A Biblical Man is a Lover of Others

by Josh Farmer

“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” -Leviticus 19:18

“And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” -Matthew 22:39

During the 1850s, when slavery was illegal in the North but legal in the South, freed slave Harriet Tubman did something remarkable.

After experiencing freedom at the age of 45, it would have been understandable for Tubman to retreat north and live the rest of her life in peace. But as a slave who experienced freedom, she could not turn her back on her brothers and sisters who were still in bondage. Her leadership as a worker in the Underground Railroad earned her the title, the “Moses of Her People.” She helped lead over 300 slaves to freedom! Tubman was a slave who experienced freedom and wanted others to experience it as well. She was willing to sacrifice her own wellbeing so that others might receive freedom.

As Christ-followers, believers are commanded to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39). When a person comes face to face with the love and grace that Jesus displayed through his sacrificial example, they encounter love in its purest form. Adam’s sin left mankind hopeless, broken, and destined to live a life apart from a relationship with God. He was dead and a slave to the bondage of sin.

The greatest news of all is that God did not leave him in this state. “But God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together in Christ.” (Eph. 4:4-5).

It is out of an overflow of what God has done for him that he does for others. In John 13:34-35, Jesus is wrapping up his earthly ministry and is with his disciples. He shares these words, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

A man who experiences the love of Christ cannot help but express that love to others. He has experienced freedom from sin! As Tubman desired to see slaves free, he will want to see others experience the same liberty.

Jesus’ love required selflessness and sacrifice. For a man to truly be a lover of others, his life will be marked by the same. That type of life won’t always be easy (Jesus was rejected, mocked, and even spit on), and it won’t be painless (Jesus was crucified), but it will be the most rewarding.

As Kyle Idleman, pastor and author says, “Serving others is the most beautiful and joyous way to live.”

Journaling Page on Loving Others

What is one way this week you can serve God by serving others?

Where at Mars Hill Church can you serve?

Other thoughts and scriptures about loving others: