Love Your Neighbor: The Heart of Christianity
- judith abraham
- Aug 19
- 2 min read
The call to “love your neighbor as yourself” has deep roots in the Old Testament. In Leviticus 19:18, God commands Israel:
“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”
This command shaped community life in ancient Israel, and it continues to be respected in Judaism and even echoed in Islam. Both traditions encourage kindness, fairness, and justice toward others. But Christianity takes this command to an entirely new level—because of Christ.
✡ Judaism and ☪ Islam: Important, But Not the Center
In Judaism, love of neighbor is one commandment among hundreds. It is valued, but the heart of Jewish faith is covenanting obedience through the whole Law.
In Islam, caring for neighbors is tied to true faith. Mercy and generosity are essential virtues, but they exist alongside many other duties and practices.
Both traditions affirm love, but it is not elevated as the central, defining mark of the faith.
✝ Christianity: Love as the Core
When Jesus was asked the greatest commandment, He didn’t just repeat the Torah. He joined two truths into one:
Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
Then He declared: “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:40)
In other words, love is not one commandment among many. Love is the key to them all. Paul later confirmed this when he wrote: “Love is the fulfillment of the law.” (Romans 13:10)
And Jesus went even further. He expanded “neighbor” to include the outsider, the stranger, even the enemy. Only in Christ do we see love raised to this radical height—love without boundaries, love that mirrors God’s own mercy.
🕊 Why Christianity is the Faith of Peace and Love
Other religions respect love of neighbor, but Christianity makes it the very center of life and worship.
Our God is love (1 John 4:8).
Our salvation is love—Christ laying down His life for us.
Our mission is love—“By this everyone will know you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).
This is why Christianity is truly the religion of peace and love. Not because of human effort, but because of Christ Himself—the Prince of Peace, who calls us to love as He loves.
-Author Judith Abraham
Comments