You Shall Love Your Neighbor As Yourself

Discipleship Group Questions

for September 4, 2005

Scripture Readings:

Rom. 13:8-10 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

“Love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” This is the great great debt of love – to love our neighbors as ourselves!

Discipleship Questions:

1.Please read the above Scripture reading and reflect upon the words “debt to love.” What is our “debt . . . to love?”

2.Have you ever experienced the feeling of indebtedness to love? Please discuss your responses.

3.“His name is Don Leger and he lives in Lafayette Louisiana. Years ago he visited a half-way home for drug-addicted teenagers and befriended one of them by the name of Adam. He opened his home to Adam. And when Adam had finished his intensive rehabilitation program he invited Adam to stay in his home and live with him and his wife and two daughters in a two bedroom home for another 9 months while Adam finished high school. Now fast forward 13 years and it’s the day after Katrina hit New Orleans. What does this man do? He awoke early, got into his car and drove 3 hours from Lafayette Louisiana to New Orleans and joined the dazed and bedraggled band of volunteers who were gathering to assist in the rescue of thousands of people stranded in their homes. He’s told not to bring back dead bodies but only alive ones! And he does just that!

Who is this man? He’s a man who has felt the deep and precious love of His beloved Lord Jesus Christ and now he must gladly and with great abandonment repay the great debt of this love for the rest of His entire life!

If you and I have been rescued from the torrential currents of our sins then we too owe a great debt of love! We too must enflesh this love in continuing acts of self-sacrificing love to all of those around us! We cannot do otherwise now can we? – for truly the debt of love to Jesus can never ever be fully paid for! Do I hear an Amen?” Do you know anyone like this? Please discuss.