Question: What does it mean to “love my enemies?” How are we to love people who continually hurt us?
Answer:
Some of Jesus’ commands stop us in our tracks, and His call to “love your enemies” is one of them. In the Sermon on the Mount, He said, “You have heard… ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43–44). His listeners were stunned. This was not normal. This was not logical. And if we’re honest, it doesn’t feel any easier today.
But Jesus wasn’t asking us to pretend the harm didn’t happen. He wasn’t commanding us to love destructive behavior or to place ourselves in danger. And He wasn’t telling us to feel warm emotions toward those who wound us. He was calling us to something deeper—something Kingdom.
The first truth to remember is this: People are not the real enemy. Scripture says our struggle is “not against flesh and blood, but against… spiritual forces of evil” (Ephesians 6:12). Behind every hurtful action is a heart broken by sin, a mind blinded by darkness, and a person who desperately needs the redemption you and I have received. That perspective softens the heart—not by excusing wrong, but by seeing beyond it.
Loving your enemy does not mean liking them, trusting them, or approving of what they’ve done. It means viewing them through God’s eyes—a soul created in His image, trapped in sin, and in need of the same mercy that rescued you. Love is not natural in these moments. It’s supernatural. The only way to obey this command is by relying on the Holy Spirit within you.
You can pray honestly: “Lord, I can’t love this person on my own. But You can love them through me.” When you pray for those who hurt you, something powerful happens—not always to them, but always in you. God starts reshaping your heart, replacing bitterness with compassion, anger with peace, and resentment with freedom.
And that’s the beauty of Kingdom love. It doesn’t deny justice, but it refuses to let hatred poison the heart. It doesn’t always restore relationships, but it restores you. Over time, as you pray, you begin to see people not only for what they’ve done, but for who they’re meant to be in Christ.
That shift—that miracle—is the work of Almighty God.
