. One cannot love God and despise one’s neighbour. John would say it plainly: “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar” (1 John 4:20).
Who is my neighbour?
Another teacher of the law, wanting to justify himself, asked Jesus: “And who is my neighbour?” Jesus answered with the parable of the good Samaritan. A man going down from Jerusalem to Jericho was attacked by robbers, who left him half dead. A priest passed by, saw him and went on. A Levite did the same. But a Samaritan —a member of a people despised by the Jews— came near, bound up his wounds, took him to an inn and paid for his care. Jesus asked: “Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?” The man answered: “He that shewed mercy on him.” And Jesus told him: “Go, and do thou likewise” (Luke 10:25-37).
Jesus changed the question. It is not about deciding who deserves my love, but about becoming a neighbour to whoever needs me, whatever their origin, religion or condition. My neighbour is anyone God places in my path.
“As thyself”
The measure of love for one’s neighbour is love for oneself. It is not an invitation to selfishness, but a realistic acknowledgement: we all naturally seek our own good, our food, our rest, our dignity. Jesus expressed it too in the so-called golden rule: “all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them” (Matthew 7:12). At the same time, whoever knows they are loved by God can love themselves in a healthy way and, from there, love others. And Jesus raised the measure even higher with his new commandment: to love “as I have loved you” (John 13:34).
What love is like according to the Bible
Paul described love in one of the most beautiful texts ever written:
“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
This love —in Greek, agape— does not depend on what we feel or on what the other person deserves. It is a decision to seek the other’s good. That is why it can be commanded: feelings cannot be ordered, but actions can. John insists: “let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18).
Love in practice
Meeting concrete needs. James asks what good it does to say “depart in peace” to a brother who has no clothes or food, if we do not give him what he needs (James 2:15-16). Visiting the sick and the prisoner. Jesus identified himself with them (Matthew 25:36). Welcoming the stranger. Hospitality is an ancient and biblical form of love (Hebrews 13:2). Speaking truthfully and kindly. Love neither lies nor humiliates. Forgiving. Love “shall cover the multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). Practising justice. Loving one’s neighbour includes not taking advantage of them, paying fairly and defending the weak. Respecting everyone’s dignity. Every person is created in the image of God.
Love for one’s neighbour in daily life
In the family: patience, listening, time and forgiveness. It is often harder to love those closest to us well. At work: honesty, courtesy, helping colleagues, good service to customers. In the neighbourhood: greeting people, helping the elderly neighbour, working together on common needs. On social media: not slandering, not humiliating, not spreading lies; writing to build up. In society: defending the life and dignity of the most vulnerable, taking part in works of service and seeking peace. Read also our page Churches worldwide on Christian service.
Love that comes from God
Loving like this is not easy, and no one can do it in their own strength. The Bible teaches that love comes from God: “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). When we experience God’s love in Jesus Christ, who gave his life for us while we were still sinners, our heart is transformed. The Holy Spirit produces his fruit in us, which begins with love (Galatians 5:22). That is why love for one’s neighbour is not just an external law, but the overflow of God’s love in our lives.
Loving those who think differently too
We live in societies divided by politics, religion, origin and many other differences. Christian love does not require agreeing with everyone, but it does require treating everyone with respect, listening before judging and seeking the common good. Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners, spoke with a Samaritan woman, healed a Roman centurion’s servant and forgave those who crucified him. His love crossed every boundary. Read also Praying for our enemies: the example of Jesus.
Interesting facts
“Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” is one of the Old Testament verses most quoted in the New: it appears in Matthew, Mark, Luke, Romans, Galatians and James. James calls it “the royal law” (James 2:8). Rabbi Hillel, a contemporary of Jesus’ youth, summed up the law with a similar rule in negative form: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour.” Jesus stated it positively, inviting us not only to avoid evil but actively to do good.
Questions to examine our love
Love for one’s neighbour is proved in everyday life. It is worth asking ourselves honestly: whom have I passed by this week, like the priest and the Levite? Is there someone in my family with whom I need to be reconciled? Do I treat the powerful and those who have nothing with the same respect? Do I use my words to build up or to wound? Do I share my goods with those in need? Do I pray for those I find hard to love? These questions are not meant to make us feel guilty, but to open us to the work of the Holy Spirit, who can transform our hearts and make us instruments of his love where we live. Small acts of love, repeated day after day, change families and neighbourhoods.
A small resolution can help: each week, choose one specific person to serve with an act of love —a visit, a call, a shared meal, practical help— and pray for them. In this way the commandment becomes a habit.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for loving me first. Open my eyes to see the neighbour you place in my path and give me a compassionate heart like the good Samaritan’s. Teach me to love in deed and in truth: my family, my colleagues, my neighbours, the stranger and those who think differently. Fill my life with your patient and kind love, so that others may come to know you through it. Amen.