“But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:44-45).
This is one of the most difficult challenges in my walk of faith. My most natural reaction is to be defensive and protect myself from my enemies and those who persecute me. How do I learn to love my enemies? Part of the answer is that the New Testament uses two different words for “love.” One word describes the affection we feel for those to whom we’re attracted. That kind of love comes naturally. The other word describes a desire for the best interest of another person. We may not feel affection for an enemy but we can wish the best for him.
What is the source of this kind of love? It describes the love God had for us when we were His enemies. When He couldn’t approve of our conduct or embrace the way we were living He still loved us. He couldn’t approve of the world’s ways but He still “so loved the world.” The Cross is the primary example of the love Jesus has for those who oppose Him. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
It is impossible to love the behavior of a person who is an enemy; however, we may seek to do him or her good and can desire that person’s welfare. That is what Jesus meant by loving our enemies.
We can assist the world in its search for God by showing them what He is like. There is no better way to do that than by loving our enemies. Reality is that If God had not loved us while we were His enemies, we could never have become His children. God’s love is the characteristic of God the world so often does not acknowledge. We can reveal Him to them by being like Him.
