Love Your Enemies

The Voice of Zion November 2025 - Editorial --

We live in a time when harsh words are never far away. We hear them in conversations, read them in headlines, and see them on our screens: voices urging us to despise those who think differently, to regard those who hold another view as enemies. These voices can confuse us. Our old nature is quick to echo the world’s anger, and repaying hatred with hatred can feel natural. 

Yet amid these, there is another voice – sometimes faint, sometimes drowned out by the clamor. It is the voice of Christ, calling His disciples: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you” (Matt. 5:44). 

This love is not weakness. It is not shallow tolerance or approval of evil. Rather, it reflects the mercy of the Father, “for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good” (Matt. 5:45). Luther taught that the Fifth Commandment forbids not only violence but also “anger, hatred, and envy.” More than that, it calls us to help and befriend our neighbor, even when that neighbor seems an enemy. To entrust judgment to God and respond with kindness rather than revenge – these are not signs of weakness; they are fruits of faith that reflect Christ’s love. 

But how can we hear Christ’s voice above the world’s noise? We can visit with other believers and find encouragement in fellowship. We can ask for forgiveness of our sins and vain thoughts, and believe again the gospel of grace. We can gather at services, tune into daily devotions, listen to hymns on Hearken, or pause for prayer. Even a fast from social media may quiet the world’s shouting so that Christ’s gentle call comes through more clearly. 

In the online world, keeping faith and good conscience can be especially trying; choosing who we follow calls for discernment. The old adage reminds us, “You become like the company you keep.” In our time, this includes the voices we hear on our screens. Our nature is to become mirrors, reflecting the energy – positive or negative – of those who influence us. Do we pause often enough to ask what kind of light we are reflecting? Does it align with Christ’s teaching, or does it carry elements foreign to living faith – elements that, if allowed to grow, may keep us from loving our neighbor? Jesus’ great commandment calls us to love God and love one another. What do we gain if we cling to an ideology that suits us, but lose the freedom to be vessels of Christ’s love to all fellow humans, even causing others to hesitate to approach us to discuss matters of faith? 

Feeling inclined to hate is not new. Paul wrote: “Recompense to no man evil for evil… If it be possible, live peaceably with all men” (Rom. 12:17,18). He urged believers not to avenge themselves, but to trust God as judge: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Rom. 12:19). Instead, he reminded them: “If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink” (Prov. 25:21). The conclusion is clear: “Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21). 

In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil”; we want to love our neighbor – not hate or detest them. Luther echoed this truth: “If you are God’s child, then show yourself to be one by doing good even to those who would hurt you.” He also reminded us that such love cannot arise from human strength: “No one can do this out of natural powers. It must come from a heart made new by faith through the Holy Ghost.” Left to ourselves, we are vengeful. But when we remember that we would ourselves be God’s enemies were we not forgiven for Christ’s sake, then a new heart is given, capable of mercy. 

When we hear voices urging hatred, let us answer instead the loving call of Christ. Let us turn often to the places where that call grows stronger, until it shapes our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. Christ alone is the Truth and the Way, through whom we have the hope of heaven (John 14:6).