Running head: NATIONS AND THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT 1
Nations and the Greatest Commandment
Liberty University
According to Christ, the greatest of all commandments is love. The primary
commandment herein was love for God while the secondary one was love for one’s neighbor.
NATIONS AND LOVE 2
However, each of the two were equally important. Even though the words were spoken a long
time ago, they still have implications in the current world. For example, they can be applied to
the relationships among nations. In particular, in relation to tariffs, quotas, and embargoes,
nations should realize that God loves us equally and should therefore not discriminate trade
across borders since everyone is equal in the eyes of God, “For he himself is our peace, who has
made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.”
(Ephesians 2:14, English Standard Version). Therefore, nations should treat each other equally in
the scope of cross-border trade.
The second commandment about loving one’s neighbor is even more applicable to the
scenario of international trade relations. This is because it reiterates on the importance of
treating one’s neighbor as one would have themselves treated by them. Therefore, love involves
fairness, equality and compassion. Nations should take this lesson seriously by removing
barriers to fair trade. This idea has further been affirmed in the Bible; “bear one another’s
burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2, English Standard Version). Therefore,
if nations were to follow both sections of the commandment of love, the go-to action would be
to abolish unfair trade restrictions.
