Have you ever noticed the absurdity of the Gospel? Statements like, “love your enemies,” “do good to those who hate you,” “bless those who curse you,” and “pray for those who abuse you.” None of these statements seem like they should be what we focus on. The culture we live in says “whatever makes you happy, makes you the person you are, do that,” and the rest of the world should just accept you. We all should let others be themselves and be tolerant of everyone’s beliefs. Otherwise, you are considered a pariah and menace to society. To live out the commands of the Gospel seems outrageous!
How do you love your enemies in a world that prioritizes individual freedom and autonomy? To be honest, how do I love enemies when I am not good at even loving friends and family? I cannot remember the last time I took the opportunity to call up a friend just to talk or visited a family member on a non-required holiday. My focus is on what I need to accomplish and who I need to be around to make my goals become a reality and to be successful. I often view friends and family as obstacles in the pursuit of my goals and they should be avoided at all costs.
How do we love our enemies? The real answer is, we can’t. Only God can. The root word in the Greek for love used in this verse is agape. Agape love is an unconditional love that loves without end and without condition. Human love is not agape love; God's love is agape love. Agape love is supernatural!
Yet we are commanded to love our enemies and do good to them. How can we do this if God is the only one that can love them? What God is saying is that you are not to manifest love for your enemies but be a channel of His love for all people. We are supposed to be the vessel that God works through to display and grow His love in. How often we get it backwards!
Think of it this way - if I can produce the love that is to be given to my enemies, am I not practicing a “works-based” gospel? In myself, I am creating the very love and grace that is only supposed to come from God himself. However, if I respond to God’s love and grace for me in faith, I come to know Him as the provider and source of all things. With the measure he uses with you, you then use on others as a channel of love, not a producer.
The absurdity of the Gospel becomes the grace of the Gospel as we realize God’s design and let it flow through us. It is not about what we can do, but how we respond to His love that changes our hearts and the hearts of those around us.