How To Love Your Enemies

How to Love Your Enemies

Marissa Namirr, "Gospel Gal"

Today I'm thinking about a topic that was suggested for Gospel Gal blog and podcast, by my good friend, Vanessa. It is the issue of loving our enemies.

So, as I was thinking this through, I went to the Word to consider our duties.

Listen to these imperatives that I read and let them sink in.

In the Old Testament, Moses commands:

“Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)

Jesus reaffirms the same obligation in Matthew 22 and goes further:

34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. 35 And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test him: 36 “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the greatest and most important command. 39 The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

And as if these commandments were impossible enough, Jesus goes even further on how to love in the Sermon on the Mount:

“You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you, don’t resist an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. As for the one who wants to sue you and take away your shirt, let him have your coat as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to the one who asks you, and don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.“You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:38-48)

I think it is crucial to understand that our neighbor is everyone that God directs across our paths, even our enemies.

Listen to Calvin identifying our neighbor: "To keep up the exercise of brotherly love, God assures us, that all men are our brethren, because they are related to us by a common nature. Whenever I see a man, I must, of necessity, behold myself as in a mirror: for he is my bone and my flesh, (Genesis 29:14.) Now, though the greater part of men break off, in most instances, from this holy society, yet their depravity does not violate the order of nature; for we ought to regard God as the author of the union." (Calvin's Commentary on the Bible :Matthew 5)

But, it is also important and helpful to recognize that God provides clear categories: neighbors, brothers, family, enemies. Some are more easily loved than others, and we are not required to relate to all in the same ways. We relate to our children differently than we relate to our local grocer. We provide differently for close friends than we do for our colleagues. And we are not expected to send birthday cards, invite to football games, hold in a warm embrace someone who has committed a crime against us. It is clear in all of Scripture that there are categories for relationships and actions that are loving or hateful in each category. For the purposes of this article, I can't elaborate on all of them. Read Scripture in its context and you'll see what I mean. 

Still, it is wise and gracious to consider how it is that we are to relate to enemies.

We do not violate Scripture in identifying what category an individual falls into, taking action, or creating and sustaining boundaries with them.

Listen to Calvin on our Lord's words from the Sermon on the Mount: "though judges were entrusted with the defense of the community and were invested with authority to restrain the wicked and repress their violence, yet it is the duty of every man to bear patiently the injuries which he receives. ...Though Christ does not permit his people to repel violence by violence, yet he does not forbid them to endeavor to avoid an unjust attack. The best interpreter of this passage that we can have is Paul, who enjoins us rather to “overcome evil by good” (Romans 12:21) than contend with evil-doers... When wrong has been done them,... he wishes them to be trained by this example to meek submission, that by suffering they may learn to be patient.

He goes on: "...for he who shall bring his mind to love those who hate him, will naturally refrain from all revenge, will patiently endure evils, will be much more prone to assist the wretched. Christ presents to us, in a summary view, the way and manner of fulfilling this precept, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, (Matthew 22:39.) For no man will ever come to obey this precept, till he shall have given up self-love, or rather denied himself, and till

men, all of whom God has declared to be connected with him, shall be held by him in such estimation, that he shall even proceed to love those by whom he is regarded with hatred... Christ assures us, that this will be a mark of our adoption, if we are kind to the unthankful and evil. And yet you are not to understand, that our liberality makes us the children of God: but the same Spirit, who is the witness, (Romans 8:16,) earnest, (Ephesians 1:14,) and seal, (Ephesians 4:30,) of our free adoption, corrects the wicked affections of the flesh, which are opposed to charity. Christ therefore proves from the effect, that none are the children of God, but those who resemble him in gentleness and kindness.

If you're like me, after reflecting on what *is required in God's Law regarding love of enemies, you realize that you've not only failed in the ways described but feel completely inadequate to do so. I fail at loving even those who love me. And if you feel that you're killing it, you're getting it done, and loving so well that you've met the mark, go back and read the commandments again. We. Have. All. Failed. Refer to Heidelberg Catechism #5:

Q. Can you keep all this [The Great Commandment] perfectly?
A. No, 1
I am inclined by nature
to hate God and my neighbour. 2
1.Rom 3:10, 23; 1 Jn 1:8, 10.
2.Gen 6:5; 8:21; Jer 17:9; Rom 7:23; 8:7; Eph 2:3; Tit 3:3.
(Emphasis mine)

"...inclined by nature to hate God and hate neighbor"... So, how in the world is it that we can begin to love our enemies from a pure heart? How do we resemble our Father in showing kindness to both the just and the unjust?

First, We recognize that loving neighbors, including our enemies, is non-negotiable. It is a command. We are required to love God and neighbor, personally, perfectly, and perpetually all of our lives.

Second, we're honest with ourselves and Our Father about failing to love our enemies. And as we would confess all other sins, we can speak the truth concerning this lack of love, looking to Christ, seeking forgiveness. It can look like this prayer we repeat after the reading of the Law, week after week. "Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy." 

Or "Most merciful God, 

we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen." 

(Book of Common Prayer)

Third, we can trust that Christ freely forgives all our trespasses and sins. We can believe the Gospel. We can recall the Comfortable Words: My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the righteous one. He himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins... (I John 2:1,2).

And finally, we can move forward, assured of the Father's favor in spite of our failure, for Christ's sake. With renewed hope we can rest assured He will enable us by His Spirit to love even our enemies well (although imperfectly), *because, we have been so lavishly loved by Him. We remember Paul's amazing description of the grace of the Triune God to us, 

"For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. How much more then, since we have now been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from wrath. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. And not only that, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation" (Romans 5:6-11).

It is in receiving, resting, and abiding in His love, that we learn to love others well, even our enemies. "We love because he first loved us" (I John 4:19).

Listen to the Gospel Gal YouTube episode by the same title around lunch hour ET, Monday, Sept. 13, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf3CjUyawVU&t=126s&ab_channel=Marissa

Sources: 

1. Calvin's Commentary on the Bible:  

https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/cal/matthew.html

2. The Heidelberg Catechism (#5): 

http://www.heidelberg-catechism.com/en/lords-days/2.html