S.6_Love_Agape_part_3-Conclusion.ppt.pptVIP

* The Greatest of These is Love Session 6 Putting it All together The Greatest of These is Love Love of Neighbor Continued… “‘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, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Love of neighbor is the prime expression of agape love. Prime Example of Love of Neighbor: The Good Samaritan - Luke 10:25-37 The Greatest of These is Love Love of Neighbor Love of neighbor requires… Because each of us has intrinsic value love of neighbor requires us to recognize the “otherness” of a person. We are to experience and relate to others not as beings in orbit around ourselves, but as centers of value in themselves. “When we love our neighbor, we recognize a creature which has worth in so far as a person is a reality and is to be respected as one, and not reduced to an object orbiting around our interests, needs, wants, prejudices, and conveniences” Allen, 25. The Greatest of These is Love Love of Neighbor Love of neighbor requires… We are to make room for another, recognizing and treating them as separate persons that have value and worth apart from their usefulness to us. That is agape love. “Perfect love is the recognition of the worth of another free from the distortion of relative value and the distortions caused by our needs” Allen, 27 The Greatest of These is Love Who is our neighbor? Every human being because every person has value. The Parable of the Good Samaritan (take 2) Rob Bell sermon The Greatest of These is Love The Parable of the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. Teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life? 26What is written in the Law? he replied. How do you read it? 27He answered: 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, Love your neighbor as yourself. 28You have answered correctly, Jesus replied.