Christ Over All

The apostle Paul takes up the same theme with unmistakable clarity. For him, the children of Abraham are not those who share Abraham’s bloodline, but those who share his faith-line of Abraham. He writes that “those of faith are the sons of Abraham” (Galatians 3:7) and that “not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel” (Romans 9:6).

Who is my neighbor? Biblically speaking, your neighbor is not defined by universal sentiment, but by proximity, providence, and priority. God shows us the Ordo Amoris, not to make us intolerable jerks, but to actually provide true, heartfelt, compassionate care for people. Only when you are near someone can you actually care for them.

Scripture does not allow us to imagine covenantal relationships as disposable. Marriage, after all, is the great earthly icon of Christ’s unbreakable union with His Church (Eph. 5:31–32). God says plainly, “I hate divorce” (Mal. 2:16), not because every marriage is easy, but because covenant-breaking is violent.