“And whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.”
Romans 13: 9b-10
As citizens of a nation, one of the most important responsibilities we have is to love our neighbor. What do I mean by love? In this case, love doesn’t refer to a feeling. It doesn’t mean romance. It doesn’t mean that you agree with or even like the person. There are always going to be people that we don’t like, but we are called to love them – no matter what.
Love is a decision of the will on the part of the Christian to treat our fellowman justly and compassionately. It’s treating others right, even loving them enough to speak the truth regarding serious moral and character issues in their lives, when it begins to create a problem. It’s loving them even when we don’t like them! This is agape love – the way God loves. And the greatest way that we can show love to our neighbors is to share God’s love for them in Jesus Christ. It’s a love that is meant for all mankind. Period. It’s a love for Republicans and Democrats, progressives and conservatives, the politically correct and the religious moralist. It’s even a love for the racist, the bigot, or terrorist. Jesus’ love is a love for all. That may be hard for some to accept, but it is the TRUTH.
So, what is our role as a Christ-follower, a citizen, and an individual? To love God and to love others – this is the fulfillment of the law.
