L06–II. 2. The Golden Rule: misconception #2; Communism?

      This continues from Part L05 (Table of Contents in Part L01) in a series on the instruction of the Law by C. F. W. Walther and Martin Luther. — In this segment, Walther addresses the second of two misconceptions of the "Golden Rule": "love your neighbor as yourself".  — From Lehre und Wehre, vol. 7 (Nov. 1861), p. 339 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?

      2. Another misconception… is that one believes one must draw the conclusion from it that it is therefore against the love of one's neighbor that I am rich or a master and let my neighbor remain poor or a servant. 

• “But this principle is just as troublesome and confusing to the conscience as it would, if it were carried out, overthrow all orders in the world. … absolute Communism would be the only right relation among men in regard to their goods. But the words: ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself’, have a completely different meaning.”
• “If, for example, my neighbor is poor and I am rich, I should act towards him as I would think fair, that he should act towards me if I myself were poor and my neighbor rich.”

What Luther says about this, that one should not harm oneself when loving one's neighbor:

• “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.”
• “Whatever you would have others do to you, do also; this is the law and all the prophets; indeed, all natural law also says this. Now it is certain that I would like people to give to me, to lend to me, to help me in my need. Again, it is certain that no one should give, lend, or help me where I have no need of it, am lazy, am a rogue, want to splurge, do not want to work…”

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In the next Part L07…