Love is the greatest of biblical virtues. The command to love our neighbors as we love ourselves is embedded in the Law of Moses. Jesus affirmed that command and challenged his followers to love each other—and even their enemies. In general, the Bible teaches people to be fair, kind, and forgiving, to sacrifice their own needs to serve others.
A free and good society is built on love of neighbor. In the American experiment, such an ideal is at the very heart of our democracy. In fact, our God-given rights imply responsibilities of care for one another. Just ask William Penn, whose Province of Pennsylvania became a model of faith, guiding liberty toward justice. As he was designing the government of his “Holy Experiment,” he named its capital Philadelphia—the City of Brotherly Love—saying, “Let us see what love can do.
Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. — Leviticus 19:18b
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