Love Your Neighbor
Liberation Theology
Week 3: Love Your Neighbor
God with Us
Throughout history, communion with God existed only in specific locations. This is first seen with Mount Sinai, then the Ark of the Covenant, and then King Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem. The coming of Jesus, as complete God and man, proved that God’s location could not be confined to a single location. God was made accessible to all humankind, not just priests or religious leaders.
During Jesus’s life, he spoke of the “comforter” or Holy Spirit. In John 16:7, Jesus says to his disciples, ”Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” Jesus claimed it would be better for the Spirit to come than for him to stay. The coming of the Holy Spirit meant that God could dwell within us. This means that there is no longer a difference between secular and sacred. God desires communion and fellowship. Gustavo Gutiérez defines sin as a rejection of love, because of this, the consequence of sin is the destruction of fellowship and communion between God and neighbor. Salvation is the restoration of communion with God, brought through acts of authentic compassionate care for those around us.
Authentic Love
Sometimes there is a notion in Christianity that we as humans are unable to love the way God loves. That we are too imperfect or broken. I disagree, I think that with the Holy Spirit we are able to love deeply. I can think of several moments within my own life when I have felt love in such a pure form, that I am unable to describe it in words. Those moments seem to happen most often in the presence of friends, family, acquaintances, and strangers. We are capable of choosing to love our neighbor with a love that can only come from the divine.
Because God is within ourselves and our neighbor, we have continuous opportunities to encounter holiness. It is not enough to simply know God. Within the Methodist tradition, we believe in practicing faith by using our head, heart, and hands. Life is all about balance. If we spend too much time focussing on our knowledge or heart towards God we can forget about the ways we are called to participate in the world. Our actions matter deeply. God calls us to participate in liberating the world from pain and suffering. Our relationship with the divine moves us to love our neighbor, not out of obligation, but genuine care.
Crew Discussion Questions:
Gustavo Gutiérez defines sin as a rejection of love. the consequence of sin is the destruction of fellowship between God and neighbor. Salvation is the restoration of communion with God, brought through acts of authentic love for our neighbor.
What do you think about Gutiérrez's definition of sin and salvation?
Guttiérez believes we are capable of loving as God loves. Do you agree? Why or why not?
We are called to love our Neighbor, not out of obligation, but out of love for that person. What is the difference? Can a feeling of obligation negatively affect the way we love our neighbor?