Self-Love & Loving Your Neighbour As Yourself

Jesus said that all the Law and the Prophets hang on 2 commandments –

“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.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:27-40

It has been said that if you don’t love yourself then you can’t love your neighbour – thus you must have self-love. Indeed,  ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’ assumes we already have self-love as Ephesians says – 

“For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it”  Eph. 5:29

There is a time to nourish your own flesh, especially when you are sick. But the context of ‘loving your neighbour as yourself’ is not focussing on how you care for yourself (which is assumed) but on love for your neighbour AS yourself – seen in the  summary of the Law and the Prophets in Matthew 7:12

“So in everything, do to others AS you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

A modern trend teaching ‘Love yourself before you can love others’ can be misleading, and cause some to justify a ‘love of self’ which is more than just looking after yourself if you are sick.  It can lead to the self-love that Jesus warned about.

A LOVE GREATER THAN SELF-LOVE

There is a love that is greater than self-love – knowing you are loved and that Jesus gave His life for you – and we too should give our lives in serving others –

As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Remain in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. John 15:9-13

New Commandment 

Jesus revolutionized the Law of Moses – He gave a new commandment that no-one had ever experienced before – He showed by His own life the complete way to love – as He loved us – 

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another:  as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” John 13:34

Knowing you are loved by Jesus and those who follow Him, gives a feeling of worth  that is much greater than self-love. It fills us, and replaces self-love with God’s love.

It is also written –

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny self and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24

“He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant.” Philippians 2:7

“It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Galatians 2:20