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how does this teaching relate to the old testament's emphasis on loving one's neighbor as oneself?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Matthew 22:37-40

Jesus 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 first and great commandment. A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

In this passage, Jesus is teaching in Jerusalem, shortly before his crucifixion. A lawyer, testing him, asks about the greatest commandment in the Law. Jesus responds by quoting from the Old Testament, specifically Deuteronomy and Leviticus.

What does loving God with everything you are, and your neighbor as yourself, practically look like in your daily choices?

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Read alongside it

  • Leviticus 19:18

    This is the Old Testament source for 'love your neighbor as yourself,' emphasizing justice and kindness within the community.

  • Deuteronomy 6:5

    This is the Old Testament source for 'love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and might,' foundational to Israel's covenant.

  • Romans 13:8-10

    Paul reaffirms that loving your neighbor fulfills the law, showing its continuing importance in early Christian thought.

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