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Footnotes
- Matthew 22:37 Deut. 6:5
- Matthew 22:39 Lev. 19:18
Love for God and others is to mark the believer; not love for self.
Some have mistakenly interpreted “love your neighbor as yourself” as teaching self-love in order to love others. That is, we must love ourselves first, before we can truly love others. But this is not the teaching of the passage. Self-love is assumed to be the default condition; Jesus was teaching that concern for others must equal the natural concern we have for ourselves. Also, Jesus was appealing to the Torah, specifically Leviticus 19:17-18, which reads, “Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.” The context deals with treating others fairly, without vengeance, and with love. It has no reference to self-love.