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The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from The Large Catechism by Dr. Martin Luther: Secondly, under this commandment not only he is guilty who does evil to
his neighbor, but he also who can do him good, prevent, resist evil,
defend and save him, so that no bodily harm or hurt happen to him and
yet does not do it. If, therefore, you send away one that is naked when
you could clothe him, you have caused him to freeze to death; you see
one suffer hunger and do not give him food, you have caused him to
starve. So also, if you see any one innocently sentenced to death or in
like distress, and do not save him, although you know ways and means to
do so, you have killed him. And it will not avail you to make the
pretext that you did not afford any help, counsel, or aid thereto for
you have withheld your love from him and deprived him of the benefit
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