- John 13:34 "I give you a new commandment,
that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also
should love one another. "
-
- John 15:12 "This is my commandment, that you love one another
as I have loved you. "
-
- John 15:17 "I am giving you these commands so that you may
love one another."
-
- Rom. 12:10 "[L]ove one another with mutual affection;
outdo one another in showing honor."
-
- Rom. 13:8 "Owe no one anything, except to love one another;
for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law."
-
- 1Ths. 4:9 "Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters,
you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves
have been taught by God to love one another; "
-
- 1Pet. 1:22 "Now that you have purified your souls by your
obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love
one another deeply from the heart. "
-
- 1John 3:11 "For this is the message you have heard from the
beginning, that we should love one another."
-
- 1John 3:14 "We know that we have passed from death to life
because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in
death. "
-
- 1John 3:23 "And this is his commandment, that we should
believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another,
just as he has commanded us."
-
- 1John 4:7 "Beloved, let us love one another, because love is
from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. "
-
- 1John 4:11 "Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought
to love one another. "
-
- 1John 4:12 "No one has ever seen God; if we love one another,
God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us."
-
- 2John 5 "But now, dear lady, I ask you, not as though I were
writing you a new commandment, but one we have had from the
beginning, let us love one another."
-
- 1John 4:20 Those who say, "I love God," and
hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not
love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom
they have not seen.
-
Love
Your Neighbor
-
Matt. 19:19 "...You shall love your neighbor as
yourself." Also, Matt. 22:39, Mark 12:31.
Luke 10:27 He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your
strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as
yourself."
Rom. 13:9 The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; You
shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet"; and
any other commandment, are summed up in this word, "Love your
neighbor as yourself."
Rom. 13:10 "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love
is the fulfilling of the law."
Gal. 5:14 For the whole law is summed up in a single
commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
James 2:8 "You do well if you really fulfill the royal law
according to the scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.'"
Greatest
Commandment
-
Matt. 22:34 " When the Pharisees
heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together,
35 and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36
"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" 37 He
said to him, " 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is
the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it:
'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two
commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
- What
Is Love?
- 1Cor. 13:4 Love is patient;
love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant 5 or
rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or
resentful; 6 it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in
the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all
things, endures all things.
-
Other
Commandments Ratified by Christ
-
Matt. 19:16 "Then someone came
to him and said, 'Teacher, what good deed must I do to have
eternal life?...' 'If you wish to enter into life, keep the
commandments.'
18 He said to him, "Which
ones?" And Jesus said, "You shall not murder; You shall not commit
adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness;
19 Honor your father and mother; also, You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.'"
-
- Jesus Radical
Morality
-
- Luke
- Luke 6:20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
"Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of
God.
-
- Luke 6:21 "Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be
filled. "Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
-
- Luke 6:22 "Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they
exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of
Man. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your
reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to
the prophets.
Luke 6:24 "But woe to you who are rich, for you have received
your consolation.
Luke 6:25 "Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry.
"Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.
Luke 6:26 "Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is
what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
Luke 6:27 "But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do
good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for
those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer
the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not
withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you;
and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Luke 6:32 "If you love those who love you, what credit is that
to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do
good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For
even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you
hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to
sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love your enemies, do
good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be
great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind
to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your
Father is merciful.
Luke 6:37 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not
condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be
forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure,
pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your
lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get
back."
-
- Matthew
- Matt. 5:1 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain;
and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began
to speak, and taught them, saying:
Matt. 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
Matt. 5:4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be
comforted.
Matt. 5:5 "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the
earth.
Matt. 5:6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they will be filled.
Matt. 5:7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive
mercy.
Matt. 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see
God.
Matt. 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called
children of God.
Matt. 5:10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for
righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matt. 5:11 "Blessed are you when people revile you and
persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on
my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in
heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were
before you.
-
- ***
-
- Matt. 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to those of
ancient times, 'You shall not murder'; and 'whoever murders shall
be liable to judgment.' 22 But I say to you that if you are angry
with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if
you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council;
and if you say, 'You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of
fire. 23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you
remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24
leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled
to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25
Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way
to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge,
and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26
Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the
last penny. ...
Matt. 5:27 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not
commit adultery.' 28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a
woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his
heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and
throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members
than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your
right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is
better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole
body to go into hell. ...
Matt. 5:31 "It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife, let
him give her a certificate of divorce.' 32 But I say to you that
anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity,
causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced
woman commits adultery....
Matt. 5:33 "Again, you have heard that it was said to those of
ancient times, 'You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the
vows you have made to the Lord.' 34 But I say to you, Do not swear
at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by
the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the
city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you
cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let your word be 'Yes,
Yes' or 'No, No'; anything more than this comes from the evil
one....
Matt. 5:38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye
and a tooth for a tooth.' 39 But I say to you, Do not resist an
evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the
other also; 40 and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat,
give your cloak as well; 41 and if anyone forces you to go one
mile, go also the second mile. 42 Give to everyone who begs from
you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.
...
Matt. 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love
your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, Love your
enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may
be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on
the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on
the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what
reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47
And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you
doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be
perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
-
- ***
-
- Matt. 6:19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal;
20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither
moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and
steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be
also.
Matt. 6:22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is
healthy, your whole body will be full of light; 23 but if your eye
is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then
the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
Matt. 6:24 "No one can serve two masters; for a slave will
either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one
and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
-
- ***
- Matt. 6:34 "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will
bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today.
Matt. 7:1 "Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. 2 For
with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you
give will be the measure you get. 3 Why do you see the speck in
your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? 4
Or how can you say to your neighbor, 'Let me take the speck out of
your eye,' while the log is in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite,
first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see
clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye.
-
Matt. 7:12 "In everything do to others as
you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the
prophets. "
-
-
Evil
Intentions Defile
-
- Matt. 15:19 "For out of the heart come
evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false
witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a
person..."
-
Mark 7:20 And he said, "It is what comes
out of a person that defiles. 21 For it is from within, from the
human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft,
murder, 22 adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness,
envy, slander, pride, folly. 23 All these evil things come from
within, and they defile a person."
-
Some New Testiment
Sin Lists
- Gal. 5: 19 "Now the works of the flesh
are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry,
sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions,
factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these.
I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things
will not inherit the kingdom of God."
- Col. 3:5 "Put to death, therefore,
whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil
desire, and greed (which is idolatry). 6 On account of these the
wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. 7 These are
the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. 8
But now you must get rid of all such things &emdash;anger, wrath,
malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. 9 Do not
lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self
with its practices 10 and have clothed yourselves with the new
self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image
of its creator. 11 In that renewal there is no longer Greek and
Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and
free; but Christ is all and in all! "
- Rom. 1:28 "And since they did not see fit
to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind and to
things that should not be done. 29 They were filled with every
kind of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy,
murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, they are gossips, 30
slanderers, God-haters, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of
evil, rebellious toward parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless,
ruthless. 32 They know God's decree, that those who practice such
things deserve to die &emdash;yet they not only do them but even
applaud others who practice them."
- James 3:13 "Who is wise and understanding
among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with
gentleness born of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and
selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to
the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is
earthly, unspiritual, devilish. 16 For where there is envy and
selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of
every kind.
- 4:1 Those conflicts and disputes among
you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings
that are at war within you? 2 You want something and do not have
it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot
obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not
have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive,
because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your
pleasures. 4 Adulterers! Do you not know that friendship with the
world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend
of the world becomes an enemy of God."
-
- 1Pet. 2:1 "Rid yourselves, therefore, of
all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all
slander."
1Tim. 6: 3 "Whoever teaches otherwise and
does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and
the teaching that is in accordance with godliness, 4 is conceited,
understanding nothing, and has a morbid craving for controversy
and for disputes about words. From these come envy, dissension,
slander, base suspicions, 5 and wrangling among those who are
depraved in mind and bereft of the truth..."
-
- 1Cor. 6:9 "Do you not know that
wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be
deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes,
sodomites*,
10 thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers, none of
these will inherit the kingdom of God. "
- 1Tim. 1:8 "Now we know that the law is
good, if one uses it legitimately. 9 This means understanding that
the law is laid down not for the innocent but for the lawless and
disobedient, for the godless and sinful, for the unholy and
profane, for those who kill their father or mother, for murderers,
10 fornicators, sodomites, slave traders, liars, perjurers, and
whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching..."
-
Rev. 21:6 "Then he said to me, "It is
done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To
the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the
water of life. 7 Those who conquer will inherit these things, and
I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But as for the
cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, the murderers, the
fornicators, the sorcerers, the idolaters, and all liars, their
place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which
is the second death."
- Consequences of wrong doing: Romans 2:9
"Yes, affliction and distress will come upon every human being who
does evil..." See our page on the Catholic teaching on
Hell.
For a fuller treatment of Catholic teaching on sin see
Types
and Gravity of Sin.
-
- The
word "love" in English has an extensive variety of meanings, not
all of which are useful in a biblical context. A key to
understanding the word as it is used in the New Testament can be
found in the passage where love is joined to sacrifice, to
selfless giving: John 15:13 "No one has greater love than this, to
lay down one's life for one's friends." See: Eph.
5:2 ,1John
4:10. In this sense love means the
opposite of selfishness. See "benevolence"
and "disinterestedness"
in the thesaurus.
Recall that the Greek language has a separate word, "eros", for
the sexual form of love from which we get the word "erotic". This
is not what is meant when the Gospel talks about love of God and
neighbor. The word "love"
when used in the bible's moral teaching can and does have all the
non-sexual and non-romantic meanings towards God and neighbor,
such as: "A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and
solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship,
recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying
oneness." (Dictionary.com:
see also love at the
English Dictionary). However,
morality usually talks about decisions on how to act rather than
feelings. Therefore, the command requires us to think, to use a
rational process to decide how to act with love in a situation
rather than acting with love when we have feelings of love.
Feelings come and go. We may love our parents but not feel very
loving sometimes especially when they require us to do something
we don't want to do. God as parent may evoke the same "feeling"
and yet demands the same response, i.e. that we love Him
anyway.
-
"Phil. 2:2 make my joy complete: be of the
same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one
mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in
humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4 Let each of
you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of
others." NRSV.
-
-
The scripture quotations are from the New Revised
Standard Version of the Bible, copyrighted 1989, by the
Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission. All
rights reserved.
- For Catholic Scripture texts you can read the
New
American Bible (best choice),
and the Douay-Rheims
Version.
- *"sodomite: someone who engages in anal
copulation especially a male who engages in anal copulation with
another male." From the English
dictionary. The word Sodomite is derived from Sodom mentioned
in Genesis. This story is complex and probably refers to more than
homosexuality. For more on this you can see The
Sin of Sodom.
-
Be sure to compare the New Testament
texts with the Moral
Teaching of the Twelve Apostles from
the Didache.
-
- An
Examination of Conscience (traditional
Catholic).
-