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“Love Like the Father” brings us to one of the most radical demands Jesus ever made of His disciples. He did not merely adjust human ethics. He introduced a standard that is impossible apart from the supernatural life of God working in us.
Let us look at what the Word of God says:
> “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,
> so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
> (Matthew 5:43–45, NASB)
And again:
> “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.”
> (Luke 6:35, NASB)
The theme is clear:
To “love like the Father” is to love those who do not deserve it, cannot repay it, and in many cases actively oppose us. This is not sentiment. This is not mere human niceness. This is the manifestation of the divine nature in human vessels.
The song’s refrain—“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”—is not a suggestion. It is the distinguishing mark of true sonship. Jesus ties our identity as sons of our Father in heaven to one visible, verifiable fruit: how we treat our enemies.
This command confronts the flesh, exposes our natural reactions, and calls us to a higher, supernatural life. And it is in this very area that many believers remain immature, bound, and defeated—because they do not see that enemy-love is at the heart of spiritual warfare, deliverance, and the kingdom of God.
These words come from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) and the parallel Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6). Jesus is addressing Jewish people under the Law of Moses, living under Roman occupation, burdened with religious tradition, and longing for deliverance.
### “You have heard that it was said…”
When Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said…” (Matthew 5:43), He is not contradicting Moses. He is confronting the *distortions* and *traditions* that had grown around the Law.
The Law clearly commanded:
> “You shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.”
> (Leviticus 19:18)
But it never commanded, “Hate your enemy.” That phrase represents how the people *twisted* the Law, as the song accurately says. They had taken a positive command—love your neighbor—and added a human conclusion: if I must love my neighbor, I am free to hate my enemy.
They justified their hatred particularly toward:
Jesus stands in the midst of such thinking and says, in effect, “You have limited love to those who are close, like you, and good to you. My Father is not like that. If you will be His sons and daughters, you must love the way He loves.”
### Under oppression, not comfort
These were not comfortable, middle-class believers. Many of them were poor, oppressed, taxed unjustly, and handled roughly by Roman soldiers and corrupt local rulers.
So when Jesus says, “Love your enemies… pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44), He is not speaking about minor irritations only. He is speaking:
In that setting, Jesus proclaims an upside-down kingdom. The world runs on revenge (as the lyrics say); the kingdom runs on grace. The old world says, “Get even.” The new world says, “Return blessing for curse.”
Jesus did not only *teach* this. He *lived* it.
The Gospel writers preserve these commands not as idealistic slogans, but as the very pattern of life for people who belong to the Father.
We will focus on two key words: “love” and “sons.”
### 1) “Love” – *agapaō* (ἀγαπάω)
In Matthew 5:44, the verb is *agapaō*.
*Agapaō* means to set the highest good of another as your aim, at cost to yourself, whether they deserve it or not.
It is love that:
John uses the noun form, *agapē*, in 1 John 4:8:
> “God is love (*agapē*).”
This is the very love that moved God to give His Son:
> “For God so loved (*ēgapēsen*, from *agapaō*) the world, that He gave His only begotten Son…”
> (John 3:16)
So when Jesus says:
> “Love (*agapaō*) your enemies…”
He is not saying, “Feel warm emotions.” He is saying, “Choose to seek their good, to do them good, to speak blessing, to pray for them, at personal cost, regardless of their response.” This aligns exactly with the lyric:
> “Return blessing for curse, embrace for a slap in the face
> It’s not natural—it’s supernatural power
> His love flowing through us hour after hour”
That is *agapē* in practice.
### 2) “Sons” – *huioi* (υἱοί)
In Matthew 5:45, Jesus says:
> “…so that you may be *sons* (*huioi*) of your Father who is in heaven…”
The Greek word *huioi* does not only denote biological offspring. It carries the idea of *mature sons* who reflect the character of their Father, who act in a way that reveals whose family they belong to.
In biblical thinking, to be a “son of” someone is to resemble them in nature and behavior.
So the issue is not just legal status, but moral likeness. You can say you are a child of God, but Jesus says the observable proof is this:
You treat your enemies the way your Father treats His enemies.
He “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good.” That is *Father-love* displayed in creation.
He “is kind to the ungrateful and evil” (Luke 6:35). That is *Father-love* displayed in providence.
The lyrics capture this:
> “This is how you show you belong to Him”
Not by words alone, but by reproducing His kind of love.
We will move through the main themes and link them to Scripture.
### A. Twisted Law vs. Kingdom Love
Lyrics:
> “You have heard it said in the old days
> ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy’
> That’s how people twisted the law back then
> But I’m giving you a whole new way
> Love those who stand against you
> Pray for the ones who make your life hard”
This exposes two things:
1. Human tendency to twist God’s commands.
Jesus confronts that carnal logic. The flesh always seeks to limit love and justify resentment.
2. Jesus’ authority to define the kingdom standard.
“But I say to you…” (Matthew 5:44). Here Jesus speaks as the King, not just as a commentator. He does not merely interpret Moses; He fulfills and completes the Law (Matthew 5:17).
To “love those who stand against you” and “pray for the ones who make your life hard” is the practical outworking of Romans 12:14:
> “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”
And Romans 12:19–21:
> “Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God…
> ‘BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK…’
> Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Notice: enemy-love is not passivity. It is *overcoming*. It is spiritual warfare at the highest level. When you bless instead of curse, you are defeating evil rather than participating in it.
### B. The Insufficiency of Natural Love
Lyrics:
> “If you only love those who love you back
> What makes you any different?
> Even tax collectors do that much
> If you greet only your own people
> You’re no better than the world around you
> God’s children show a higher kind of love”
This echoes Matthew 5:46–47 and Luke 6:32–33.
There is nothing distinctively Christian about loving those who treat you well.
Jesus asks a penetrating question: “What makes you any different?” In Greek, the idea is, “What more are you doing than others?” (Matthew 5:47).
Kingdom love always has a *plus-factor*—something beyond what is normal, predictable, or deserved.
This “higher kind of love” is what Paul describes:
> “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly…
> God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
> (Romans 5:6, 8)
We were not God’s friends. We were His enemies (Romans 5:10). Yet He loved us at the highest cost. Now He expects that same kind of love to flow through us to *our* enemies.
### C. The Father’s Universal Kindness
Lyrics:
> “God causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good
> He sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous alike
> He is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked
> Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful
> Bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you
> This is how you show you belong to Him”
Here the lyrics almost quote Matthew 5:45 and Luke 6:35–36 directly.
Creation itself is a daily sermon of God’s indiscriminate goodness. Every sunrise on the home of a blasphemer is a testimony: God is patient. Every crop watered in the field of an atheist is an invitation: God is kind.
Romans 2:4 asks:
> “Do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?”
God’s kindness is not approval of sin, but an opportunity for repentance.
To “be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36) is to join God in His redemptive purpose. It is to become a *living parable* of His heart.
When you “bless those who curse you” and “do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27–28), you are:
You are showing “you belong to Him”—that you are not governed by the spirit of the age, but by the Spirit of the Father.
### D. The World’s System vs. the Kingdom’s System
Lyrics:
> “The world runs on revenge, but we run on grace
> Return blessing for curse, embrace for a slap in the face
> It’s not natural—it’s supernatural power
> His love flowing through us hour after hour
> When we love the unlovable, the Father is seen
> And hearts that were hard begin to soften and lean”
This is a concise description of two kingdoms:
1. The world’s kingdom: revenge.
2. God’s kingdom: grace.
To “return blessing for curse” is exactly the command of 1 Peter 3:9:
> “Not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead…”
“Embrace for a slap in the face” echoes Jesus’ words:
> “Whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.”
> (Matthew 5:39)
This does not mean becoming a doormat or enabling abuse. It means refusing to respond in kind. Refusing to be drawn into the same spirit. It means choosing the cross over the sword.
“It’s not natural—it’s supernatural power” is the key. In our own strength, we cannot do this. This is the fruit of the Spirit:
> “But the fruit of the Spirit is love…”
> (Galatians 5:22)
You cannot produce this love by willpower. You must *abide* in Christ (John 15:4–5) and let His love flow through you.
“When we love the unlovable, the Father is seen.” This aligns with Jesus’ words:
> “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
> (John 13:35)
And even more pointedly in Luke 6:35:
> “…and you will be sons of the Most High…”
People do not see the Father by our talk alone. They see Him when we manifest a kind of love that cannot be explained on a natural level—especially toward those who oppose us.
### E. The Mark of the Kingdom
Lyrics:
> “That you may be children of your Father in heaven
> Perfect in love as He is perfect and true
> Love without limits, pray without ceasing
> For enemies near and the ones far from you
> This is the mark of the kingdom come
> Love like the Father—love everyone”
Jesus ends this section with:
> “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
> (Matthew 5:48)
The word “perfect” here is *teleios* (τέλειος), meaning “mature, complete, brought to its intended end.” In context, it refers specifically to *love*. You are to be complete in love as your Father is complete in love—not selective, not tribal, not partial.
“Love without limits” reflects the Father’s nature: He loves across boundaries of race, class, nationality, and past sins. This does not mean indiscriminate approval of all behavior, but unconditional goodwill toward all persons.
“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) applied to enemies means you bring them regularly before God—not with prayers of judgment, but prayers for mercy, conviction, and blessing.
“This is the mark of the kingdom come.” When enemy-love appears, the rule of God has broken into this present age. It is evidence that Jesus is King in a life, a community, a church.
To “love like the Father—love everyone” is to agree with God’s purpose:
> “For God so loved the world…” (John 3:16)
The whole world is the scope of His love. He calls us to embody that same scope, beginning with the hardest cases: our enemies.
These truths must move from theory to practice. This kind of love is central to deliverance, inner healing, and spiritual maturity. I will outline four steps.
### 1) First, we must identify our enemies honestly
Do not pretend you have no enemies. An “enemy” in this context is anyone who:
Ask the Holy Spirit to bring faces and names to mind. This can include:
You cannot love what you refuse to name. You cannot pray for those you will not admit you resent.
### 2) Second, we must renounce retaliation and release judgment
Enemy-love does not begin with emotions. It begins with a *decision of the will* aligned with God’s Word.
Pray something like this, by faith:
“Lord, I renounce all desire for revenge, all secret satisfaction at their pain, all judgments I have made against them. I give up my right to get even, and I place their case into Your hands. You are the Judge. I am not.”
Romans 12:19 must become a settled principle:
> “Never take your own revenge… but leave room for the wrath of God…”
To “leave room” means to step out of the Judge’s seat. As long as you sit in that seat, you block God’s dealings and keep yourself in bondage.
### 3) Third, we must actively bless and pray for our enemies
Jesus’ command is explicit:
> “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)
> “Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” (Luke 6:28)
Start by choosing to pray definite, concrete blessings:
You may feel nothing. The feelings often come *after* repeated obedience. The important thing is to align your mouth with God’s will.
Proverbs 18:21 says:
> “Death and life are in the power of the tongue…”
When you continue to bless in word, you are sowing life. You are also cutting off the enemy’s access through your own curses, complaints, and bitter talk.
### 4) Fourth, we must depend on the Holy Spirit for supernatural love
You cannot do this in your own strength. The standard is divine: “as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Romans 5:5 gives the key:
> “…the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
The love *we* must show is the love that *He* pours out. You are not the source. You are the vessel.
Make it a daily prayer:
“Holy Spirit, pour the Father’s love into my heart today. Love my enemies through me. Think through my mind. Speak through my mouth. Act through my body. I yield to Your love, not to my flesh.”
You will find that as you continue to obey, a strange thing happens:
Your heart begins to soften. The hardness, resentment, and torment that kept you bound start to lose their grip. Many believers do not realize that bitterness toward enemies can open the door to demonic oppression. Enemy-love is therefore not only obedience; it is deliverance.
As you walk this out:
This is not optional. It is central to Christian maturity.
### Proclamation
Say this aloud, deliberately, as an act of faith:
> I affirm today that I am a child of my Father in heaven.
> He loved me when I was His enemy.
> He showed me kindness when I was ungrateful and evil.
>
> In obedience to the words of Jesus,
> I choose to love my enemies and pray for those who persecute me.
> I renounce all bitterness, resentment, and desire for revenge.
> I step out of the judge’s seat and leave room for the wrath of God.
>
> I declare that the love of God has been poured out in my heart
> by the Holy Spirit who has been given to me.
> That love is *agapē*—a love that seeks the good of others,
> whether they deserve it or not.
>
> I will bless those who curse me.
> I will do good to those who hate me.
> I will pray for those who mistreat me.
>
> As I do this, I show that I am a son, a daughter, of my Father in heaven.
> His sun rises on the evil and the good.
> His rain falls on the righteous and the unrighteous.
> By His grace, I will love without limits and pray without ceasing.
>
> This is the mark of the kingdom in my life:
> I love like the Father.
> In Jesus’ name. Amen.
### Prayer
Father in heaven,
We come to You through the blood of Jesus. We confess that in ourselves we do not have this kind of love. Our natural reaction is to strike back, to protect ourselves, to hold offenses.
But today we submit to Your Word. Lord Jesus, You said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” We bow to Your authority. We ask You to make these words reality in us.
Holy Spirit, pour the love of the Father into our hearts. Expose every hidden resentment, every secret hatred, every judgment we have made. Bring to mind the faces and names of those we must forgive and bless.
Right now, by an act of our will, we forgive our enemies. We release them to You. We ask You to have mercy on them, to reveal Jesus to them, to turn them from darkness to light.
Use us as instruments of supernatural love in a world that runs on revenge. Let Your kingdom come and Your will be done in our reactions, our words, our prayers.
Father, make us true sons and daughters who reflect Your heart. When people see how we treat our enemies, let them see You.
We ask this in the name of the One who loved His enemies to the point of death, even death on a cross—our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.
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