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Is it true that the Bible does not say, "love yourself" but rather "deny yourself?" If yes, then how come Christ says, "love your neighbor AS YOURSELF?" Is this the same as saying "love your neighbor as you LOVE yourself," implying that we should love ourselves? What does loving ourselves mean? What is right or wrong about it?

Loving oneself means caring for your salvation and the way for this is by self-denial. Therefore, the true self-love is self-denial. There is a cost of discipleship that requires denying oneself of his comfort zone and holding fast to the truth regardless of the hardships. Denying yourself is also setting aside your pride and denying your ego. Humility is a life of discipleship on the path to the cross following the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, this message is repeated several times in the New Testament: Matthew 10:38,16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23,14:27. We must deny indulgence, luxury, conceit, and arrogance. We must be concerned over the well-being of others. All humanity is our neighbor. The lives of Job and Tobit are exemplary illustrations of denying oneself. God explained how to love your neighbor in Leviticus 9:9-20 to keep us mindful of providing for the poor. The Lord Jesus Christ gave us the commandment of loving our neighbors as ourselves in Matthew 22:39 and in Mark 12:31 to bring to our consciousness the needs of others and to awaken our consciences to care for anyone in need. Again, in Matthew 25, a description of this love is provided for how we ought to deal with the those whom we may consider the "least," those who are even far more removed from a neighbor. The parable of the good Samaritan demonstrates the power of love, not only toward a neighbor, but even toward an enemy (Luke 10:25-37). Love for others is a commandment. Love is a powerful message in both the Old and the New Testament. Loving others as yourself is providing for their needs as you also do for yourself, the need for spiritual, emotional, and physical nourishment and dignity, and to provide means for shelter, clothing, healthcare, education, and all that you aspire to achieve for survival.