God created us to love him and to love others, but does God require you to love your enemies?

God’s desire is for us to love Him. That is why He created us. Mark 12:30 says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” So it’s clear that we are required to love God with all of ourselves.

Does God want us to love ourselves?

Mark 12:31 says, “The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” There you have it. God is telling you to love your neighbor as you love yourself. So this means that you first need to love yourself.

Do you love yourself? If you don’t love yourself, you can’t love others. As a result, you may feel unworthy of love, which is why you feel unlovable.

Because you struggle to love others, you think that God will struggle to love you. Therefore, you think it’s impossible for God to love you. But God loves all of us, and He wants us to feel His love.

It doesn’t matter if you think you don’t deserve it. He created us to love Him and to be loved by Him. That makes you worthy of His love. He loved you before you were even born.

God’s nature is to love.

God is the source of His love for us. Therefore, there isn’t anything we can do to change this. Even when we sin, His love stills overwhelms us like rain pouring from the clouds during a tumultuous thunderstorm. Here is a perfect example of how much God loves you.

The Parable of the Lost Son

Luke 15:11-24 says, “…There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

^“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

^“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

^“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

^“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.”

His love is unceasing.

Did you notice in the story how much the father loves his prodigal son even though his son had sinned against him? In the same way, God loves you. Regardless of our sins, nothing can separate us from God’s powerful love. Like forceful water in the spillway of a dam during a flood, God’s love pours into us.

As the Apostle Paul says in Romans 8:38, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.”

As God loves us, He says we are to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Genuine love asks what’s best for the other person. It doesn’t ask for anything in return.

Before Jesus died on the cross, He gave His disciples a new commandment. He said in John 13:34-35, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Thus, God makes it perfectly clear that He wants us to love others.

But why?

Because when we love, we resemble God. Every time we love someone, we become more Christ-like in our character, which is the ultimate goal of our life. When we are Christ-like, everyone can see God through us.

We meet others’ needs when we love them because when we genuinely love someone, we help provide what they need. We think more of them than we do about ourselves.

The Sermon on the Mount

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said we are to love our enemies and our neighbors. The story of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10:25-37 is an excellent example of this:

“On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’

^‘What is written in the Law?’ he replied. ‘How do you read it?’

He answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind;’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

^‘You have answered correctly,’ Jesus replied. ‘Do this and you will live.’

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’

In reply Jesus said: ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.‘

‘He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

^‘Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?’

The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’

Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.’”

Is there a Bible verse that is clear that God requires you to love your enemies?

Matthew 5:44 says, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…”

Yes, God requires you to love your enemies. If you want to read the story about my feelings toward my son’s murderer, here’s the link.

Do you have help if you struggle because God requires you to love your enemies?

God created us to give love through His Holy Spirit, who lives in every Christian. God puts His love in us so that we can show love to others. But for the Holy Spirit to live in you to help you show this love, you must first ask Jesus to become your Lord and Savior through salvation.

Salvation is a free gift. It is a life-changing gift. If you want this gift, pray this prayer:

A Sinner’s Prayer: Dear Jesus, I believe in you. I believe you are the Son of God, that you died for my sins, and that you were buried and rose again as written in the Bible. Please come into my heart so I can have eternal life. Fill me with the Holy Spirit and help me to live the way you want me to live. Forgive me for my past sins. Guide me in my future so that I can live my life for you. Amen.

Is there someone you are struggling to love? Do you love yourself?