Chapter 29

Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself

And the second is like unto it, love thy neighbor as thyself.

Every man seeking the interest of his neighbor, and doing all things with an eye single to the glory of God.

I would like to say a little about the second great commandment.  One cannot keep the First and Great commandment without keeping its companion.  As noted earlier, the strait gate is the first commandment and the narrow way is the second commandment.  It can be said that once one enters the gate, the true action begins by walking the narrow way, however distant it might be.  Love is a verb, it is more than a feeling, it is action.  We may love God with all of our being but we express that love in our actions.  God has given us a way to express this love by serving our fellow man.  According to the Lord, the best way to show our love to him is to love our fellow man. 

This is what truly distinguishes the followers of Christ from the followers of Satan. It is not enough to be charitable and give of our material possessions and our goods.  As noted earlier, the wolves in sheep’s clothing are very good at doing great humanitarian service to the poor and needy.  When Jesus told the young rich man to sell all that he had and give it to the poor, that was not enough.  What was important was the next words, “and come follow me.”  Those who masquerade as wolves in sheep’s clothing and pretend to be good Christians get tripped up by this part, to be a true follower of Jesus. 

What does it mean to be a true follower of Jesus?  We have discussed in earlier chapters some of the characteristics of a true follower of Christ.  To be meek and humble, to acknowledge one’s own nothingness and total dependence on Jesus and his father.  To manifest the fruits of charity, which is much more than the bestowal of material goods on others.  It is giving our all, our two mites. 

But one of the great characteristics of a true follower of Christ that we can use to discern the tares from the wheat and the wolves in sheep’s clothing from the sheep in wolves clothing, is to be a follower of Christ, one who does the works of Jesus.  And  what are the works of Jesus?  Yes, it is service and ministering to the poor, the needy, the outcast, the widow and the orphan.  But, the hypocrites do that also.  It has to be more.  The works of Jesus include his miracles.  All true followers of Jesus Christ are endowed with power from on high.  They are able to do all that Jesus did, and more, as that is what he has promised us, even commanded us to do,

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

The followers of Satan can also do supernatural wonders.  However, in most cases, these supernatural wonders are based on illusion or are based on man-made technology.  Never do the miracles of Satan or the workers of darkness lead to life and salvation.  The works of Jesus are life and salvation.  The works of Jesus never destroy, not even their enemies.  The works of Jesus deliver his followers from their enemies so that they have no power over them.  The works of Jesus are healing, both physically and spiritually. 

As noted in the introduction, one may discern the works of Jesus from the works of Satan,

Moroni 715 For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.

16 For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.

So, if we believe in Christ, we will do the same good that he did.  We will fear no evil because evil has no power over us.  We will perform his miracles, all of them, if necessary.  We will have power over death and most importantly, we will bless others to become converted to Jesus Christ.  It is impossible for a wolf in sheep’s clothing to do all of the above.  They may try, but somewhere along the way, they will expose who they are.  They will trust in the arm of flesh rather than trust in the power of Christ and the power of the Holy Ghost.  They will expose their ego and their pride. 

One of the keys to the second and great commandment is to love our neighbor, as ourselves.  How do we love ourselves?  I assert that the love of self is the same as the love of God.  It is impossible to love ourselves if we don’t love God with all of our being.  What we may classify as love of self is not love at all, it is lust, it is pride and it is ego. For the wicked, love of self is pleasure and power. It is self first and others only matter if it enables them to be first.  

Satan and his followers do not love themselves.  Love in the sense of the Greek word “agape” is not applicable to the wicked.  It is impossible for them to love themselves because to love one’s self is to love God.  Christ said, “Ye are Gods”.  When we love ourselves we love God and when we love God we love ourselves.  The kingdom of God is within us.  If we love his kingdom, we love ourselves.  If we have lost our lives in following him, we have found ourselves and we love what we have found.  We have entered the strait gate and walked the narrow way and what is at the end of the narrow way?  Eternal life.  It is the tree of life, the love of God.  When we leave the world of darkness and enter into his light, emerging on the other side, as it were, we are new creatures in Christ and we love ourselves.  This God-like love of self seeks to glory and praise God in any way possible, and usually the only outlet for this love is to serve our fellow man.

I once met a man who had a near death experience.  He was hunting elk in the state of Idaho and was crossing a steep embankment with his horse.  His horse lost its footing and tumbled down the mountain rolling over the man several times, crushing his head.  His spirit left his body and he found himself in the spirit world.   He was greeted by very anxious people who were there to serve him.  They told him that they wanted to put him at ease and answer his questions.  He learned many things but one of the greatest lessons was that the angelic beings craved to be of service.  They said that they were ready to help and minister to us on earth, but due to unbelief, seldom were they asked.  Service was the greatest way to show their love for their Savior and God and they were saddened that they did not have more opportunity to do so.  I am reminded of the powerful scene in which Scrooge’s partner, Jacob Marley, laments and groans that he could not restore the lost opportunities to give his material possessions to the poor.  Had he only known then what he knew now. 

For the wolves in sheep’s clothing, Scrooge could never be like them, he was a sheep in wolves’ clothing. He was not a hypocrite, he was too honest.  He spoke his mind and said what he thought about the poor.  Maybe that is why the Spirits of Christmas came to him, they knew he was not as the hypocrites and that there was hope for him.  On the other hand, the real wolves in sheep’s clothing, may feign service and they may feign charity, they may talk of peace, they may teach of Christ, they may profess to know him but know him not.  They draw nigh unto him with their lips, but their hearts (and their minds, and their souls) are far from him.  Their hypocrisy fragments them, makes them unholy (not whole or integrated), the opposite of Christ who is holy and integrated. 

One of the characteristics of the wolves in sheep’s clothing is to create dependency.  They teach that there are anointed servants of Christ to whom we must pledge allegiance.  They claim to be prophets, seers and revelators and that, due to our weaknesses, we cannot access Christ or God the same way that they can.  We are dependent on them as they have been given the keys to bind on earth and to bind in heaven and the keys to unbind or unseal the same.  The ministrations of angels, the gifts of the Spirit and the works of Christ are rare or non-existent among them.  If such gifts are manifest by those who hold no special position in the church, they are subject to scrutiny and suspicion and ultimately, if they fail to repent, they are subject to being excommunicated or outcast from their society.  The wolves in sheep’s clothing have a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.

In Deuteronomy 6, we were told to,

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

Yet, how many church leaders really teach or practice the first and great commandment and how many Christians follow the admonition to teach this commandment all the time?  Do we fear being labeled a fanatic?

If we are teaching this all the time and if it shall be in our heart all the time, we will naturally desire to keep the second commandment which is to love our neighbor as ourselves.  When we are converted, we will strengthen our brethren and when we strengthen our brethren, we love the Lord our God with all of our strength.

We strengthen our brethren by setting them free.  We teach them the truth and the truth sets them free.  We teach them correct principles so that they can govern themselves.  We allow them to pursue truth in the way that they choose, even if it is risky and may lead them down the wrong path.  We don’t excommunicate, we educate and teach through example.  We allow them to search the mysteries and we allow them to become religious fanatics or fanatics of any kind, all the while loving them and praying for them. If they stumble in their search for the truth, more power to them.  What is important is that they are truth seekers.

It is ironic.  The wolves in sheep’s clothing claim to be the shepherds, who guard the flock from the wolves.  They claim that they protect the flock from false doctrine and untruths and from being led astray when in reality they carefully lead the flock down to hell.  They, themselves, teach for doctrine the commandments of men and not of Jesus Christ. 

We teach our neighbor to be independent of the arm of flesh, and to be dependent on the Son, the Father and the Holy Ghost.  MOST IMPORTANTLY, AS PEOPLE SEE OUR GOOD WORKS AND WANT TO PRAISE AND GLORIFY US, WE QUICKLY AND GLADLY GIVE ALL THE CREDIT TO THE SOURCE, EVEN THE SON AND THE FATHER!  Like Christ, we teach them that they can do everything we do, and more, if they will but follow Jesus Christ. We do not bask in the adulation or the adoration of others, we bask in the light of Christ and just as Jesus did, we continually acknowledge that we are nothing without the Father and the Son.  The wolves in sheep’s clothing will not do this.  They enjoy the praise of men.  They travel the world and are greeted as VIP’s, they receive VIP treatment and they accept honorary degrees and the honors of men. They have buildings named after them.

The humble follower of Christ is too busy serving to receive honorary degrees.  Mother Teresa understood this.  She often deflected and rejected adulations and adorations.  She only accepted donations or notoriety if it served to help her with her service to others.  Jesus was often treated as a VIP and he accepted such treatment if it furthered his cause.  For example, he was hosted in the home of a Pharisee and while being served at the table of this important person, a woman with an alabaster box approached him.  She was looked on with contempt by those in attendance, including the host.  But, Jesus saw this as a teaching moment and was able to teach all present a great lesson in love and forgiveness.  Jesus had drawn much attention to his self and had become a celebrity, somebody who the proud and influential wanted to know. Jesus knew that he was being used by the Pharisee and he turned the tables on him by using him to teach this great gospel lesson.

I have mentioned that we must learn to discern the wolves in sheep’s clothing from the sheep in wolves’ clothing.  Who are the sheep in wolves’ clothing?  The woman with the alabaster box was a sheep in wolves’ clothing.  These are they who may not look the part.  They may not look like a sheep, or what we think a sheep should look like.  Maybe they are homeless, or maybe, like the widow with only two mites to give, they wore tattered or dirty clothes that smelled bad. Maybe they drink and they smoke.  In many different ways, they may not look or act the part, but deep down, in their heart, the Savior, who is able to discern all things, can see who they really are and can see that they have a heart ready to follow him.   

His two edged sword that is quick and powerful, separates the righteous from the wicked, the wheat from the tares, the sheep from the wolves, the spirit from the flesh and discerns the innermost thoughts of the heart.  True followers of Christ recognize his sheep, no matter how well disguised they might be in the clothes of wolves or in whatever outward appearance there might be.  Likewise, the true follower of Christ, who keeps the two great commandments, discerns the wolves in sheep’s clothing, no matter how clever their disguise. 

Among the greatest acts of service that can bestowed on our fellow man is to help them see who Jesus and His Father really are.

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

When we have mastered and lived the Two Great Commandments, people will know Jesus Christ and His Father by seeing us.  His countenance, his demeanor, his Spirit, his love, his power, his glory will shine through us.  This is what Christ meant when he said,

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

This light is not figurative, it is real.  It is an energy, a radiation that emanates from one who lives the two great commandments.  This energy or light is what allows the one so shining to heal, to perform miracles, like unto Jesus.  The good works don’t only refer to spending time at a food bank or visiting a rest home, although important, the good works to which Jesus refers are his works, the same miracles he performed and which gained him such notoriety and celebrity status.  Once obtained, the honest in heart, the sheep in wolves clothing will want to glorify your Father which is in heaven.  If we are like unto Jesus, we will never stop giving credit to the one who makes it all possible.

There is a beautiful song that conveys, to some extent, this concept,

A Window To His Love by Julie De Azevedo

I want to be a window to His love,
so when you look at me you will see Him.
I want to be so pure and clear that you won't even know I'm here,
'cause His love will shine brightly through me.

I want to be a doorway to the truth,
so when you walk beyond me, you will find Him.
I want to stand so straight and tall, that you won't notice me at all.
But through my open door He will be seen.

A window to His love.
A doorway to the truth.
A bearer of the message He'd have me bring to you
And with each passing day
I want to fade away.
'Till only He can be seen And I become a window to His love.

I want to be a window to His love,
so you can look through me and you'll see Him.
And some day shining through my face, you'll see His loving countenance,
'cause I will have become like He is

A window to His love.
A doorway to the truth.
A bearer of the message He'd have me bring to you
And with each passing day
I want to fade away.

It is my prayer that to some small degree, this work has achieved the desires of this song and that any light contained therein will have brought the reader closer to the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost.  I leave these words, most humbly and giving all glory and honor to him, whom I serve, even Jesus Christ and His Father,   AMEN!