Latest / Reformed Thinking / Love Your Enemies to Show That You Are Children of God | John Piper

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Love Your Enemies to Show That You Are Children of God | John Piper · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to reform thinking we're glad you're joining us today
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we're doing a deep dive into something pretty central but
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also, let's be honest, really difficult from Jesus teaching
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the command to love your enemies we want to unpack this what it
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means for how you. Act sure.
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But also what it means deep down inside, and maybe most
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critically, how anyone can actually do this.
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How was it even possible? We'll be drawing from John
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Piper's book All That Jesus Commanded, specifically the part
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called Love Your Enemies. To.
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Show that you were children of God, along with some related
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notes. So our mission here for you is
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to really grasp the surprising nature of this love and see how
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it's tied directly to being a child of God.
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Yeah, and these commands, they are well, radical is the right
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word. They're not what you typically
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hear. We're grounding this discussion
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right in Jesus own words. You know, Luke 6 verses 29 and
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30, those really counterintuitive actions, and
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then Matthew 5.4445, which makes that direct link between loving
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enemies and being sons of the Father.
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Plus Luke 6 verses 35 and 36, talking about a great reward and
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God's own mercy as the pattern. These aren't just minor
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suggestions. They really set the stage for
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understanding a very different kind of love, one that changes
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how we view everything. OK, so let's jump right into
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that. Challenge these commands from
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Jesus. They really go against the
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grain, don't they, against our natural inclinations.
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I mean, our first instinct is usually self protection, maybe
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wanting fairness or even hitting back or at least pulling away
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from people who hurt us. But Jesus points us somewhere
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else entirely. Let's look at Luke 6.2930 says
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to one who strikes you on the. Cheek offer the other.
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Also now thinking about the context helps here.
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A backhanded slap on the right cheek.
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That wasn't just violence, it was a deep insult, right?
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Public shaming. Exactly.
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It was about honor and status. So offering the other cheek,
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it's not about asking for more pain, is it?
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It's more like refusing to play the retaliation game.
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It's choosing to absorb the indignity rather than escalating
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or demanding your rights in that moment.
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It's a deliberate choice. And it keeps going from one who
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takes away your cloak. Do not withhold your tunic
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either. Your cloak was off in your main
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outer garment. Maybe even what you slept in.
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Pretty essential. Valuable.
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So if someone takes that, you're supposed to be willing to give
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your inner shirt too. That's that's more than just not
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resisting it's. Active generosity, sacrificial
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even towards someone who's just wronged you then.
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Give to everyone who begs from you.
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That cuts through our tendency to judge who deserves help.
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Right, it challenges our calculations.
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And from one who takes away your goods, do not demand them back
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again. This isn't passivity, it feels
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like a conscious decision to respond differently.
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It's a chosen posture, not being a doormat, but actively choosing
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self giving over self protection in that specific way.
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Counterintuitive for sure. And it stretches even further,
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doesn't it? Thinking about that extra mile
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teaching Matthew 5.41. If a Roman soldier forces you to
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carry his gear for one mile, Jesus says go 2 miles.
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Yeah, and understanding the background there is key.
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Roman occupation meant soldiers could legally compel civilians
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for that service. It was a burden, a real symbol
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of being under someone else's power, an imposition.
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So Jesus isn't just saying obey the law, He's saying volunteer
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for more than the law demands. Turn coercion into a voluntary
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act of service or even love. It takes the power dynamic and
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flips it in a way not by resisting force, but by giving
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more freely. That's a powerful picture for
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daily life under difficult circumstances.
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Yeah. And we should also touch on Luke
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6.35. Do good and lend expecting
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nothing in return. Lending money, especially
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without expecting repayment. That goes against pretty much
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every financial instinct we have, especially in a world
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built on contracts and returns. It really does.
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It calls for a kind of benevolence that isn't based on
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what you get back. So all these commands together,
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turning the cheek, giving the tunic the extra mile, lending
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freely, they paint this picture of a radically different way to
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live. A way that prioritizes the other
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person, even an enemy, over your own comfort, your own stuff,
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your own sense of what's fair. And what's so fascinating, as
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you said, is how these outward actions, these really demanding
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things, they aren't just about behavior modification.
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They have to be connected to something happening inside a
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deep internal shift. These commands basically require
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you to be radically free from the love of money and free from
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that constant need for earthly security.
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You know that feeling that you have to protect what's yours at
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all costs, and also free from needing earthly honor or
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reputation? How so?
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Can you unpack that connection a bit more?
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Well, think about it. If someone insults you, publicly
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slaps you, and you offer the other cheek your natural pride,
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your desire to maintain face has to take a backseat.
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Right. You're letting go of that need
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for honor in that moment. Or giving away your cloak and
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your tunic. You can't be desperately
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attached to material security if you're willing to do that.
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OK. Yeah, that makes sense.
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And lending without expecting repayment, that directly
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confronts our reliance on financial safety Nets.
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So the implication is pretty clear.
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Your real treasure, your true security, your lasting honor, it
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can't be found down here on earth.
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It must be somewhere else in heaven.
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In heaven. It requires a complete
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reorientation of where you find your ultimate value in safety
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and for these actions to be, well, genuine, for them to come
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from the right place. Jesus himself has to become what
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the source calls radically satisfying for you.
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Radically satisfying? What does that mean practically?
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It means finding your deepest sense of contentment, your real
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joy, your ultimate fulfillment in Him, not just knowing about
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Him, a finding satisfaction in Him.
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Because without that deep inner wellspring of joy in Jesus,
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imagine trying to do these things, turning the other cheek
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while inside you're just boiling.
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Exactly seething with rage, as Piper puts it.
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Or, you know, giving away your tunic but doing it grudgingly
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with resent that wouldn't. Be love, would it?
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It'd just be outward compliance. Right.
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It would be mechanical, joyless. So the commands are actually
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calling for a fundamental change of heart, a heart that learns to
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look consciously to Jesus and to the reward he promises as its
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main source of satisfaction, more satisfying than anything
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this world offers. So it's about shifting your
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desires, your ultimate hope. Precisely moving your affections
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from temporary things to eternal realities.
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When that internal shift happens, the outward actions can
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become authentic expressions of love, not just force duty.
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And it's also really crucial to see that this isn't just about
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doing nice things towards enemies, it's about actually
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wanting what's good for them, genuinely desiring their
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well-being. OK, like Matthew 5.44, pray for
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those who persecute you, Yes. Think about what prayer
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involves. You can't truly, sincerely pray
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for someone if you're simultaneously nursing hatred or
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total indifference towards them in your heart.
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Yeah, that's a searching thought.
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Prayer requires some level of care or concern.
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It does, and it aligns perfectly with blessing your enemies,
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actively seeking their welfare, not just stopping bad things,
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but wanting good things for them.
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The source suggests the aim is incredibly for all the petitions
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of the Lord's Prayer come true for them.
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Wow, all the petitions, Yeah, for your enemy.
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Yeah, think about it. Hallowed be your name, wanting
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God to be honored in their life. Your Kingdom come, your will be
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done. Wanting them to submit to God's
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loving rule. Give us this day, Our Daily
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Bread, wanting their physical needs met.
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Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors,
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wanting them to know God's forgiveness and perhaps enabling
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you to forgive them too. Lead us not into temptation, but
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deliver us from evil, wanting their spiritual protection and
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deliverance. It's comprehensive.
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It signifies this deep desire for their total welfare,
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physical, spiritual, relational, their repentance, their
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salvation. You're actually praying for
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God's redemptive work in their lives.
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Yes, and the source even pushes it further, suggesting this can
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extend to a willingness to lay down our lives to bring them
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about, a readiness to sacrifice for their ultimate good.
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That's a very high calling. It is.
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It shows that the outward act of love needs to flow from an
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inward heart that genuinely desires the flourishing of the
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person who who opposes you. It's not just about managing
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conflict. That internal dimension is so
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key. OK, so we have these high
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principles, this call for inner transformation.
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How does this actually play out in messy real life situations?
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Let's take that example. You often encounter someone
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asking for money, maybe on the street corner, and you have that
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nagging feeling maybe they're not being honest.
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Maybe it's a scam, a con artist? Yeah, that's a common dilemma.
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And our gut reaction is often suspicion, maybe even anger,
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which feels justified, right? We don't want to be tricked.
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Right. We feel smart for seeing through
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it, perhaps. But how does the Spirit of Jesus
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as described in the source approach this when you're
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unsure, When it's ambiguous? The suggestion is to default to
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literal obedience and lean towards free handed giving.
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Default to giving even if you suspect deception.
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It seems Jesus was less concerned about being
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occasionally taken advantage of than he was about the posture of
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generosity and mercy. OK, so the default isn't
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suspicion, it's openness. And more than that, the source
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says, the Spirit of Jesus would first feel compassion even for a
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skilled liar. Compassion first before
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judgement or calculation. Yes, that's a radical reordering
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of our usual response. Instead of anger justifier,
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withholding compassion comes first.
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And then what does compassion mean?
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You just always give. Well, the underlying desire
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ideally should be to move into the life of that liar with the
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good news that Jesus came into the world to save liars.
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So it shifts the focus. It's not just about the money
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anymore. Exactly.
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It becomes potentially relational, even a spiritual
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opportunity, seeing the person not just as a problem, our
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potential cheat, but as someone who needs grace just like we do.
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So if circumstances allow, maybe it means more than just handing
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over cash. Perhaps the source mentions
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trying to engage the person more deeply, maybe offering to buy
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them a meal and talk for a bit. Showing genuine interest beyond
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the request itself. Recognizing their humanity.
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Right, it's about seeing the person.
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Of course, that's not always possible or practical.
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So if deeper engagement isn't an option right then.
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Love might still involve giving freely, even as the source says.
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Knowing the person is probably a con artist, especially if things
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aren't crystal clear. Giving anyway.
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That's tough. That feels like enabling bad
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behavior sometimes. It can feel that way, but it
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aligns with that principle of lending expecting nothing in
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return. It's a posture of generosity,
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even when facing potential exploitation.
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It's risky, love. But is there ever a time when
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love doesn't give? When saying no is the right
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thing. Yes, the source acknowledges
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that it's not advocating naivete.
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There are times when love might say no.
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For instance, if someone has a long proven track record of
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deception and consistently uses the help destructively while
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refusing any real relationship or attempt at change.
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Then continuing to give might actually harm them.
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It could. In such cases, withholding might
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become an act of love intended to disrupt a harmful pattern,
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not out of anger, but hoping for a different outcome.
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It requires wisdom and discernment.
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OK, so it's not a simple formula.
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Not at all, but the default inclination, especially in
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ambiguous situations, leans towards this free handed,
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compassionate giving driven by a desire for the person's ultimate
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good and maybe an opportunity to share the hope of the gospel.
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It really highlights how demanding this love is.
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Hashtag tag tag tag 2. The divine source of this
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radical love. And that demand leads us to the
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next big question. This kind of love, this enemy,
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loving, self giving, compassionate approach.
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It's so unnatural for us. It's rare.
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So how is it even possible? Where does the ability come
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from? If we look at the bigger
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picture, the source suggests the power to love this way comes
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from really 3 interconnected spiritual realities.
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They aren't separate things, but woven together.
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OK, 3 realities. Let's take the first one.
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Yeah, being children of God. Matthew 5, verses 44 and 45 link
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loving enemies directly to this. Love your enemies so that you
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may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.
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Now that phrase so that you may be sons could sound like what?
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Like you become a son by loving your enemies.
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Like it's a condition you have to meet.
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Right, it could sound like works righteousness if you read it
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that way. Earning Sonship.
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But the source argues that's not the meaning here.
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No, the idea is more like love your enemies in order to show
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that you are sons. Prove yourself to be what you
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already are. So it's evidence, not
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qualification. Exactly right.
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It demonstrates that something has already changed.
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God's character, His nature, is now dwelling in you through the
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Spirit, and that new nature inclines you to act like your
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Father. You're showing the family
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resemblance. And God himself sets the example
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right, the passage continues. Yes, it immediately points to
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the Father. He makes his sunrise on the evil
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and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
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God himself shows kindness and provision even to his enemies,
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to those who are evil and unjust, without waiting for them
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to deserve it. He gives good gifts universally,
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sustaining life for everyone. That's the pattern.
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And because He is our Father, we're called to reflect that
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same gracious character. It flows from who He is and who
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we now are in Him. This way of understanding it
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seems to fit with other teachings to like be perfect as
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your heavenly Father is perfect in Matthew 5.48.
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Or Luke 6.36 be merciful even as your Father is merciful.
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These commands seem to assume you are already children and
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that's why you should act this way.
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Precisely. The command is rooted in the
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identity. You're called to imitate your
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father because you belong to his family.
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The perfection and mercy reflect his nature, which he's begun to
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form in you. It's about living out the
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reality of your adoption. And didn't the source mention a
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parallel in John 15 about bearing fruit?
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Yes, John 15.8 By this my Father is glorified that you bear much
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fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.
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Notice the similar language. Prove to be fruit doesn't make
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the branch part of the vine. Fruit is the result of the
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branch already being connected to the vine and drawing life
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from it. OK, so fruit bearing shows you
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are a disciple. Just like loving your enemies
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shows you are a child of God, the love flows from the life
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you've already received through faith in Christ.
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You don't graft yourself in by doing good works.
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The good works happen because you're already grafted in.
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So you don't become God's child by loving.
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Enemies. You love enemies because you
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have become God's child. The source also pointed out
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Matthew 5.16 where Jesus calls God your Father before talking
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about good works. That's right, let your light
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shine before others so that they may see your good works and give
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glory to your Father who is in heaven.
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So the works bring glory to the Father because they flow from
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His children. Yes, because his love is the
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source enabling those actions. It confirms the relationship.
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You can't earn sonship. It's a gift received through
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spiritual birth, through adoption by grace.
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So loving enemies is this powerful demonstration that God
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has become your Father and the ability comes from His love
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already working in you. Exactly.
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It takes the pressure off trying to earn His favor and frees us
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to live out of the favor we've already been given.
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That's a liberating thought. And that connects directly to
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the practical side of things, this knowledge, this reality of
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being a child of God. How does it actually help you
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face those real world anxieties we talked about, like losing
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things or being dishonored? Yeah, how does knowing you're a
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child of God help you turn the other cheek without boiling
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inside? Well, the source says it sets us
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free from anxiety because if God is your Father, your ultimate
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security isn't tied to earthly things anymore.
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You're freed from that gnawing fear of losing your treasure or
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your security or your reputation when people treat you badly or
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take your stuff. How does that freedom work?
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Is it just ignoring the problems?
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No, it's rooted in something much deeper.
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The intimate knowledge and tender sovereign care of our
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omnipotent, all wise Heavenly Father.
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It's trust. Trust in a Father who is all
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powerful, knows everything and loves you perfectly.
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He knows what you need, like Matthew 6 says.
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Right Matthew 6.3132 Do not be anxious.
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Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
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Food, clothing, the basics. He knows He cares.
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And the Sparrows passage too, in Matthew 10.
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Yes, God cares for sparrows which were sold for pennies and
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Jesus says you are of more value than many sparrows.
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He even knows the number of hairs on your head.
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That level of intimate, detailed care.
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That's what provides the foundation the security to face
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the radical kind of risks and losses that enemy love demands.
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So you can to freely turn the cheek go the extra mile.
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Because your ultimate well-being isn't dependent on keeping your
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cloak or getting paid back or preserving your earthly honor.
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Your Father holds your true life, your real security in his
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hands. That assurance enables a
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generosity and vulnerability that just looks foolish to the
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world. OK, so there's the security in
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his present care, and that leads to the second reality enabling
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this love, the promise for the future.
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The reward Luke 6. .35 Again love your enemies and your
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reward will be great and you will be sons of the Most High.
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That promise of a great reward isn't just a small
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encouragement, it's presented as a major motivation.
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And it's linked again to sonship.
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You will be sons, the Most High. How does the reward connect to
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being sons? Well, as sons we become heirs.
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Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.
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As Paul puts it elsewhere, being confirmed as sons means securing
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your inheritance. And inheritance like inheriting
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the earth. As Matthew 5.5 says, blessed are
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the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
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Exactly. It points towards this
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incredible future participation in God's Kingdom, inheriting all
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things through Christ. It's a reward far beyond
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anything temporary. It's the fullness of what it
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means to be God's child. And critically, this reward is
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described as being in heaven, not primarily on earth.
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Why is that so important? Because honestly, loving your
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enemies in this radical way might cost you dearly on Earth.
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Jesus himself warned his followers they could face
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persecution, betrayal, even death.
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Luke 21.16 mentions being delivered up by family.
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If your hope was only for this life, that kind of sacrifice
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would make no sense. Precisely.
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It would be irrational, but because the reward is heavenly,
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eternal, secure with God, it completely changes the
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calculation. The joy that fuels believers
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through hardship and persecution, the joy that
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enables them to love enemies, is not based mainly on what this
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world can offer. It's based on what God will be
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for us. Yes, what God will be for us as
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our Father, and what Jesus will be for us as our King in the age
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to come. That's the hope fueling passages
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like Matthew 5.11 or 12. Rejoice and be glad when
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persecuted, for your reward is great in heaven, or Luke 14.114
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the blessing at the resurrection.
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So this future hope, this secure inheritance, is the fuel for
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present sacrifice. It absolutely is.
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It connects back to Jesus being that satisfying treasure He's
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worth more than anything we might lose here.
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This frees us to give generously now, because our true wealth is
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secure forever. And that leads us to the third
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interconnected reality, which is perhaps the very wellspring from
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which all this flows. Luke 6.36.
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Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
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This command implies something crucial that the mercy we're
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called to show is deeply rooted in the saving experience of
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God's mercy that we've already received.
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So it's not just imitating God from a distance, it's responding
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to something personal. Yes, it's an organic result of
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the transformation that happened when we first experienced His
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mercy towards us. Think about that principle from
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Matthew 10.8. You received without paying,
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give without pay. Freely receive, Freely give.
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That's the heart of it. How did we receive God's
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forgiveness? Was it because we earned it?
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Because we deserved it. No, not at all.
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It was grace, a gift. Exactly.
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God freely forgiven our sins because of Jesus, because of his
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sacrifice. It was bought with his blood,
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but we received it without paying, without earning it pure
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gift. So our entry into God's Kingdom,
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our status as forgiven disciples, it comes by faith,
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not by loving our enemy first, right?
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Jesus didn't come for the righteous, but for sinners.
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Luke 5.32. He came for the sick, not the
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healthy. His grace reaches down to those
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who know they need it. Remember Matthew 21.31 tax
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collectors and prostitutes entering the Kingdom ahead of
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the religious leaders who thought they had it all
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together? Because they recognized their
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need for mercy. They did.
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They received the gift. So the logic follows because we
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received all this without pay, forgiveness, adoption, eternal
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life without earning or deserving any of it.
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We are now called and actually enabled to freely give love to
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your enemies. We ourselves received love when
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you were enemies of God. As Romans 5 puts it, while we
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were still sinners, Christ died for us.
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We were the recipients of unmerited love.
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And having received that incredible, undeserved enemy
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love from God, we are now empowered to extend that same
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kind of love to others who don't deserve it from.
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Us. It's like the grace we received
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becomes the source of the grace we give.
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Precisely. It's not like we're trying to
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pay God back. It's more like his love has
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filled us up and now it has to overflow.
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It's the natural expression of the new life we have in Christ,
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mimicking the Father's character because his mercy has made us
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new. That's the deepest the source of
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this radical enemy love hashtag #outtrip.
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Wow. So when we dig into it like
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this, loving your enemies, it's not just this impossibly high
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command we have to somehow achieve through sheer effort.
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It's actually, surprisingly, a sign, a mark of who you already
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are. If you're in Christ, it's
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evidence that you're his child, enabling you to reflect your
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father's character. It shows his work in you.
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Yeah, that's the core insight. The call is ultimately to mirror
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God's own grace, to pass on the love and the mercy that you've
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already received so freely, and to do it not because you have
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to, Not out of grim obligation, but hopefully, increasingly,
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from a changed heart. A heart that feels secure in
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God's care and is genuinely looking forward to his coming
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Kingdom. It's meant to be a response born
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out of gratitude and trust. So maybe a thought to leave with
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you, our listener, as you finish this deep dive.
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How might really dwelling on the unearned mercy you've received
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from God perhaps equip you, Maybe even motivate you to offer
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some unexpected, unearned kindness to someone else this
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week, even someone difficult? This has been Reformed thinking.