Redefining "Enemies"

This past Sunday, I preached about peace and what it would take to bring a little more peace to our everyday lives and relationships. One of the scriptural passages I shared was Romans 12:20-21:

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
    If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
    burning coals of shame on their heads.”

Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.

Another verse we heard came from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, red letters straight from the mouth of Jesus: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (5:43-44)

Both of these scriptures, you probably noticed, address the topic of enemies. Paul and Jesus give us a new, Christian definition of what an enemy is: an enemy is someone you love. It’s someone you do good to, caring for them and supporting them when they're needy. It’s someone you pray for.

That’s what an enemy is, for a Christian.

One of the sicknesses plaguing the Church in America today, I believe, is that we treat people with whom we disagree like they are enemies, and then we don’t treat those enemies like we are Christians. We identify this person or that group as our enemies, but we act like enemies aren’t people we’re supposed to care for and support and pray for and do good for. We act like an enemy is not someone you love. Instead, we embrace the world’s definition of "enemy": someone to be disrespected, loathed, and thwarted at every turn. Like I heard another pastor say once, the problem is not that Christians fight—it’s that we don’t fight like Christians. That’s a problem because, no matter how righteous you believe your cause is, it’s an unbiblical and unfaithful approach to your opponents.

If my faith consistently does not affect the way I treat people who don’t like me, and I don’t like them, if it doesn’t affect how I talk to and talk about people with whom I have profound disagreements, then it’s just a Sunday morning faith. I’m not denying myself and taking up my cross daily (Luke 9:23). I’m not opening my heart up to the Lord—only the parts of it that he won’t try to rearrange.

But, this Christmas, the Prince of Peace is calling us to follow him.

Are you using scripture’s definition of "enemy," or the world’s?

Who is that enemy you have not loved?

What would it look like to do good to them this week? What would be the first step towards praying for them?

How is Jesus challenging you to be a faithful, Christian enemy to someone today?

You can listen to today's devotional right here: