Is it true Christians are supposed to love even their enemies?

Indeed, loving an enemy is difficult to rationalize. How does one explain a person who, in spite of being hated, abused, persecuted, or even tortured by another human being, says to him, “I love you, no matter what you do to me.”

One might ask, “Who is my enemy?” Matthew 5:44 defines an enemy as someone who curses, hates, abuses, and persecutes us. Do you have any enemies? Does someone hate you? Does someone abuse you verbally or physically? Then you have enemies.

Jesus said: “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy” (Matthew 5:43). Have you ever heard that? It is not something we need to be taught. Our human nature naturally thinks and feels this way. But Christ requires all Christians everywhere: “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” (Matthew 5:44).

The person who has not been born again, and received God’s Spirit cannot understand or accept this. But the believer, the true follower of Christ, understands that if God did not love us, His enemies, we could not be saved. We would be hopeless!

Yes, it is true. Christians are to love even their enemies, just as Christ loved His enemies.


So, if I am being abused and mistreated repeatedly, does God ask me to just take it, and do nothing about it because I must love my enemies?

There are many examples in the Bible of Christians or other people of God fleeing from persecution or harm. At times, God's people were even protected by the civil authorities, and God has given them the mandate of protecting us from evil people.

The Bible does not command us to stay in abusive relationships, but it teaches us not to avenge ourselves. We are not to take revenge on people who have caused us harm, but we should love them, and do good to them when we can. We are not to hate them, or wish them evil.

So, dear friend, continue to love your enemies, but by all means seek to escape abuse or mistreatment if you can!

A Fully Functional Body

The Bible compares the church to a human body. All the members in our body have a specific job to fill. But, for example, the hand does not help only the mouth with food, or only the foot with tying the shoe laces. The hand will reach up, and comb hair, remove an eyelash from the eye, and help the other hand in lifting a heavy weight. We know a body could not properly function without interaction between all its members.

Why then do great portions of a congregation sometimes withdraw their participation, whether vocally or physically, and allow just a few select members to operate and mobilize a thus handicapped body in its mandate to reach out to the world, and in its efforts to overcome the obstacles of life? How can we expect a thus impaired congregation to function as God intended, when in the physical realm we don’t believe a body can achieve its full capacity with paralyzed members, or without eyesight or hearing?

The biblical analogy of the body is not just a beautiful picture to look at from time to time, as if it had no practical implications. We must ensure it is a reality in our congregation. The Bible says that it is God who gives believers spiritual gifts, not the church or the pastors. In the same way that God did not place our hands where our eyes belong, or our nose where our feet should be, He does not wish for us to give believers tasks they are not spiritually prepared to fill. Furthermore, it is not God’s desire for us to say to the hand, or the foot, “I have no need of you” (1 Corinthians 12:21).

A congregation whose other members reciprocate important church matters only with the pastors, and not also with each other, will lack the healthy development that occurs when all believers have the opportunity and freedom to share with each other. The pastors are as much a part of the body as the other members. It is obvious that it is impossible for a body to perform all its functions with only its mouth or hand. Why then do believers sometimes expect a congregation to function thus? Everyone needs equal chance to share their thoughts, opinions, and gifts in order for a congregation to function in a healthy way. Pastors need to share and hear feedback from the body of believers, and the congregation must hear and share their thoughts with the pastors as well.

Am I neglecting the gift that is in me, given to me by the laying of hands (1 Timothy 4:14)? Am I unfairly expecting one, two, or three men to fill the place God called me to fill? Am I willing to soothe a wound, or sound the alarm when something is not functioning properly in my congregation? Do we as a congregation have a viable way for each member to exercise his gift? Are all members able to participate and have a positive impact within the body of believers? A body that is all hand, or all mouth is a handicapped body, unable to spread the Gospel, feed the flock, or grow spiritually.

"Let your light so shine"

Take a look at Matthew 5:14-16, and let’s think for a moment about letting our light shine.

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Sometimes a passage in the Bible becomes so familiar that we don’t pay enough attention to the details. How many times have we heard the phrase, “We should be a light to those around us.” Or “Let your light shine.” What does Jesus mean by “let your light so shine” in this context?

Christ says that we ourselves, as His followers, are the light of the world. He doesn’t say here that our words or our actions in themselves are the light of the world. But He seems to be stressing the importance of who we are as individuals, and as a Church. Of course, who we are will affect what we say and what we do, but sometimes we can say all the right things, and do all the right things, and our light continues to be overshadowed, covered up, or fogged up by the mist of the human Self. Jesus illustrates this by a bushel covering a candle.

Another clue that “light” in this context is not what we do or say is found in verse 16. “Let your light so shine before men”, it says, “that they may see your good works”. You see, we already are doing good works, but something is not letting the world see them in the proper light. We do kind deeds, we help our neighbour, we participate in church, we give to the poor, we spread the Gospel, but there is still something that is coming in between us and the world we are trying to reach.

As followers of Christ, it is imperative that we be genuine disciples. When our selfish motives and our fleshly passions rule our good works, the light of our testimony is obscured by our dishonesty and our hypocrisy. We must be genuine. We must not be only Sunday Christians, but Christians all week. We must not only be Christians on the outside, but also on the inside. In fact, we must experience an inner transformation before we can be true disciples of Christ.

Finally, verse 16 instructs us to “let our light so shine before men” that others may glorify our Father which is in Heaven. People can’t see God, but they can see us.

In what state is the lamp of your life? Are we genuine, or are we hypocritical? Can the world see the true meaning behind our good actions, or do they see Self stamped all over them? Can they glorify our Father?