LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR – Charles Spurgeon

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 19:19.

OUR Savior very often preached upon the moral precepts of the law. Many of the sermons of Christ—and what sermons shall compare with them?—have not what is now currently called “the gospel” in them at all. Our Savior did not, every time He stood up to preach, declare the depravity of man or the doctrine of election, or of limited atonement, or of effectual calling, or of final perseverance. No, He just as frequently spoke upon the duties of human life and upon those precious fruits of the Spirit which are begotten in us by the grace of God. Mark what I have just uttered. You may have started at it at first, but upon diligent reading of the four Evangelists you will find I am correct in stating that very much of our Savior’s time was occupied in telling the people what they ought to do towards one another. And many of His sermons are not what our precise critics would, in these times, call sermons full of unction and savor, for certainly they would be far from savory to the sickly sentimental Christians who do not care about the practical parts of religion!

Beloved, it is as much the business of God’s minister to preach man’s duty as it is to preach Christ’s atonement—and unless he does preach man’s duty, he will never be blessed of God to bring man into the proper state to see the beauty of the atonement. Unless he sometimes thunders out the law and claims for his Master the right of obedience to it, he will never be very likely to produce conviction—certainly not that conviction which afterwards leads to conversion! This morning I am aware my sermon will not be very unctuous and savory to you who are always wanting the same round of doctrines—but of this I have but little care. This rough world sometimes needs to be rebuked—and if we can get at the ears of the people, it is our business to reprove them.

I think if ever there was a time when this text needed to be enlarged upon it is just now. It is so often forgotten, so seldom remembered, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” I shall notice, first of all, the command; secondly, I shall try and bring some reasons for your obedience to it; and afterwards, I shall draw some suggestions from the law itself.

I. The Command

It is the second great commandment. The first is, “You shall love the Lord your God,” and there the proper standard is, “You shall love your God more than yourself.” The second commandment is, “You shall love your neighbor,” and the standard there is a little lower, but still pre-eminently high, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is the command. We can split it into three parts. Whom am I to love? “My neighbor.” What am I to do? I am to love him. How am I to do it? I am to love him as myself.

First, who am I to love? I am to love my neighbor. By the word, “neighbor,” we are to understand any person who is near us. It comes from two old words, nae or near, (near), and buer, (to dwell), persons residing, or being near us and if anyone in the world is near us, he is our neighbor! The Samaritan, when he saw the wounded man on the road to Jericho, felt that he was in his neighborhood and that, therefore, he was his neighbor and he was bound to love him.

“Love your neighbor.” Perhaps he is in riches and you are poor and you live in your little cottage side-by-side with his lordly mansion. You see his estates; you mark his fine linen and his sumptuous raiment. God has given him these gifts and if He has not given them to you, covet not his wealth and think no hard thoughts concerning him! There will always be differences in the circumstances of man, so let it be. Be content with your own lot if you cannot better it, but do not look upon your neighbor and wish that he were poor as yourself—and do not aid or abet any who would rid him of his wealth to make you rich! Love him and then you can not envy him.

Perhaps, on the other hand, you are rich and near you reside the poor. Do not scorn to call them neighbors. Do not scorn to acknowledge that you are bound to love even them. The world calls them your inferiors. In what are they inferior? They are your equals, really, though not so in station. “God has made of one blood all people that dwell on the face of the earth.” You are by no means better than they! They are men and what are you more than that? They may be men in rags, but men in rags are men— and if you are a man arrayed in scarlet you are no more than a man! Take heed that you love your neighbor even though he is in rags! And scorn him not, though he is in the depths of poverty.

Love your neighbor too, albeit that he is of a different religion. You think yourself to be of that sect which is the nearest to the truth of God and you have hope that you and your companions who think so well, shall certainly be saved. Your neighbor thinks differently. His religion, you say, is unsound and untrue. Love him for all that! Let not your differences separate him from you. Perhaps he may be right, or he may be wrong. He shall be the right in practice who loves the most!

Possibly he has no religion at all. He disregards your God; he breaks the Sabbath; he is confessedly an atheist—still love him! Hard words will not convert him; hard deeds will not make him a Christian. Love him straight on. His sin is not against you but against your God. Your God takes vengeance for sins committed against Him, and you leave him in God’s hands. But if you can do him a kind turn; if you can find anything whereby you can serve him, do it—be it day or night! And if you make any distinction, make it thus—“Because you are not of my religion, I will serve you the more, that you may be converted to the right.”

Love your neighbor, despite differences in religion! Love your neighbor, although he opposes you in trade. It will be a motto hard to introduce upon the exchange, or in trade, but nevertheless it is one I am bound to preach to you that are merchants and tradesmen. A young man has lately started a shop which you are afraid will damage you. You must not hurt him! You must neither think nor say anything to injure him! Your business is to love him, for though he opposes you in your business, he is your neighbor.

There is another one residing near you who is indebted to you. If you should take from him all that he owes you, you will ruin him. But if you let him keep your money for a little while, he may weather the storm and succeed in his endeavors. It is your business to love him as you love yourself. Let him have your money—let him try again and perhaps you shall have your own and he shall be helped, too! With whomever you have dealings in your business, he is your neighbor. With whomever you trade, be he greater or less than you, he is your neighbor and the Christian law commands that you shall love your neighbor!

It does not merely say that you are not to hate him—it tells you to love him. And though he should thwart your projects; though he should prevent your obtaining wealth; though he should rob you of your custom—yes, though he should obscure your fame—you are bound to love him as yourself! This law makes no exception. Is he near you and have you any dealings with him? Thus says the law, “You shall love him.”

II. What Am I To Do For My Neighbor?

It is a hard word—love him! “Well I believe,” says one, “I never speak an unkind word of any of my neighbors. I do not know that I have ever hurt a person’s reputation in my life. I am very careful to do my neighbor no damage. When I start in business, I do not let my spirit of competition overthrow my spirit of charity. I try not to hurt anybody.”

My dear friend, that is right as far as it goes—but it does not go the whole way! It is not enough for you to say you do not hate your neighbor—you are to love him! When you see him in the street, it is not sufficient that you keep out of his way and do not knock him down. It is not sufficient that you do not molest him by night, nor disturb his quiet. It is not a negative, it is a positive command! It is not the not doing, it is the doing! You must not injure him, it is true, but you have not done all when you have not done that. You ought to love him.

“Well,” says one, “when my neighbors round about are sick—if they are poor—I take a piece from the meat for dinner and send it to them, that they may have a little food and be refreshed. And if they are exceedingly poor, I lay out my money and see that they are taken care of.” Yes, but you may do this and not love them! I have seen charity thrown to a poor man as a bone is thrown to a dog and there was no love in it! I have seen money given to those who needed it with not one-half the politeness with which hay is given to a horse! “There it is, you need it; I suppose I must give it to you, or people will not think me liberal. Take it; I am sorry you came here. Why don’t you go to somebody else’s house? I am always having paupers hanging on me.”

Oh, this is not loving our neighbor, and this is not making him love us! If we had spoken a kind word to him and refused him, he would have loved us better than when we gave to him in an unkind manner. No, though you feed the poor and visit the sick, you have not obeyed the command! Only when your heart goes with your hand, and the kindness of your life bespeaks the kindness of your soul, “You shall love your neighbor.”

III. Love Your Neighbor Through Difficulties

Now someone may say, “Sir, I cannot love my neighbor. You may love yours, perhaps, because they may be better than mine, but mine are such an odd set of neighbors, and I do try to love them, but for all I do they do but return insults.” So much the more room for heroism! Would you be some featherbed warrior, instead of bearing the rough fight of love? Sir, he who dares the most—shall win the most! And if rough is your path of love, tread it boldly and still go on—loving your neighbors through thick and thin! Heap coals of fire on their heads and if they are hard to please, seek not to please them but to please your Master. And remember, if they spurn your love, your Master has not spurned it and your deed is as acceptable to Him as if it had been acceptable to them!

IV. The Call to Love Our Neighbors Despite Their Failings

This law prohibits all rash anger. Who is ever angry with himself? I suppose all wise men are, now and then, and I suspect we would not be righteous if we were not sometimes angry. A man who is never angry is not worth a button! He cannot be a good man who will often see things so bad that he must be angry at them. But, remember, you have no right to be angrier with your neighbor than you are with yourself—since you are sometimes vexed with yourself—you may sometimes be vexed with him if he has done wrong. But your anger towards yourself is very short-lived—you soon forgive your own dear self.

Well, you are bound just as soon to forgive him and though you speak a rough word, if it is too rough, withdraw it and if it is but rough enough, do not add more to it to make it too much so. State the truth if you are obliged to do it, as kindly as you can. Be no sterner than there is need to be. Deal with others as you would deal with yourself. Above all, harbor no revenge. Never let the sun set on your anger—it is impossible to love your neighbor if you do that!

V. The Call to Do Good for Our Neighbors

You are bound to love your neighbor—then do not neglect him. He may be sick, he may live very near to your house and he will not send for you to call on him. He says, “No, I do not like to trouble him.” Remember, it is your business to find him out. The most worthy of all poverty is that which never asks for pity. See where your neighbors are in need. Do not wait to be told of it, but find it out yourself and give them some help. Do not neglect them.

And when you go, go not with the haughty pride which charity often assumes. Go not as some superior being about to bestow a benefaction. But go to your brother as if you were about to pay him a debt which nature makes his due and sit by his side and talk to him. And if he is one that has a high spirit, give him not your charity as a charity. Give it to him in some other way, lest you break his head with the very box of ointment with which you had intended to have anointed him! Be very careful how you speak to him—break not his spirit. Leave your charity behind you and he shall forget that—but he will remember well your kindness towards him in your speech.

VI. The Christian’s Duty to Love His Neighbor

If this love for our neighbor were carried out—love, real love—it would prohibit all rash anger. It would also change how we look at others—especially those who are hardest to love. Let love, unconquerable love, dwell in your bosom! Love which many waters cannot quench; love which the floods cannot drown. Love your neighbors!

VII. Conclusion

My text suggests the guilt of us all. My friends, if this is God’s law, who here can plead that he is not guilty? If God’s law demands I should love my neighbor, I must stand in my pulpit and confess my guilt! In thinking of this text yesterday, my eyes ran with tears at the recollection of many a hard thing I had spoken in unwary moments. I thought of many an opportunity of loving my neighbor that I had slighted and I labored to confess the sin!

If no man can be saved by his works unless he keeps this law perfectly—who can be saved by his works? Have any of you loved your neighbor all your life with all your heart? Then shall you be saved by your own deeds if you have not broken any other commandment! But if you have not done it and you cannot do it, then hear the sentence of the law—you have sinned and you shall perish for your sin—hope not to be saved by the mandate of the law!

And oh, how this endears the gospel to me! If I have broken this law—and I have—and if I cannot enter heaven with this law broken, precious is the Savior who can wash me from all my sins in His blood! Precious is He who can forgive my lack of charity and pardon; my lack of kindness—can forgive my roughness and my rudeness, can put away all my harsh speaking, my bigotry and unkindness—and can through His all-atoning Sacrifice give me a seat in heaven, notwithstanding all my sins!

You are sinners this morning—you must feel it—my sermon, if blessed of God, must convince you all of guilt! Well, then, as sinners, let me preach to you the gospel! “Whoever believes in the Lord Jesus shall be saved.” Though we have broken this law, God shall forgive us and put a new heart and a right spirit into our bosom—whereby we shall be enabled to keep the law in the future—at least to an eminent degree and shall, by-and-by, attain to a crown of life in Glory everlasting!

May God bless you and be with you, for Jesus’ sake!

Charles Spurgeon