A Christian's neighborhood is more than those who dwell in close proximity to him. His neighborhood, as viewed through God's eyes, will consist of all those for whom the Christian has compassion, and for whom he seeks to show that compassion. So, then, a true Christian's neighborhood is an international, global neighborhood.
How divested -- disowning -- of ourselves must we be in a love for neighbor so that it is love that counts with God? How widely embracing must that love for neighbor be? Does it mean that we are to show love for those who hate us, who persecute us, who speak evilly against us? May we love neighbors as we might want to define them, and then hate in return those who we know have taken us to be their enemies and not their neighbors? See Luke 18:20-22; Matthew 5:43-48.
Even if a Law of Moses might have been given as large in its code as what is contained in the Jewish rabbis' Talmud, an Israelite's striving for obedience that measures up to the letter of such a Law would not necessarily have revealed what was in his heart toward his neighbors, whether he had compassion and genuine love for them; an Israelite's striving for obedience to the very letter of the Law might not be with the right motive. What is required is our discerning the spirit-- the underlying principles -- of the Law, and then wholeheartedly living according to that spirit, for in that is the fulfillment of all the Law and the holy prophets. Then is when our obedience to God's laws a thing done out of faith in the gracious character of our God, Jehovah. Then is when it is shown that our obedience is faith that operates through love. Then is when we show that "for our part [, which has nothing to do with misguidedly trying to justify ourselves by living according to the letter of some written code of many laws], we are by spirit eagerly waiting for the hoped-for righteousness resulting from faith . . . [because the thing of real value with God is our] faith operating through love" (Galatians 5: 6). (Oh, yes, doing the fine works of God's will out of real love for God and neighbor is necessary for salvation -- though it could never be sufficient to earn us salvation. That is God's free gift on the basis of Jesus' shed blood for forgiveness of sins, and which we may appropriate by our faith in that ransom sacrifice.) To use the God-inspired words recorded in the Bible at Micah 6:8, "He has told you, O man, what is good. And what is Jehovah requiring of you? Only to exercise justice, to cherish loyalty [or, "to be kind and loyal in your love"], And to walk in modesty with your God."
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