The impartiality of God doesn’t mean He accepts every decision or behavior. It means His free gift of salvation is available to all.
The call to “love your neighbor” is a wonderful reminder to genuinely love people through acts of kindness and compassion. It’s quoted often these days, by Christians and non-Christians alike, and being the idealistic person I am, I want to believe most people truly desire the world to be a more loving place.
Unfortunately, the phrase has also been misused in attempts to justify immoral behavior and promote harmful agendas under the label of “love.” People forget (or are unaware) that loving our neighbors is second to God’s greatest commandment. As Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37-39).
When love follows this order, amazing things happen! The mixed-up love of the world is sorted out according to God’s beautiful design. Eyes are opened, hearts are healed, and lives are changed.
The Order of Love Matters
Jesus shared two greatest commandments, not one. When we really stop to think about the reason behind this, it’s because our love for God must come first before we can truly love others as He intended. Otherwise, we will miss the richness of His grace and mercy in our own lives, watering down the love we have to offer.
Remember the instructions every flight attendant gives? “In case of an emergency, put on your own oxygen mask before helping the person next to you.” This isn’t selfish; it’s wise. Without oxygen, we’re helpless to help others. And so it is with love. Without experiencing the love of the Lord with our whole heart, mind, and strength, we’re left with misguided and sometimes lifeless love to give others.
Psalm 103:11-12 says, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”
The Lord not only has a standard for love, but He put it in perfect order. When we get it mixed up, we promote things that shouldn’t be promoted. Here are some ways this is being played out in the world today:
-Condoning every evil thing under the sun
-Justifying sin under the guise of love
-Turning God’s holy design into “anything goes”
Please know I’m writing this from a place of deep conviction about my own tendency to gloss over sin. My flesh wars against the Holy Spirit just as much as anyone else. The temptations are real and unrelenting, and only through God’s grace am I able to keep things in perspective.
What about you? Have you been following the second greatest commandment while ignoring the first? Or are you trying to uphold the first while ignoring the second? They go hand-in-hand and are absolutely beautiful when practiced together.
Truly Loving Our Neighbor
In Luke 10:30-34, immediately after Jesus shared the two greatest commandments, He told this parable: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.”
This parable paints a beautiful picture of a stranger helping a stranger. The Samaritan was not only willing to stop, but he took pity on the injured man, caring for him as long as it took. This tells us a few things about truly loving our neighbor:
-We love impartially.
-We love beneficially.
-We love sacrificially.
-We love continually.
In Acts 10:34-35, Peter said, “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” He was referring to the gospel being preached throughout the whole world—to Jews and Gentiles alike. The impartiality of God doesn’t mean He accepts every decision or behavior. It means His free gift of salvation is available to all.
Truly loving our neighbor cultivates impartiality in the sense that we see a need and meet it. The help we offer is beneficial (good for the person), sacrificial (beyond our comfort zone), and continual (long-suffering). Nowhere are we called to love our neighbor by accepting harmful or sinful behaviors. Instead, we speak the truth in love, showing them a better way (God’s way), and walking alongside them through the healing process.
God’s Banner of Love
In a mixed-up world where love has been redefined, what are we to do? I say we wave the banner of God’s holy love as defined in the Bible. With arms stretched wide in kindness and compassion, let’s love people enough to share the gospel truth and join them on the path of their new life in Christ.
But it starts with our own hearts. It begins with the first and greatest commandment that must be cultivated as a prequel to the second. Here are a few ways to implement this:
-Know what the Bible says and accept it as God’s authoritative word.
-Cultivate your love for God through prayer, worship, and study of the Scriptures.
-Follow Jesus’ example, not condoning sin, but rescuing people from it.
God’s standard of love is pure, holy, and good. It seeks the best for people emotionally, physically, and spiritually. In contrast, the world’s definition seeks the best for self, even if it brings emotional, physical, or spiritual harm.
Without the Lord’s guidelines, we will always try to soften the edges of sin by quoting love phrases and labeling things falsely. It’s human nature. However, there is such a thing as true love existing in God for all eternity. As 1 John 4:16 says, “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (NKJV).
Abiding in love starts with loving the Lord with our whole being and remaining steadfast in His commands. We hold true to His holy standard not because He’s a mean dictator in the sky but because He’s our loving Abba Father who has our very best in mind.
Let’s love our neighbors to the full, caring for them as we care for ourselves. But let’s not forget the Source of love, the One who calls us into a relationship with His Son. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Now, this is true love.
More Resources for Your Journey:
The Four Types of Love in Scripture and How to Experience Them
The Kind of Love Christ Requires
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Tammy Fullum
