by Andrea D. Hutchinson

Created on: August 23, 2009   Last Updated: October 19, 2009

There is an instruction that is repeated, verbatim, no less than seven times in the bible. God found it important to stress this instruction to His people throughout the books of the bible. He knew that, within the nature of man, they would not be inclined to love unconditionally. That is, without God.

"Love your neighbor as you love yourself" first appears in Leviticus 19:18. This verse says: " You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD". The book of Leviticus is a book depicting God's concern for His people and a desire to fellowship with them. It is revelation from God through Moses. God's personal instruction to Israel, on how to live before Him. A book He left for all of humanity to be instructed in a relationship with God.

There is a rule in bible study referred to as the law of first mention. When something written in the New Testament is backed up by scripture in the Old Testament, then the truth of the scripture has been verified. This particular portion of these seven verses is reiterated, after Leviticus, in six more scriptures, word for word. Clearly a law God takes personally and requires His people to take seriously. There is even instructions on how to treat one's neighbor in the last two of the 10 Commandments.

Neighbor is defined in The Layman's Bible Dictionary as a fellow human being. The Pharisees saw neighbors as people of their own nation. However, God required more that that.

In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan. Here He indicates that all people are our neighbors. In these scriptures there are, once again, instructions on how we are to behave toward our neighbors. We are to help one another.

Mark 12:30,31, "And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, will all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ' You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

The part of the verse being explained here, when written in Leviticus, was emphasized by God's statement of, "I am the LORD". Obviously God has commanded us to love our neighbor. In the Book of Mark, Jesus outright states that it is a commandment. Confirming the scripture in Leviticus.

Ephesians 5:1,2 gives us another, clear, example of what is expected of us, and Christ is the example. "Therefore be imitators of God

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