All of these are matters of opinion at best. To sum up: “If you really were a loving Christian, you would act and think exactly the way I do.” “Love your neighbor as yourself… which means you have to endorse Critical Race Theory or you don’t love people.”.“Love your neighbor as yourself… which means you must support LGBT causes or you don’t love people.”.“Love your neighbor as yourself… which means you have to endorse women preaching or you don’t love people.”.“Love your neighbor as yourself… which means you have to wear a mask at all times (and/or get the vaccine) or you don’t love people.”.“Love your neighbor as yourself… which means you have to support socialism or you don’t love people.”.It, too, is being cast by some as little more than a rhetorical tool for taking the upper hand in conversation. Just like “Do not judge,” though, “Love your neighbor” has been given a whole new meaning. I have no intention of criticizing it or calling it unimportant. “Love your neighbor as yourself” is a vital, beautiful command from God’s Word. That verse is known as the 2nd Great Commandment, tabbed as such by Jesus Himself in Matthew 22:39: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” However, there’s a new verse being weaponized in conversation today. I would venture to guess that it’s because many who “didn’t want to be judged” by hearing they were wrong have given up all pretense of caring what God says. Over time, though, that verse got less and less use. “The Bible says ‘do not judge'” was the only phrase they needed to “win” a discussion and get people to do what they wanted – namely, to shut up and go away. What mattered to them was that they had an easily remembered defense they felt could shut down anybody who opposed them. The verse was ripped completely out of context, but that didn’t matter to those who used it that way. “Do not judge lest you be judged” was “America’s new favorite Bible verse” as many people, some of whom barely knew who Abraham was, would pull out Jesus’ words on judgment any time they were told they were in the wrong. It’s been a while, but for some time not all that long ago, Matthew 7:1 may have been the most-discussed verse in the entire Bible.
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