The Principles Of Love

Last updated on: November 6, 2020 at 4:11 am by Henry Karlson

The Principles Of Love 2020-11-06T04:11:03-05:00 Henry Karlson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

SHAWSHANK61: Ten Commandments, founded upon the principles of love / pixabay

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. These are the two guiding principles of the Law of Moses, the principles which will never go away. Many theologians have suggested that the two tablets on which the Ten Commandments were divided likely represented these two principles, one tablet for God and what is expected of us concerning our love for God, and the other in regards humanity, and what love for our neighbor should entail. The Ten Commandments, indeed, the Mosaic Law in its entirety, should be seen as serving and pointing to these two principles. To fulfill the law is to fulfill them. To disregard them is to break the law.

Understanding this, Paul tells us we owe each other what the law commands of us: love of our neighbor:

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law (Rom. 13:8-10 RSV).

If we want to fulfill the law, we will follow the dictates of love. If we want to understand the spirit of the law, we will look for how and why each particular command relates to the two great commandments. Except for particular sins which directly relate to our relationship with God (such as idolatry), most sins come out of our failure to properly love our neighbor. Lust, for example, leads us to objectify and use our neighbor as an object for our own personal pleasure. It is selfish instead of self-giving, seeking dominance and control instead of mutual affirmation. Greed makes us disregard the needs of our neighbors as we try to take and make all things our own. Anger has us unjustly assault our neighbor, disregarding their inherent dignity. “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you bite and devour one another take heed that you are not consumed by one another” (Gal. 5:14-15 RSV). When we disregard the good of our neighbor, when think we owe them nothing, that we do not need to be good to them, they will respond in kind. The cycle of violence begins with our own disregard for the commands of God, and so it should likewise end with us.

It can be, and often is, difficult to help neighbor because we do not have the means to do so. If we are poor, if we do not have the resources which they need, we can try to find people who do and ask for their help. But, if those we know likewise are as impoverished as we are, there are still other ways we can seek to help our neighbor, to treat them with charity. Joseph of Panephysis, one of the desert fathers, lived in a community where such material resources were scarce, and yet he realized that he and his fellow monks still had to find a way to live out the commandments of God. Thus, he pointed out that how he and his fellow monks thought of others should serve as the foundation for their charity. His advice is good not only for them, but for us as well. He said we should guard our thoughts so that we do not abuse our neighbor in them, and this could lead us to our salvation:

A brother asked Abba Joseph, saying, ‘What should I do, for I do not have the strength to bear evil, nor to work for charity’s sake?’ The old man said to him, ‘If you cannot do any of these things, at least guard your conscience from all evil with regard to your neighbour and you will be saved.’[1]

Not everyone can do the same thing. God doesn’t ask us to do the impossible, which is why he doesn’t ask us all to do the same thing. Likewise, God doesn’t expect us to all be the same. Not everyone can endure unjust suffering the same. Not everyone is capable of corporal works of mercy. But everyone can and should find a way to love their neighbor as themselves, and to realize that if they do not do so, they risk losing their own salvation. “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor” (1 Cor. 10:24 RSV).

Of course, by doing loving our neighbor, we will also be helping ourselves. We are in this together. What helps our neighbor will help us. If we help them become better, if we help them experience some greater good due to our love, we will be able to experience the ramifications of that good for ourselves. Likewise, if we harm others, if we cause them pain and suffering, we will experience the ramifications of our evil actions as well. This is why when we lie, when we purposefully mislead others, we not only hurt them, but ourselves. “Therefore, putting away falsehood, let every one speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another “(Eph. 4:25 RSV).

The law is summed up by love. The way we are to deal with others should come out of love. The Mosaic Law can be seen as a commentary on the law, the law of love, explaining how the people of Israel, in their own particular circumstances, should act in regards the law of love. The principles behind the law remains, and they shall never go away. The Law of Moses, therefore, remains true, so long as we understand the meaning behind the Law of Moses. If we misunderstand its point, if we go by the dead letter rather than the Spirit, we are not following the Law of Moses, because the Law is true and is centered upon the two ways in which we are to embrace love. If we understand that point, we can and will find ourselves fulfilling that law, even if we do not follow all the various commandments Moses gave to elucidate the Law. This is why there is no abrogation of the Law. It remains in place, for love never fails.

[1] The Sayings of the Desert Fathers. Trans. Benedicta Ward (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1984), 102-3 [Joseph of Panephysis Saying 4].

Stay in touch! Like A Little Bit of Nothing on Facebook.
If you liked what you read, please consider sharing it with your friends and family!

Sayings of the Desert Fathers

Previous Post

November 5, 2020

Just Because It Isn’t Capitalism Doesn’t Mean It Is Socialism

Next Post

November 8, 2020 Theosis: God’s Plan For Creation

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Abortion Abraham abuse Aesthetics AI Aliens Ambrose Ancestors and Everything Andrew Angels Animals Anne Anthony Antisemitism apologetics Apophatic Apostle John Aquinas Artificial Intelligence Asanga Ascension Asceticism Assumption Atheism Attachment Augustine Authority Avarice Balthasar Baptism Beauty Biden birthright citizenship Bishops Black History Books Buddhism Bulgakov Byzantine Calendar C.S. Lewis Calcidius Catholic Catholicism Catholicism Celibacy Charity Chastity children Chrismation Christ Christmas Christology Church Climate Change Common Good Communion Confession Confirmation Conscience Constantine conventions conversion councils Covid Creation Cross Dead Death Death Penalty Debate Deception Demagogues Demons Desert Monks Desert Mothers Desire destruction development Dialogue Dignity Dionsyius Dionysius Discipline Diversity Division Doctor Who doctrine dogma Dormition Dualism Easter Easter Series Ecumenical Councils Ecumenism Education Election Empathy Environment Error Eschatology eschaton Eternity Ethics Eucharist Evangelism Eve Evil evolution Faeries Faith Fear femininity Ficino Florence Florensky Folktale Fools Forgiveness Freedom Future gender Gentile Gentiles Glory Gnostic God gods Good Samaritan Goodness Gospel Government Grace Great Fast Guns Hate healing Health Heaven Hell Hellenism Heresy Hierarchy Hildegard Hinduism History Holiness Holy Spirit Holy Week Hope Horror Human rights humanity Humility hypocrisy ICE icon icons Identification Identity Idol II Nicea Immigration incarnation Individualism Informal Reflections Inklings Intention Inter-Religious Interfaith Internet Interpretation Intrinsic evil Irenaeus Islam Israel Jacob Jerome Jesus Jews John Chrysostom John of Damascus John the Baptist Joseph Judaism justice Justification kenosis Kindnesss Kingdom of God Kingdom of Heaven Law Law of Moses Lazarus Leaf by Niggle Lent Lenten Reflection Liberation Theology Lies Life Listen Literature Liturgy locutions Logic Logos Love Marriage Martyrs Mary Mass Maximos The Confessor Meanness Meditation Mercy Middle Path Migrants Mind Miracles Miriam Morals Moses Movies Music Muslims Myths Names Nationalism Native Americans New Year Nicea Nicholas Nothing Novatian Obedience Occam's Razor Ordination Origen Original Sin Orthodox orthopraxis Pagans Palamas Palm Sunday Paradise Paschaltide Paul Peace Pentecost person Peter piety PKD Plato pluralism Plurality Poem Poetry Poiltics Politics Poor Pope Pope Francis Pope Leo XIV Post Office Prayer Pride Pro-life Prodigal Son propaganda Prophecy Prophets Providence Putin Racism Reading Reason Reflection Refugees Relationships Religion Religion Series Religious Liberty Repent Republicans Rest Resurrection Rich Rites Russia Sacraments Saints Salvation Salvian Santa Science Scripture Self-Giving Sexuality Sibyl Sick Silence Sin Singlehood Social Justice Society Sodom Solovyov Speculations Spiritual Reflection St. Cyril of Alexandria St. Justin Martyr Suffering Sunday of the Paralytic Man Sunday of the Samaritan Woman Superhero Supreme Court Teaching Technology Thanksgiving The Father the Universe Theological Reflection Theology Theosis Theotokos Thomas Timaeus Time Tolerenace Tolkien Tradition Transfiguration Trinity Trump Truth Uncategorized Unity Universities USCCB Value Vatican II Vegetarian Vices Violence Virtue Vocations War Water Welcome Wisdom Womanhood Women Work World View Worship Writing Zacchaeus

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz