Love Your Enemies
“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.”
Listen to the "Verse by Verse" episode covering this scripture.
It is natural for human beings to recognize the importance of loving our friends and neighbors, and it is natural for humans to accept the principle of “hate your enemy” (Matthew 5:43). Hating your enemy is not a teaching of the Bible, but is the common human approach.
But Jesus Christ not only tells us to love our enemies, He shows us what that kind of love looks like. It includes doing good for the enemy, blessing him and praying for him. Turning the other cheek and being willing to give the shirt off your back are elements of this challenging type of love.
It takes the Spirit and power of God to fully practice this kind of self-sacrificing love. We must ask Him for His help and commit fully to doing it.
For more about this kind of love, see “Love of God.”
