Part 8. The Gospel of Love.

Jesus tells us to love  your neighbour as yourself. Matthew 22:39

What could be easier to understand and apply? Its meaning is plain. it is not limited by exclusions, conditions or restrictions. It tells of God's all-embracing love for all humanity. It speaks to us of oneness in a fractured world. And yet......on the issue of inclusion it generates discord between Christians. It generates pain and hurt. How can it be that we have this sad and damaging state of affairs?

Let's start by considering the concept of neighbour.  Who is my neighbour?  Fertile ground for imposing restrictions.  Clearly people we live close to are our neighbours. We have near neighbours and people who live in ĺour neighbourhood. But what about people who live five, or ten or twenty miles way? Stretching things somewhat?

But help is at hand.  

A case in British law is Donoghue v Stevenson 1932 (British as it was on appeal from a Scottish Court but also set a precedent in English law.). The facts of the case needn't concern us but the grounds of the decision do. Lord Atkin delivered the main judgment. In this he stated the Neighbour Principle. This holds that a defendant must avoid acts or omissions which will foreseably harm persons who are so closely and directly affected by his acts or omissions that he ought to have them in mind as being so affected.

For our purposes we should note that there is no geographical limitation nor do the persons involved have to know each other for them to be our neighbour.

An important aspect of the case is that the court considered a number of earlier cases and from them came up with a new principle which superceded the earlier cases

Put it another way. When I bake a cake I take the ingredients and turn them into something new. The ingredients have been changed and no longer exist in the form they were before mixing and baking.

Jesus tells us that all the Law and Prophets hang on these two commandments. Matthew 22;40  the new covenant principle has superceded the old covenant rules and we are guided by the new principle. The new is limitless, enabling, inclusive and based on love. This is the good news. 

A further consideration. We should not read Paul's letters and to seek to limit or restrict the principles set out by Jesus. Jesus speaks to all humanity  Paul's letters were addressed to specific churches in  specific contexts.

Bible literalists and fundamentalists will decry all this. So be it. 

In Part 9 we look at the Parable of the Good Samaritan.