Love thy neighbour as thyself

[YYZ Skinhead]

There are quite a few verses in both the Old Testament/Tanakh and the New Testament that command humans to love their neighbour as themselves, but does that mean we have to like them or merely regard them as equal? I genuinely cannot stand most people with whom the only thing I have in common is species. Nonetheless I don't think I am better than anyone else. I care about people who are suffering and who are vulnerable, but in general I dislike and distrust humans because we aren't a trustworthy species, and if I loved myself I probably would quit smoking more tobacco than anyone else on earth. Is it a sin to dislike mankind but still consider all people equals?

[Lois]

Hi YYZ,

I wonder if it is people that you dislike or is it really their behavior?
I know I dislike a lot of people's behavior but I do deeply care about their spiritual condition.
I don't think that we have to love man kind per se.I don't think God expects us to love people we have never even encountered but I do think God will give us opportunities to show love to those who need it, when they need it.
I think the more we grow in Christ, the more He makes us able to show love to people we may not have been able to love before.

[PennyW]

God has His reasons to put what I call sandpaper people in your life to see how you will react and to give you the opportunity to turn the other cheek. We are supposed to love our enemies too. So if loving our neighbors seems hard then loving our enemies nearly impossible. But all things are possible with God in Christ. We want to emulate Jesus when we see the beauty of His ways. Pray to see people through His eyes and when you are ready God's Holy Spirit will show you the way. Remember God makes the sun shine on all. He wants everyone to come to Him. You plant the seed.