The Fundamentals of the Faith: Love

The core of Christianity has a straightforward fundamental truth: love is not optional. It is not a value that enhances the believer, making one feel better; it is not a virtue reserved for mature believers; and it is not something we practice only when it feels right. Love is the foundation. Strip Christianity down to its core, and what remains is not a self-improvement program, a political position, or a moral checklist; it is a call and mandate to love.

From the very beginning, God has been forming people marked not merely by belief, but by devotion and love. When Jesus was asked to identify what matters most, He did not offer a complex theological system or a lengthy explanation of religious duties. Instead, He pointed directly to love as the defining mark of a life lived for God.

Love is foundational to Christianity. Before we can talk about doctrine, worship, service, or mission, we must understand love and practice love. Our relationship with God does not begin with what we do for Him, but in how we respond to who He is and what He has done for us, and that response is love. Our call as believers is to love God and love people.

As simple as this may sound, Jesus refuses to let love be intellectual or comfortable. He presses it into the real world, into relationships, into places of tension and hurt. Love, as Jesus defines it, is not measured by warm feelings or good intentions, but by faithful obedience, especially when it costs us something.

And it is there, in the merging of love and obedience, that we begin to understand just how fundamental the Great Commandment truly is.

Matthew 22:34 - 40
In this passage, Jesus is approached by an expert in religious law with what seems like a straightforward question: “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” It’s a question many people still ask today, even if it’s not phrased that way. What really matters? What does God expect from us?

Jesus answers by quoting two commandments, both familiar, both foundational:
“You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.”
“And a second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself.”

Then Jesus adds something noteworthy: “The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

In other words, everything God desires from His people can be summed up in a simple phrase: Love God and love others.

At first glance, that sounds simple. Love God. Love people. We might even be tempted to say, “That doesn’t sound so hard.” And in some ways, it isn’t. At least on the surface, loving God feels simple. God is holy. God is good. God is gracious. God forgives. God saves. Loving a God like that makes sense.

Loving others, though, that’s where things get complicated.
It’s one thing to love people who are kind to us, who treat us with respect, who affirm us, who agree with us. Loving people who are easy to love is… easy. Challenging at times, yes, but doable.

But Jesus doesn’t stop there.

Earlier in Matthew’s Gospel, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus raises the bar in a way that makes many of us uncomfortable. In Matthew 5:44, He says: “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!”

That’s where the water gets murky.

If we’re honest, there are some things we wish Jesus had never said, and this might be near the top of the list. Loving our enemies feels unrealistic, unreasonable, and at times downright impossible. It’s far easier to justify resentment than forgiveness. It’s far easier to distance ourselves from those who have hurt us than to pray for them.

Jesus understands this tension. He even acknowledges how natural it is to love only those who love us back. In Matthew 5:46–47, He says:“If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.”

In other words, loving people who love you requires no transformation at all. Anyone can do that. But the love Jesus calls His followers to is something altogether different. It’s a love that reflects the heart of God.

The Apostle Paul picks up this same theme in Romans 12. After eleven chapters that explain the mercy of God, the grace of salvation, and the righteousness of Christ, Paul turns to how believers are called to live.

He begins with a strong appeal: “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.” (Romans 12:1)

Paul is saying that following Christ begins with surrender. To be a “living sacrifice” means we no longer belong to ourselves. Our instincts, desires, reactions, and rights are laid on the altar. We are declaring that our lives are God’s.

This matters deeply when it comes to loving others, especially loving our enemies.

Our natural impulse when we are wronged is self-protection. We either retaliate or retreat, fight or flight. The flesh wants justice on our terms, now. But a surrendered life creates space for something different. Denying self opens the door to love that does not come naturally.

Paul makes it clear: living according to the flesh and living for God are not the same thing. And God commands us to love, even when the person in front of us feels unlovable.

As Paul continues in Romans 12, he gets very practical. In verses 9 and 10, he writes: “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.”

This is not an outward act of love. It is not surface-level kindness. It is not politeness that masks resentment. Paul is calling for love that is sincere, undisguised, unhypocritical, and genuine.

He describes a kind of love marked by a genuine affection; this is a deep bond that commits to one another regardless of circumstances. This is “friend-until-the-end” love. Love that stands with others, not because it’s convenient, but because we are bound together through the cross.
Paul even says we should outdo one another in showing honor. Not to compete. Not to keep score. But to lift one another up, and to edify the body of Christ.

This kind of love should stand in contrast to the world’s version of love. As believers, our care for one another ought to make visible the transforming power of the gospel. My desire should be to honor you in a way that reflects Christ’s love for me.

So far, so good… right?

And then, like Jesus before him, Paul turns the conversation toward enemies.
Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 echo loudly here: “Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.”

That’s a defining statement. Loving our enemies is not an optional extra credit in the Christian life; it is the actual evidence of transformation. It reflects the heart of a Father who gives sunlight to both the evil and the good, and who sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.

The question, of course, is how.

Paul anticipates our resistance in Romans 12:19 -22 “Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, ‘I will take revenge; I will pay them back,’ says the LORD.”

Retaliation is not our mandate. Vengeance is not our responsibility. God alone sees perfectly, judges rightly, and repays justly.

But Paul goes even further. He writes: “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.”

That’s where many of us draw the line. It’s one thing not to retaliate. It’s another thing entirely to serve the person who hurt us.

Yet this is what Jesus calls us to do.

Paul explains that responding with kindness is like “heaping burning coals” on someone’s head. For years, many have misunderstood this phrase as a form of subtle revenge--I’ll be nice, and that will really show them. But biblical scholars suggest something deeper.

John Walvoord notes that in ancient Egypt, carrying burning coals on one’s head was a sign of repentance and shame. In that sense, kindness has the potential to awaken conscience, soften hearts, and invite repentance. It doesn’t guarantee reconciliation—but it reflects obedience.

Our calling is not to control the outcome. Our calling is to reflect Christ.

Let’s be honest: this is hard. Loving enemies goes against every instinct we have. Forgiving deep wounds feels unnatural. Praying for those who hurt us, betrayed us, or caused lasting damage can feel impossible.

And that’s because it is--in our own strength.

We cannot do this on willpower alone. We need the Holy Spirit.

Some who hear these words today carry stories of real trauma. Deep betrayal. Abuse. Injustice that changed the course of your life. And for some, forgiveness has only been possible through the sustaining power of the Spirit of God.

Others may be in the middle of this journey right now, learning, slowly and painfully, how to release bitterness and choose love.

And still others may not yet be able to imagine forgiveness at all.

Wherever you are, the invitation is the same: surrender.

The first step is admitting what we cannot do on our own. When we acknowledge our need for the Spirit’s power, we open ourselves to healing, freedom, and transformation.

As we walk the path of forgiveness, not pretending wounds don’t exist, but trusting God with them, we begin to experience the life Christ promised. A life marked not by bitterness, but by grace. Not by vengeance, but by love.

Love God.
Love others.
And, by the power of the Holy Spirit, love your enemies.

This is not the easy way, but it is the way of Christ.

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