Questions & Answers - Good News Staff - February 1975

Good News Staff

QUESTION: "Mr. Armstrong constantly says the way of the world is the way of get, and the way of God is the way of give. He says the definition of love is outgoing concern. Christ said to love yourself (Luke 10:27). Here is the question: Can a person have outgoing concern for himself?" ANSWER: The Greek word used in Luke 10:27 is agape. The best Greek-English lexicons define its meaning as simply "love." It is used most often of the kind of love that is expressed toward God and neigh bor. Thus it is basically an outgoing concern. Self-love - respect and affection for the self - is universally practiced by all of us. As Paul put it: "No man ever yet hated his own flesh" (Eph. 5:29). Christ was merely teaching that the way to express love toward others was to consider first how one treats the self. Do we deliberately cause ourselves pain and suffering? Do we drink poison or eat ground glass in a balanced state of mind? - Information Supplied By: Herbert W Armstrong Library