L05–II. 1. The Golden Rule: misconception #1

      This continues from Part L04 (Table of Contents in Part L01) in a series on the instruction of the Law by C. F. W. Walther and Martin Luther. — Rather than spend time on the first part, to love God above all things, Walther focuses on love for neighbor. In this segment, he addresses the first of two misconceptions on the "Golden Rule" (Matt. 7:12) — From Lehre und Wehre, vol. 7 (Nov. 1861), p. 335 ff.:

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II. What is the proper understanding of these words: You shall love God above all things and your neighbor as yourself?

      1. “Love your neighbor as yourself” means: “Whatever you want men to do to you, do to them.”

• “There are two main misconceptions about this commandment”
• “First of all,… it is customary in common life to say: Every man is his own neighbor, which some of the Church Fathers (and even some Lutheran theologians have followed them in this…) express thus: …love begins with oneself.”
• “Our self-love should therefore be the pattern for our love for our neighbor; just as we love ourselves, so sincerely, so fervently, so actively and so constantly, we should also love our neighbor”

What Luther says on the true contents of the Ten Commandments and Christian freedom:

• “Therefore, no one can tell you better than you yourself what to do, what not to do, what to say or what to wish for your neighbor.”
• “I understand the commandment to mean that it does not command us to love ourselves, but only to love our neighbor. First of all, because the love of self is first in all men and reigns supreme. Secondly, if God had wanted this order, he would have said thus: Love yourself, and then your neighbor as yourself. But now he says: Love your neighbor as yourself, that is, love him as you already love yourself without any commandment.”
• “Therefore you do not need a book to teach you how to love your neighbor. For you have in your heart the finest and best book, in which you will find described everything that all kinds of laws may teach you, and you need neither a doctor nor a teacher: just ask your own heart, and it will tell you that you should love your neighbor as yourself.”

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Many years ago, when I was under treatment by psychiatrists/psychologists and counselors for my mental state, much of the counsel was to avoid a lack of "self-esteem", that was the heart of mental and emotional problems. When I was brought back to my Christian faith, I saw all that worldly counsel for what it was, "hogwash". I already loved myself, as everyone does. — In the next Part L06, Walther addresses the second misconception of this teaching.