Fr. Lehman: The bottom line is that in John it says, “If you say you love God and you hate your neighbor, you are a liar.” That’s as clear as it could be. Paul says, “All things will pass away except love.” So, we are judged on how we love.
How can a man love God and hate his neighbor?
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
How can you say you love God whom you have never seen?
If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
What does God say about loving thy neighbor?
The Gospel of Matthew records Jesus’ answer: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. … And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (22:37-39).
What does 1john 4/20 mean?
Biblical Translations of 1 John 4:20
NIV. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.
What does 1 John say about love?
1 John 4:16
God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.
What is meant by agape love?
Agape, Greek agapē, in the New Testament, the fatherly love of God for humans, as well as the human reciprocal love for God. … In Scripture, the transcendent agape love is the highest form of love and is contrasted with eros, or erotic love, and philia, or brotherly love.
Why is service an important expression of love?
Those people who do service know how much joy they receive from giving to others. The more inner work we do to fill ourselves with love, the more our heart overflows to the point where we may feel compelled to help others. … Doing service is a matter of discovering your passion and then offering your time and love.
What does love your brother mean?
Brotherly love is the love for one’s fellow-man as a brother. The expression is taken from the Greek word Φιλαδελφία (Philadelphia = “love of brothers”), which trait distinguished the Early Christian communities. Romans.
Which is the greatest commandment?
Gospel of Matthew
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. ‘ This is the greatest and first commandment.
What does it mean to love thy neighbor?
Love Thy Neighbor or Love Thy Neighbour refers to the Biblical phrase “thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” from the Book of Leviticus and the New Testament about the ethic of reciprocity known as the Golden Rule.
Is it possible to love God and not your neighbor?
To love God wholly and totally (with one’s heart soul, and mind) and to love one’s neighbor are the greatest commandments of all. … One cannot say “I love God” but hates his/ her neighbor or has nothing to do with his/ her neighbor. Because God is love and that is why we are able to love.
How does Jesus define neighbor?
In response, Christ delivered the Parable of The Good Samaritan. In the Parable of The Good Samaritan, Jesus Christ taught that loving your neighbor means more than loving those in your homogenous and socially segregated neighborhood. … Loving your neighbor means more than being respectful, generous, and tolerant.
What can we learn from 1john 4?
After we trust in Christ, we are free of him. In other words, we have won the battle against him or overcome him. This is a fact. It is a very encouraging spiritual truth.
Who wrote 1john 4 20?
The author of the First Epistle is termed John the Evangelist, who most scholars believe is not the same as John the Apostle. Most scholars believe the three Johannine epistles have the same author, but there is no consensus if this was also the author of the Gospel of John.
What love God means?
Love of God can mean either love for God or love by God. Love for God (philotheia) is associated with the concepts of worship, and devotions towards God.