Loving our enemies is one of the most countercultural and challenging commands in all of Scripture. While human nature demands revenge and harbors grudges, Jesus calls His followers to a radically different response—one that blesses those who curse us, prays for those who persecute us, and extends grace to those who hurt us. These Bible verses about loving enemies remind us that God loved us while we were His enemies, that forgiveness reflects His character, and that loving difficult people sets Christians apart from the world. Understanding this teaching transforms how we respond to conflict and demonstrates the supernatural power of the gospel.
Jesus Commands Us to Love Our Enemies
Christ’s teaching on loving enemies is clear and uncompromising:
Matthew 5:43-44 – “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
Luke 6:27-28 – “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”
Luke 6:35 – “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”
Matthew 5:38-39 – “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.”
Luke 6:29-30 – “If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.”
Matthew 5:46-47 – “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?”
Luke 6:32-33 – “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.”
Overcoming Evil with Good
Scripture calls us to respond to evil not with retaliation but with good:
Romans 12:14 – “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”
Romans 12:17-18 – “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”
Romans 12:19-21 – “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
1 Thessalonians 5:15 – “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.”
1 Peter 3:9 – “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”
Proverbs 25:21-22 – “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.”
Proverbs 24:17-18 – “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from them.”
The Example of Christ
Jesus modeled loving enemies through His own suffering and death:
Luke 23:34 – “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.”
1 Peter 2:21-23 – “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.’ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”
Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:10 – “For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”
Colossians 1:21-22 – “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.”
Isaiah 53:7 – “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.”
1 Peter 3:18 – “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.”
Forgiveness and Letting Go of Revenge
God calls us to forgive and release the desire for vengeance:
Matthew 6:14-15 – “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Colossians 3:13 – “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:31-32 – “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Mark 11:25 – “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Matthew 18:21-22 – “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'”
Luke 17:3-4 – “So watch yourselves. If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
Leviticus 19:18 – “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”
Trusting God for Justice
We can love our enemies because we trust God to execute perfect justice:
Deuteronomy 32:35 – “It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.”
Hebrews 10:30 – “For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.'”
Proverbs 20:22 – “Do not say, ‘I’ll pay you back for this wrong!’ Wait for the Lord, and he will avenge you.”
1 Peter 2:23 – “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.”
Romans 14:10-12 – “You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’ So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.”
2 Thessalonians 1:6 – “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you.”
Psalm 94:1-2 – “The Lord is a God who avenges. O God who avenges, shine forth. Rise up, Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve.”
The Transforming Power of Love
Loving enemies demonstrates God’s power and reflects His character to the world:
Matthew 5:45 – “That you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
Luke 6:36 – “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”
Acts 7:60 – “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.”
Proverbs 16:7 – “When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way, he causes their enemies to make peace with them.”
2 Corinthians 5:18-19 – “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”
Philippians 2:5-8 – “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”
James 3:17 – “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”
Embracing the Most Radical Command
These Bible verses about loving enemies present perhaps the most difficult and countercultural teaching in all of Scripture. Everything in our human nature resists this command. We want justice for ourselves and judgment for those who wrong us. We want to see our enemies punished, not blessed. We want to withhold forgiveness until they’ve earned it, not extend it freely. Yet Jesus calls us to something radically different—to love as He loved, to forgive as we’ve been forgiven, and to overcome evil with good even when it costs us dearly.
Loving our enemies doesn’t mean pretending they haven’t hurt us, ignoring injustice, or placing ourselves in danger. It doesn’t require maintaining toxic relationships or allowing abuse to continue. What it does mean is releasing bitterness, refusing to seek revenge, praying for their good, and responding to hatred with grace. This kind of love is impossible in our own strength—it requires the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit working through us. When we love our enemies, we demonstrate that the gospel is real, that God’s power can transform even the hardest hearts, and that we serve a different King who operates by different values than the world.
As you reflect on these scriptures, ask God to search your heart for any unforgiveness, bitterness, or desire for revenge. Who are your enemies—those who have wronged you, betrayed you, or caused you pain? Jesus calls you to pray for them, bless them, and actively seek their good. This doesn’t mean your hurt isn’t valid or that what they did was acceptable. It means you trust God enough to release them to His judgment and choose the freedom that comes from forgiveness. Remember that you were once God’s enemy, yet He loved you enough to die for you. Let that reality transform how you treat those who oppose you. Loving enemies is how the world sees that Christians are different, that our God is real, and that His grace truly does change everything.
