Love Your Enemy as Jesus Christ Love You

Matthew 5: 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 “If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Romans 5:6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

The Love Jesus Christ showed to the world on the Cross of Reconciliation was a love given to His enemies. While we were at our most despicable time of our lives, at the right time, He took the punishment for the sins of the world. No amount of reasoning can help us understand the depth of what that statement means. But we need to examine it with all of our days trying to understand it to the best of our abilities. The image He is creating in us is the image of love given to those who are looking to do harm to us. Jesus Christ so loved His enemies that He bore their sin upon a cross.

The kind of love given to those who will return it is of no great value. Even the worst of sinners will love when it benefits them. Murderers and thieves want to be loved and to give love. Selfish love is no love at all. Perfect (mature) love goes beyond looking for a return. Perfect love is a natural love. Natural Love happens as a normal response to the every day circumstances of life. It is given to everyone regardless of their response. Natural Love is given because of the character of the person who gives love. It is not dependant on the person who the love is given. The person with Natural Love must act according to it because it is who they are.

Jesus Christ is God and God is Love. He does not need t overcome a selfish nature to love, love is who He is. He could not act in a way that is contrary to His nature; therefore every act that comes from Him is love. He does not have a desire to hate so He does not have to overcome a desire to hate. Even as He was being hated He returned love. Because it is impossible for Him to act out of sin it is impossible for Him to act out of hate.

The results of God dwelling in us as the Holy Spirit is love manifested in us. We cannot create it for ourselves, but His life lived in us creates it. Love must become our natural response to those around us. Even those who intend to do us harm. We can only do that if we are abiding in His love. As He lives in us, He lives according to His nature. His nature is perfect love. We love as He loved on the cross because he lives that love in us and we abide in that love.

As we grow in Christ, His image of love grows in us and we take that image unto our lives. His nature becomes our nature and love becomes the natural thing to do. Love becomes the natural thing to do, regardless of what is happening around us.