Love Your Enemies: The Forgotten Mark of Discipleship

From the series “The Love of God: Revealed, Received, and Radiated”

There is no clearer sign of Kingdom citizenship—and no more neglected command—than this: love your enemies.

Not tolerate them.
Not avoid them.
Not speak well of them when convenient.
Love them.

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may prove yourselves to be sons of your Father who is in heaven…”
— Matthew 5:44–45, NASB 1995

This is not hyperbole. This is not metaphor. It is the standard of the Kingdom, and it comes from the mouth of the King Himself.

To love those who are like us, who affirm us, who serve us—that requires no faith. But to love those who slander us, betray us, hurt us, or oppose us? That is a command that cannot be obeyed without the power of the Holy Spirit.

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This kind of love is not natural. It is supernatural.
It cannot come from fallen flesh.
It must come from a heart renewed, crucified, and filled with the Spirit of Christ.

“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”
— Romans 12:14

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
— Romans 12:21

Enemy-love is not weakness.
It is not silence in the face of evil.
It is the refusal to let evil shape our response.
It is the choice to act in mercy even when justice is due, because God first showed us mercy.

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We were all once enemies of God.

“While we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son…”
— Romans 5:10

If we believe this, how can we hold hate in our hearts?
If we have received mercy while resisting Him, how can we withhold mercy from those who resist us?

This is not a peripheral issue.
This is not advanced Christianity.
This is basic obedience.

Jesus didn’t just teach it—He lived it.

He loved the ones who betrayed Him.
He forgave the ones who nailed Him to the cross.
He prayed for those who cursed Him with His final breath.

And He said: “Follow Me.”

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The early Church did not soften this teaching. They embraced it. And they were known for it.

They refused to curse the emperors who fed them to beasts.
They did not raise swords against their persecutors.
They died praying for their murderers.
And the world took notice.

The Martyrdom of Polycarp (c. AD 155):
“We do not seek vengeance… but bless those who curse us, because Christ taught us to do so.”

Tertullian (Apology 37):
“We repay hatred with kindness, and injustice with mercy. We love those who kill us, because we follow One who was killed in love.”

They were not strong because they were admired.
They were strong because the love of God had broken them, remade them, and now shined through them.

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If you love only those who love you, Jesus says you are no different from the world (Matthew 5:46–47).

Enemy-love is not optional.
It is not for the emotionally strong or spiritually elite.
It is for every citizen of Christ’s Kingdom.

And it is the clearest evidence that we belong to a different King.

This is not easy. It will cost your pride, your rights, your desire for retaliation. But it will also set you free.

Free from bitterness.
Free from the cycle of hatred.
Free to shine in a dark world that knows nothing of this kind of love.

This is the love that turned the world upside down once before.

It still can.

Sources & References

Love Your Enemies: The Forgotten Mark of Discipleship

Scripture (NASB 1995):

• Matthew 5:44–45 – “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…”
• Matthew 5:46–47 – “If you love those who love you, what reward do you have?”
• Romans 5:10 – “While we were enemies, we were reconciled to God…”
• Romans 12:14 – “Bless those who persecute you…”
• Romans 12:21 – “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Ante-Nicene Sources:

• The Martyrdom of Polycarp, Ch. 12–14.
  “We do not seek vengeance… but bless those who curse us, because Christ taught us to do so.”
  [Available at: EarlyChristianWritings.com or NewAdvent.org]
• Tertullian, Apology, Ch. 37.
  “We repay hatred with kindness, and injustice with mercy. We love those who kill us…”
  [Available at: NewAdvent.org/fathers/0301.htm]