2014 Congressional Elections The Biblical Basis for Advocacy to End Hunger | Page 3

1

God loves us. Jesus’ greatest
commandments are that we
love God and each other.

The Old Testament and Gospels contain the two greatest commandments. First, we are to love
God (“You shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, mind, and soul…”)
and, second, we are to love our neighbors
(Deuteronomy 6:4-5; Matthew 22:37-40;
Laura Elizabeth Pohl/Bread for the World
Mark 12:31; Luke 6:27-31), who include
our enemies and those who hate and persecute us (Matthew 5:44) and anyone who is in need (Luke 10:25-37: the
parable of the Good Samaritan). Our neighbors also include people who
live near us and people who live far from us. We love because God first
loved us (1 John 4:19), and since God loves us so much, we also ought to
love one another (1 John 4:7). We hunger “to know the love of Christ that
surpasses knowledge,” so that we “may be filled with all the fullness of
God” (Ephesians 3:19).

2

Humankind was created out of God’s love and in
God’s image, so we are to respect the dignity of
every person.

Humankind was created out of God’s love and in God’s
image (Genesis 1:26). God’s willingness to step out of eternity
into time, in the person of Jesus, bestowed on humanity a dignity not of our own making. In his humility, Jesus suffered the indignity
of death, even death on the cross (Philippians 2:7-11). As a result, we are
able to appreciate and respect the dignity of others as well as ourselves (1
Thessalonians 5:12-18).
Jesus’ encounters with the Samaritan woman (John 4:1-30), Zacchaeus
(Luke 19:2-5), and the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:20-22) transcended
race, gender, and class. Jesus treated all people with dignity and respect.

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