Feeling Love and Doing Love

Christians quickly (and correctly) claim that love defines their religion, but the reality, as we know, often fails the ideal. A history of unloving Christian behavior, itself a testimony to the power of sin, would fill volumes. Unfortunately, Christians often use love to “one-up” non-Christians. How often have unthinking Christians “praised” a generous, loving Jew as an example of “Christian” charity? Christians may forget that the love commandments, to love God and love neighbor, come from the Hebrew Bible, which says “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:4–5) and “You shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:18).