to act unbecomingly, not to behave inappropriately; Does not seek its own - zēteō = not to seek Before we look at the real-world ways to love your enemies, I want to share two major points first because without these it will never happen. Three of these four were used to write the New Testament. Let’s look at the books of the Bible that talk about love most, and then drill into a few chapters that really focus on love. Forgive if you have been hurt by anyone. Christians are known for being His disciples and followers And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Forgiveness is not for that person; it is for you. Usually, the former denotes "complacency in the character" of the person loved; but "love your enemies" here it denotes the benignant, compassionate outgoings of desire for another's good. are My disciples, if you have love for one another.". “Love” is commonly used to describe that inner affection … With that said, let’s look at three real-world ways to love your enemies. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Are you absolutely certain your Greek translation is right? The other person is not the problem. "Be Still and Know that I Am God" "Pray Without Ceasing" "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made""All Things Work Together for Good" "Do Not Fear", Spiritual Growth and Christian Living Resources. It is deliberate, purposeful love rather than emotional or impulsive love. Do not even pagans do that? Let's analyze it with a study from the original Greek text. The point here is that regardless of who that enemy is...you must respond differently than they expect and, more importantly, than what you really want. The apostle Paul used the word love nine times in this short chapter and colorfully and powerfully illustrated what it is and is not. What Did Jesus Really Mean by 'Love Your Enemies'? - "This is love, that we walk according to His (God's) Commandments. Catholic Bible 101 - What is Love? Again, the answer is yes. The christian loves his Bible. and meaning of Love is found in: What Stephen displayed when he was being stoned. Kindness is similar to patience but refers to how we treat others. Sin is not In the Bible, love is described as personal (between persons) and selfless (desiring the best for others). For many years, I struggled to forgive my father. God’s love for us is a perfect example and starting place to study on love. And yet, ἔρως (romantic, sexual love) is a good gift of God to human beings, as the Bible makes plain. Here again, we find the same definition for Love of 2 John 1:6, expressed in different … Starting with Eros, we must note that the term doesn’t show up in Scripture. Love suffers long - makrothymeō = to In a more romantic manner, Isaac loved his wife Rebekah (Gen. 24:67), and Jacob loved Rachel (Gen. 29:18), but Delilah manipulated Samson by challenging his love for her (Judg. Charity vs. Love. – Romans 12:17, On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. The Bible talks about love a lot. It also happens to be the name of the Greek god of love. He is no different than any of us. The definition of Phileo is that of a brotherly affection toward someone we really like. He has spent more than 30 years serving the body of Christ in various capacities and has just released his first book, The Pursuit of Purpose. When you come in contact with these people and they show you hate, you respond with love and kindness. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Because if we do, you still have to love me anyway. If you are familiar with his story, eventually he was stoned to death for preaching the truth to the Sanhedrin. His life had been transformed on the inside. Love is kind. Because he was a man full of the Holy Spirit. Charity has a more nuanced meaning in the Bible than does love.Paul is describing this unique attribute called charity. When we think of love, it’s easy to think about good feelings. - Catholicbible101 is the website that explains Catholic teachings in plain, easy to understand English. be patient, not to lose heart, to persevere patiently and This Greek word describes family love, the affectionate bond that develops naturally between parents and children, and brothers and sisters. Here is how the Bible described him: Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. This is the first commandment. To the annoying co-worker (you know the one I am talking about) when you’re going out to buy lunch, ask them if they would like anything, and buy it for them, your treat. Many people have their favorite verses in scripture. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you – Matthew 5:43-44. The problem wasn’t him, the problem was inside me. 'Back To God' Reba McEntire And Lauren Daigle Official Lyric Video, 10 Things You Didn’t Know about the 10 Commandments, How to Know if You've Been Raised on False Teaching, For Such a Time as This - Crosswalk the Devotional - January 14, 10 Online Sins We're All Apparently Okay With. We are all called to love the Lord, by expressing obedience to His commandments (Deut. I hope that wasn’t too “soapboxy” but if it was, I pray you hear my heart and we don’t become enemies. Hebrew word for love. In other words, if you can’t love someone who is against you, the problem is because of what is inside you. parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, As we already mentioned, this is the kind of love that you typically experience when you are infatuated with someone. Are not even the tax collectors doing that? The Greek language, used in the Bible, has at least four words to describe the various aspects of love. When directed toward things, love means enjoying or taking pleasure in those things. The word "love" comes up on almost every page of … Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Prostock-Studio. heard from the beginning, you should walk in it." 1 John 4:7-8 (NKJV) - "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. What Is 'Sleep Divorce' and Is it Biblical? And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' The word love occurs 686 times in the New International Version of the Bible, 425 in the Old Testament, and 261 in the New Testament. – Romans 12:20-21. If you really want to show the love of Christ, stop letting political differences divide you. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. credit, to place confidence in someone, believe; pas = all So it is clear that the Holy Spirit is the one who produces genuine love in the heart. Be first to show kindness even if the person is not very nice. Wait a second, did you read that correctly? This refers to a believer with another believer; in this situation a mature Christian forgives and sees the purity of their fellow believer's heart instead of labeling them as evil and judging them according to their past mistakes. This site is a proud member of the Salem Web Network, a subsidiary of, Copyright © 2021, Crosswalk.com. Sin, ultimately, creates a breach in relationships and separates us from ourselves, others and God, but when we keep God's Law, we conform to Jesus and manifest His character and His Love, and thus, repair the breach created by sin. not to rejoice, not to be glad; adikia = a deed violating You never know, if they don’t know Jesus, your kindness may win them over. By the way, if you’re not from America, those are the symbols of the two biggest political parties in our country. So Abraham loved his son Isaac (Gen. 22:2), Isaac loved his son Esau (Gen. 25:28), and “Israel loved Joseph more than all his children” (Gen. 37:3). I need to focus your attention on the end of the story (sorry for the spoiler alert if you never read it): While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. Love your friends, yes. Love According to the Bible Our world presents love as either an intoxicating emotion that makes all things right, or a mysterious experience that transports lonely individuals to perpetual happiness. It feels your sorrow; it feels … Be the first to offer forgiveness, before someone even asks for it. “Agape (love) is one of the rarest words in ancient Greek literature, but one of the most common in the New Testament.” 1. ἔρως —ÉRŌS: sexual passion, primarily The second part of loving your enemies is praying for those who persecute you. All Rights – Matthew 5:46-47. I know that is a tough pill to swallow but it is a necessary one if we’re ever going to really, truly love our enemies. Just so you know, it’s not just something that Jesus did—you can do it, too. Consider his words: If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? The reality is that when you display this type of love to your enemies, you are showing them Jesus. But don’t worry—God will eventually deal with them. 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