How can I love my neighbor if thou shall not covet thy neighbors wife?
Christ commanded that we love our neighbor as it is translated into English. But the original language of the New Testament was Greek. In the Greek language, the word “love” can be either “agape”, “eros” or “phileo”. Three different words in Greek with different meanings, but all translate to the same word in English. Additionally, in modern English, the word “love” is also used to indicate a sexual relation, something that is not intended in the original Greek of the New Testament. It is a common problem of today’s culture and society to equate many forms of love with a sexual activity. It takes a person of character, intellect and wisdom to understand that “love” is a word that encompasses a multitude of meanings and that in order to understand which meaning the Bible is referring to requires that the reader take the context in which the word is used into account. To love your neighbor does not mean to lust after or covet your neighbor’s wife.
