I used to hate it when my dad would say, "cause I told you to!". I always thought it was a stupid justification for doing anything. As I have gotten older, I've come to accept the authority of a person as a valid reason for obedience. But for me, it is still the least satisfactory cause for response. Thankfully, God is merciful to obstinate people like me and often explains more fully why He asks certain things from us. This is true when it comes to His command to love our enemies.
As a follower of Jesus, I want to be like Him. This is probably a good goal for everyone. Seriously, can you think a better person to want to be like? He has super powers, never screws up, goes all action hero when He needs to, and makes better wine than all the frenchies combined! Who wouldn't want to be like Him! Once you get to know Him, you are even more inspired by His mercy, grace, truth, and holiness. God's Son is the ultimate standard to reach for. He is the highest idea we can aspire to. So His example can become a compelling reason for obedience. When it comes to loving our enemies, we are forced to deal with Jesus' example of what that means. Consider this verse...
For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. Romans 5:10
Think that through. Jesus gave His life for us while we were His enemies. Period. We were not acquaintances. We were not on friendly terms. We were not indifferent. We were His enemy. That may seem a bit extreme to some of you. You may think you have never had anything against the Big Guy. But the Bible tells us that our rebellion against Him sets us up as His enemy. It certainly, in no way, would justify the ultimate sacrifice He made on our behalf. Yet He is willing though His actions to demonstrate His love for those who don't love Him.
For me, this is a good answer to why we should love our enemies. I want to be like Jesus and He did it first. The challenge is to live up to that great example. It forces us to move past hatred and indifference and to take action. If I am to be like Him, I need to look for opportunities to serve those who I do not like to demonstrate love. That is not easy, and frankly, Jesus' example doesn't make it any easier. His level of commitment is scary. But it does inspire me to try. My prayer is it would inspire you as well.
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