The Gospel of Jesus Christ — Neighbor Edition

This talk is for me, and if the Spirit wills to touch your heart, for you too.

The First Commandment: Loving God

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." — Deuteronomy 6:5 (KJV)¹

This verse follows directly after the Shema ("Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord" in verse 4), the foundational declaration of faith recited daily in Jewish tradition.

The Second Commandment: Loving Your Neighbor

"Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord." — Leviticus 19:18 (KJV)²

The Summation of the Law in Two Commandments

When asked by a Pharisee to name the greatest commandment in the law, Jesus responds:

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

This is the first and great commandment.

And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." — Matthew 22:37–40 (KJV)³

What the Gospel Is Not — and What It Is

In 3 Nephi, the Savior clearly defines both what His doctrine is not, and what it is:

30 Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.

31 Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, I will declare unto you my doctrine.

32 And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me.

33 And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God.

34 And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned.

35 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father; and whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto him will the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with the Holy Ghost.

36 And thus will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one.

37 And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things.

38 And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.

39 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.

40 And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock; but he buildeth upon a sandy foundation, and the gates of hell stand open to receive such when the floods come and the winds beat upon them.⁴

Knowing the Lord

Consider the warning Christ gives in Matthew:

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." — Matthew 7:21–23 (KJV)⁵

In the Joseph Smith Translation, the phrasing flips the responsibility to highlight that the issue was not Christ being unaware of them, but rather that they had never truly come to know Him:

"And then will I say, Ye never knew me; depart from me ye that work iniquity." — JST Matthew 7:33 (footnote to Matthew 7:23)⁶

Searching Questions

As I juggle these scriptures together in my mind, it causes me to ask:

• What blind spots do I harbor that are neither scriptural nor doctrine?
• Can Matthew 7:21–23 not also apply to me? Why would I be safe?
• How can I say I love my neighbors if I don't even know their names?
• How can I say I love my God if I have never served Him?
• How can I say I love my neighbors if my heart has been hardened through hurt?
• How can I say I love my God if I don't make peace with my brother?