Let us love our enemies

It is easy to love friends who support us and people who treat us kindly. The true test of Christian love appears when Jesus commands us to do good to our enemies and pray for them. Such love is not produced naturally by the sinful heart; it is the fruit of God’s grace transforming us.

Loving those who love us requires little sacrifice. We naturally feel affection for people who respect us, encourage us, and respond positively to our kindness. Even those who do not know God can maintain friendships, care for relatives, and treat supportive people generously.

Jesus calls His disciples to something much deeper. He commands them to love people who oppose them, speak evil against them, mistreat them, or consider themselves their enemies. This does not mean approving wickedness or pretending that painful offenses are insignificant. It means refusing to allow hatred and revenge to control the heart.

The command to love our enemies is one of the clearest demonstrations that Christianity is not merely a system of external morality. We need the transforming power of the Holy Spirit to respond to hostility with prayer, truth, mercy, and goodness.

What Jesus Taught About Loving Our Enemies

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught:

38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?

47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?

48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Matthew 5:38–48

These words confront our natural desire to defend our pride, return every injury, and make offenders suffer as much as they have made us suffer. Jesus calls His followers to reject personal vengeance and imitate the generous mercy of their heavenly Father.

“An Eye for an Eye” Did Not Command Personal Revenge

Jesus began by referring to the Old Testament principle, “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” This command appeared in Israel’s civil law and was intended to establish proportionate justice.

The principle limited punishment. A person could not demand excessive revenge for a smaller injury. The penalty was to correspond to the offense and be administered within a lawful judicial setting.

By the time of Jesus, however, people could misuse this principle to justify personal retaliation. Instead of leaving judgment to proper authorities, an offended person might treat vengeance as a personal right.

Jesus was not teaching that the Old Testament was evil and that He had come to replace it with a morally superior religion. Earlier in the same sermon, He declared that He had not come to destroy the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill them.

The Old Testament itself commanded love for one’s neighbor, prohibited personal vengeance, and required kindness toward an enemy. Jesus exposed distorted interpretations and revealed the full implications of God’s righteous will.

His disciples must not be controlled by the spirit of retaliation. They should not continually ask, “How can I make this person pay?” Instead, they should seek to respond in a way that honors God.

What Does Turning the Other Cheek Mean?

Jesus said that if someone struck His disciple on the right cheek, the disciple should turn the other also. This command has sometimes been misunderstood as requiring Christians to remain passively exposed to every form of violence or abuse.

The image of a strike on the cheek included personal insult, humiliation, and offense. Jesus was teaching His followers not to become slaves to wounded pride or respond to every insult with another insult.

Turning the other cheek means that we are willing to endure personal offense rather than immediately seeking revenge. It means that protecting our pride is not more important than obeying Christ.

This does not mean that a Christian can never seek protection, report a crime, escape an abusive environment, or appeal to lawful authorities. Scripture recognizes the proper role of civil government in restraining evil and administering justice.

Jesus Himself sometimes withdrew from people who intended to kill Him. When struck during His trial, He did not retaliate, but He did challenge the injustice by asking why He had been hit. Paul also appealed to his legal rights as a Roman citizen.

Therefore, non-retaliation is not the same as refusing all self-protection. A victim of domestic violence, child abuse, assault, or criminal behavior should not be told that loving an enemy requires remaining in danger or concealing wrongdoing.

Christians can seek safety and justice without being consumed by hatred. They can establish boundaries while praying for the offender’s repentance and refusing personal vengeance.

Going the Second Mile

Jesus also referred to someone being compelled to go one mile. Under Roman occupation, a soldier could require a civilian to carry equipment for a certain distance. Such forced service would have been humiliating and deeply resented.

Jesus told His disciples to go beyond what was demanded. Instead of performing the minimum while cultivating bitterness, they were to demonstrate a freedom and generosity that their oppressors could not control.

The second mile represents a willingness to serve beyond mere obligation. A believer should not live constantly calculating the smallest possible amount of patience, kindness, or effort required.

This does not mean supporting injustice indefinitely or permitting authorities to act without accountability. It teaches that the Christian heart is not governed by resentment. Even when circumstances are unfair, believers can act with dignity, integrity, and grace.

Did the Old Testament Command Hatred of Enemies?

Jesus said, “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.” The command to love one’s neighbor comes from Leviticus 19:18, but the statement “hate thine enemy” is not given there as a divine command.

It represented a restrictive interpretation in which people defined “neighbor” narrowly and assumed that anyone outside the chosen group could be hated.

The Old Testament contains many judgments against wicked nations, but it also commands compassionate behavior toward personal enemies. Proverbs teaches that if an enemy is hungry, he should be given food, and Exodus commands a person to return an enemy’s wandering animal.

Jesus corrected the attempt to limit love only to people considered worthy. Our neighbor is not merely someone who belongs to our family, church, nationality, social group, or circle of friends.

The command of Christ reaches even those who actively oppose us.

What Does It Mean to Love an Enemy?

Loving an enemy does not necessarily mean experiencing affectionate feelings toward that person. Emotions may remain wounded for a long time, especially after serious betrayal or abuse.

Biblical love is more than emotion. It is a commitment to seek what is genuinely good and righteous before God.

To love an enemy means that we do not desire his eternal destruction merely to satisfy our anger. We pray for his repentance, refuse to slander him, and avoid responding to evil with another evil.

It can include showing kindness when a legitimate opportunity appears, speaking truth without cruelty, and helping in a genuine emergency. It also means refusing to rejoice when an enemy suffers.

Such love does not call evil good. In fact, genuine love may require confronting sin, reporting dangerous conduct, or supporting consequences that protect others and encourage repentance.

Love and justice are not enemies. God is perfectly loving and perfectly just. Christian love seeks the offender’s true good, and that may include accountability.

Bless Those Who Curse You

Jesus commands His disciples to bless those who curse them. To bless an enemy is not to approve his behavior or pretend that his words have caused no pain.

It means that we refuse to answer curses with curses. Instead of using our words to destroy, humiliate, or spread hatred, we ask God to bring the person to repentance and truth.

The tongue often becomes the first weapon used in retaliation. Someone insults us, and we immediately search for the most painful response. Someone damages our reputation, and we feel justified in revealing everything negative we know about him.

The Christian is called to a different path. Scripture teaches believers to bless and not curse those who oppose them. This requires self-control and dependence upon the Holy Spirit.

Blessing does not mean praising evil actions. It means asking God to work mercifully, correct what is wrong, and lead the offender toward salvation and holiness.

Pray for Those Who Persecute You

Prayer is one of the most practical ways to obey the command to love an enemy. Jesus did not merely tell His disciples to avoid attacking their persecutors. He told them to pray for those people.

Praying for an enemy brings the conflict before the throne of God. It reminds us that final judgment belongs to Him and that we also depend entirely upon divine mercy.

At first, such a prayer may be difficult. We may be able to say only, “Lord, help me not to hate this person. Bring truth, justice, and repentance into this situation.”

Over time, prayer can expose bitterness within us. It becomes difficult to pray sincerely for someone while continually feeding fantasies of revenge.

We can ask God to restrain the offender’s evil, protect those who are vulnerable, reveal the truth, and grant genuine repentance. Praying for an enemy does not prevent us from praying for justice.

The biblical goal is not that evil should continue without consequences. The goal is that righteousness should prevail, victims should be protected, and sinners should be transformed by grace.

Jesus Practiced What He Taught

Jesus is the perfect example of love toward enemies. He came to His own people, yet many rejected Him. Religious leaders misrepresented His words, false witnesses accused Him, soldiers mocked Him, and a crowd called for His crucifixion.

While suffering upon the cross, Jesus prayed:

Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

Luke 23:34

Christ did not respond to cruelty with sinful hatred. He entrusted Himself to the Father and prayed for those involved in His execution.

This prayer did not mean that their actions were innocent or that repentance was unnecessary. They were crucifying the righteous Son of God. Yet Jesus displayed the mercy He had commanded His disciples to show.

The cross is also the greatest demonstration of God’s love toward enemies. Scripture teaches that sinners were reconciled to God through the death of His Son while they were still His enemies.

Christians do not love enemies in order to earn salvation. They seek to love because they have first received mercy. Remembering how God treated us when we were rebellious weakens our desire to treat others as though they were beyond grace.

Forgiveness Is Not the Same as Trust

Forgiveness is essential to Christian obedience, but it is often confused with the immediate restoration of trust. These are related but different matters.

A believer should reject personal revenge and maintain a heart willing to forgive. However, trust may need to be rebuilt gradually through repentance, honesty, and consistent change.

A person who has repeatedly lied cannot reasonably demand immediate trust simply by saying, “You must forgive me.” An abusive leader should not be returned instantly to authority merely because he has offered an apology.

Forgiveness does not erase every earthly consequence. A criminal may receive forgiveness from God and from the victim while still facing a lawful sentence.

Reconciliation normally requires the participation of both parties. We can release vengeance and remain ready for peace, but we cannot create a healthy relationship with someone who continues unrepentantly in harmful conduct.

Paul wrote, “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” The expression recognizes that peace is not always fully possible because another person may refuse truth, repentance, or appropriate boundaries.

Loving Enemies Does Not Mean Enabling Abuse

The teaching of Jesus must never be used to trap victims in dangerous situations. Telling an abused spouse or child to remain silent because Christians must “turn the other cheek” is a serious distortion of Scripture.

Protecting someone from violence is an act of love. Reporting criminal behavior can prevent further victims and bring necessary accountability.

A Christian may love an abusive person by refusing revenge, praying for repentance, and speaking truth. At the same time, the Christian may leave the dangerous environment, seek lawful protection, and establish firm boundaries.

Mercy is not moral confusion. Jesus showed compassion, but He also confronted hypocrites, warned the unrepentant, and defended those who were being exploited.

We should seek pastoral, legal, medical, or professional assistance when circumstances require it. Loving an enemy does not require handling serious danger alone.

Why Does God Show Kindness to the Unjust?

Jesus pointed to the generosity of the heavenly Father. God causes the sun to rise upon both the evil and the good and sends rain upon the just and unjust.

This describes God’s common kindness toward humanity. People who reject Him still receive life, food, rain, families, abilities, and many earthly blessings.

God’s patience does not mean that He approves of their sin or that final judgment will never come. His kindness gives sinners time and opportunity to repent.

When Christians show kindness toward enemies, they reflect something of their Father’s character. They demonstrate that their conduct is not determined entirely by how other people treat them.

The world operates through exchange: I will respect you if you respect me, help you if you help me, and love you if you love me. The gospel produces a generosity that goes beyond equal exchange.

Loving Only Those Who Love Us Is Not Distinctively Christian

Jesus asked what reward His followers should expect if they loved only people who loved them. Even tax collectors, who were widely regarded as corrupt and disloyal, maintained relationships with their own friends.

He then asked what was exceptional about greeting only one’s brothers. Almost every social group welcomes its own members while ignoring outsiders.

Christian love must go beyond natural preference. This includes showing courtesy to people outside our circles, welcoming those who cannot benefit us, and refusing favoritism based on wealth, race, nationality, education, or social standing.

The Scriptures contain many commands that urge us to love our neighbor through visible actions rather than empty words.

The church should be a community where people who would not naturally associate with one another are united in Christ. This supernatural love becomes evidence of the transforming power of the gospel.

What Does “Be Perfect” Mean?

Jesus concluded by saying, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” He was not teaching that believers reach absolute sinless perfection during this earthly life.

In this context, perfection carries the idea of completeness or maturity. The Father’s kindness is not restricted to people who honor Him. In the same way, Christian love must not remain incomplete by extending kindness only to friends.

A mature love reaches beyond the boundaries of natural affection. It seeks to reflect God’s character even toward difficult people.

Believers will not obey this command perfectly in their own strength. We still struggle with anger, resentment, and the desire to defend ourselves. This should lead us to repentance and dependence upon Christ rather than to the abandonment of His command.

How Can We Begin Loving an Enemy?

First, acknowledge the pain honestly. Loving an enemy does not require pretending that the offense never happened. Bring the wound before God and describe it truthfully.

Second, reject personal vengeance. Decide that you will not repay evil with evil. Scripture teaches us to leave vengeance in the hands of God.

Third, pray for the offender. Ask God to restrain evil, produce repentance, reveal truth, and transform the person’s heart.

Fourth, control your speech. Do not use truth as an excuse for unnecessary humiliation. Speak only what is accurate and appropriate.

Fifth, establish wise boundaries where necessary. Love can exist alongside distance, accountability, and lawful protection.

Sixth, do good when a legitimate opportunity arises. Kindness should be guided by truth and wisdom, not manipulation or fear.

Finally, remember the gospel. We were not reconciled to God because we deserved His love. Christ died for us while we were sinners.

Conclusion

It is easy to love those who make life pleasant. The supernatural character of Christian love becomes visible when believers refuse hatred, pray for persecutors, bless those who curse them, and do good without demanding repayment.

Jesus does not command us to approve evil, abandon justice, or remain exposed to abuse. He commands us to reject personal vengeance and seek the true good of others under the authority of God.

Christ perfectly demonstrated this love. He was mocked, rejected, falsely accused, and crucified, yet He prayed for His enemies. More importantly, He gave His life to reconcile guilty sinners to God.

We cannot fulfill this command by human determination alone. We need the Holy Spirit to soften our hearts, control our words, and free us from bitterness.

Let us ask God to help us speak truth without cruelty, pursue justice without revenge, establish boundaries without hatred, and offer forgiveness without pretending that sin is insignificant.

When Christians love their enemies, they do not demonstrate weakness. They demonstrate that the grace of Jesus Christ is stronger than pride, resentment, hatred, and the desire for revenge.