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The sermon treats love of neighbor as a comprehensive, positive command applying to every person, including enemies, the poor, social inferiors, and sinners. Spurgeon insists that merely avoiding harm or giving impersonal charity does not fulfill the command; love must become personal, practical, and compassionate. The law reveals that all people fail and therefore cannot be saved by works. Christ’s persistent love and atoning blood are presented as the believer’s hope, motivation, and pattern for obedience.
Theological center: God’s law exposes universal sin, while Christ’s sacrificial blood provides forgiveness and supplies the pattern for Christian love.
Applications: Love every neighbor · Act positively in love · Imitate Christ’s love · Receive salvation through Christ
Primary texts: Matthew 22:39 · Mark 12:31 · Matthew 19:19
“Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Matthew 19:19 OUR Savior very often preached upon the moral precepts of the law. Many of the sermons of Christ—and what sermons shall compare with them—have not what is now currently called “the Gospel” in them at all. Our Savior did not, every time He stood up to preach, declare the doctrine of election, or of atonement, or of effectual calling, or of final perseverance. No, He just as frequently spoke upon the duties of human life and upon those precious fruits of the Spirit which are begotten in us by the grace of God. Mark this word that I have just uttered. You may have started at it at first, but upon diligent reading of the four evangelists, you will find I am correct in stating that very much of our Savior’s time was occupied in telling the people what they ought to do towards one another. And many of His sermons are not what our precise critics would in these times call sermons full of unction and savor. For certainly they would be far from savory to the sickly sentimental Christians who do not care about the practical part of religion. Beloved, it is as much the business of God’s minister to preach man’s duty as it is to preach Christ’s atonement, and unless he does preach man’s duty, he will never be blessed of God to bring man into the proper state to see the beauty of the atonement. Unless he sometimes thunders out the law and claims for his Master the right of obedience to it, he will never be very likely to produce conviction—certainly not that conviction which afterwards leads to conversion. This morning, I am aware my sermon will not be very unctuous and savory to you who are always wanting the same round of doctrines—but of this I have but little care. This rough world sometimes needs to be rebuked—and if we can get at the ears of the people, it is our business to reprove them, and I think if ever there was a time when this text needed to be enlarged upon, it is just now. It is so often forgotten, so seldom remembered, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” I shall notice, first of all, the command. Secondly, I shall try and bring some reasons for your obedience to it. And afterwards I shall draw some suggestions from the law itself. I. First then, THE COMMAND. It is the second great commandment. The first is, “Thou shalt love the LORD, thy God,” and there the proper standard is, “Thou shalt love thy God more than thyself.” The second commandment is, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour,” and the standard there is a little lower but still pre-eminently high, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as t…