Selfless Love

Biblically, kindness is seen through love which is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13:4 (NIV). “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud." The concept of Love is a core foundation of the Christian faith, from this we can interpret that kindness also plays a vital part in our spiritual walk. 

Luke 6:35 teaches us about loving our enemies. However, as humans, we tend to love those who love us and are kind to those who are kind to us. Therefore, it suggests that human love is selfish which is why it says, “Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High...” because it’s easy to love someone who is kind to you but a lot harder to some who isn’t. 

Think about the feelings we get when people treat us badly, look down at us and cause us hurt. That is why it says you will be rewarded when you love your enemies, not when we love our friends because the true challenge is loving those who don’t love us back. This is not normal human behaviour, but this is conduct the Lord expects from a Christian, who is honouring Him in their action towards others. Jesus is the perfect example of this we see this when Jesus asks for the forgiveness of those that crucified him.

When we look at Jesus, the love he gave out was selfless love and that is what He is trying to teach us through this passage. 

Can we love and be kind to our enemies without justification? Just as Christ loved those who persecuted him.