Loving Our enemies

Essay – How Shall We Love our Enemies?

Jesus gave us this clear command, “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:27-28 NIV)

I’m wondering how we are doing about obeying that command in the current cultural conflict.

Specifically, I’m wondering about our loving relationships with the abortionists who are still killing thousands of innocent children, even after the demise of Roe V Wade.

And I’m wondering about our loving relationships with the aggressive homosexuals and their supporters lacking a moral compass who are within a few votes in the US House of imposing the disastrous bill called the “Equality Act”, HR 15, on all of us. And if they succeed, then how will we behave?

I’m wondering also about our loving relationships with the transgender activists who are butchering our minor children.

And I’m wondering too, about our loving relationships with the members of our local school boards who have been secretly pushing all this stuff on our children while we were sleeping. We might never have found out had it not been for the Covid lockdowns.

An honest assessment of our relationships with these people is that nearly every time we talk about them, or talk to them, the conversation degenerates into something the sounds almost like hate. We need to change that. But how?

What would it look like and sound like if we were loving them?

We absolutely must oppose them as they promote their evil ideologies, or our children and our nation are doomed. But how can we oppose them and love them at the same time? God does. He sent his Son to die for them. And we don’t get a pass by saying, “Well God can do that, he is God. But we can’t, we are only human.”

Jesus gives us a clue in the words that follow his command to love them, “do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you”. Those are some concrete instructions we can follow.

Whoever the “enemies” are that we may be opposing at the moment, what if our first response was to think of something good we could do for them? And if nothing comes to mind, could we ask them what we could do for them?

When we are being cursed, called a hater, called stupid, or otherwise verbally maligned, what if our first response was to pronounce a blessing on them from God?

When we are being mistreated in some way, what if our first response was to pray for them, even ask them if there is something we can pray for them about?

Those would not just be responses of obedience to Jesus, they might just defuse the situation. They would be ways of loving our enemies.

Here is a radical idea. Could we invite the people promoting these evil ideas out for dinner at our home? Then, when they come, try to keep the conversation centered on getting to know the person, not debating the ideology. Who knows where that might lead? It might lead to opportunities to speak truth into their lives, maybe even opportunities to lead them to the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We might take some flack from our Christian friends if we did that. But Jesus took flack from the “righteous” crowd when he ate with tax collectors and sinners. Is it possible that by making ourselves friends of sinners, we might begin to turn the tide of evil that is overtaking our world? Could the possible payoff be worth the risk? Can we be brave enough to try?