Called to Love in a World of Division
In a culture filled with hostility and division, the Bible’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39, ESV) and “love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44, ESV) feels almost impossible. Yet this is central to Christian teaching. Scripture and Luther’s Catechism remind us that our calling is not to hatred or revenge, but to mercy and love.
The Fifth Commandment and Loving Our Neighbor
In the Small Catechism, Martin Luther explains the Fifth Commandment—“You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13, ESV)—like this:
“We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need.”
This shows that Christian love is not passive. To love our neighbor means to protect life, care for physical needs, and seek the good of others. This love that we are called to show is an action, not just how we feel.
Think about someone in your life whom you truly love—a spouse, a parent, a child, a dear friend, even a beloved pet. When you love someone deeply, your first instinct is to want what’s best for them. You don’t want to see them hurt. You’d do everything in your power to protect them from things that could damage their physical, mental, or spiritual well-being.
Take my toddler, for example. He loves helping unload the dishwasher. Most of the dishes he can handle just fine, but he doesn’t yet understand that knives are sharp and dangerous. Do I let him grab one just because he enjoys helping? Of course not. I step in and take the knives out myself so he won’t cut his little fingers. My love for him means protecting him, even when he doesn’t see the danger.
In the same way, when we see someone falling into sin—whether it’s a destructive habit, a harmful belief, or a way of living that pulls them further from God—we are called to respond with that same kind of love. Not with harsh judgment, but with gentleness and persistence. “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness” (Galatians 6:1). Our goal is not to condemn, but to guide.
Will we face resistance? Almost certainly. Jesus Himself said, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you” (John 15:18). Those who cling to sin are often under the devil’s grip, and he does not easily let go. But our persistence matters. We don’t want anyone to remain separated from Christ. “The Lord… is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
Our deepest desire, flowing out of Christ’s own love for us, is that as many people as possible would know His forgiveness and share in the joy of the new creation forever.
Who Is My Neighbor?
When asked, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29, ESV), Jesus responded with the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30–37). In this story, the neighbor was not the priest or the Levite—the religious men who passed by the wounded man without helping. Instead, it was the Samaritan, a foreigner and outsider despised by the Jews, who stopped, cared for the man’s wounds, and ensured he was safe.
Jesus’ answer shocked His hearers: your “neighbor” is not limited to your family, friends, or those who share your beliefs. Your neighbor is anyone in need, including the stranger, the outsider, and even the person you might consider an enemy.
Luther emphasizes in the Large Catechism that failing to care for our neighbor is equivalent to harming them:
“If you see anyone suffer hunger and do not feed him, you have let him starve.”
Why This Matters
The question “Who is my neighbor?” reveals our human tendency to limit love to those who are easy to love. But Christ removes the boundaries. To love our neighbor means to see every person, regardless of relationship, background, or opinion, as someone created in God’s image and worthy of care.
Loving our neighbor, then, is not optional—it is central to the Christian life. It is a daily opportunity to live out the Gospel in word and deed, showing mercy to others because we have first received mercy from Christ.
Loving Your Enemy as a Reflection of Christ
It’s not too difficult to love those closest to us—our spouse, our children, our dear friends. In fact, protecting and caring for them often comes naturally. But what about those who hurt us, who slander us, who disagree with us at every turn?
Here, the call of Christ stretches us beyond what we would ever choose on our own. Jesus says in Matthew 5:44, “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” That command is radical. It cuts against our sinful nature, which tells us to fight back, to get even, or to cut people off completely.
Martin Luther, in his explanation of the Fifth Commandment in the Small Catechism, makes this strikingly clear:
“We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need.”
Notice that Luther doesn’t qualify who our “neighbor” is. Our neighbor is not just the person we like or the one who agrees with us—it includes the difficult family member, the hostile co-worker, the political opponent, even the stranger who despises our faith. To “help and support” means to actively do good, even when the other person has shown us nothing but hostility.
Think of how Christ modeled this for us. While being mocked, beaten, and crucified, He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). That is love in its purest form—not condoning evil, but overcoming it with grace. As Paul reminds us, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).
Loving our enemies doesn’t mean we agree with them or excuse their wrongdoing. Instead, it means we refuse to mirror hatred with hatred. It means speaking truth with gentleness, defending life and dignity, and praying earnestly for hearts to be turned back to God. When we do this, we are reflecting the very heart of Christ, who loved us “while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8).
And in a world that glorifies outrage and revenge, that kind of love shines all the brighter.
Practical Ways to Live Out Christian Love
- Pray for your enemies. (Matthew 5:44, ESV)
- Speak truth in love. (Ephesians 4:15, ESV)
- Show mercy in action. Support those in need—even if they oppose you.
- Forgive freely. The Lord’s Prayer teaches us to forgive as God forgives.
Conclusion: Love as Christian Witness
The Christian teaching on loving your neighbor and enemy is not an optional suggestion—it is a command and a witness to the Gospel. We love because Christ first loved us.
In a world of division, this love becomes a powerful testimony: mercy instead of vengeance, hope instead of despair, light instead of darkness.
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink… Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:20–21, ESV).
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Check out my recent post about standing up for your faith https://fionalikefromshrek.com/christian-response-charlie-kirk-assassination/
