Kingdom Love: How to Love Your Enemies When It Hurts?
— Key Verse: Matthew 5:46-48
Jun 2, 2026
7-9 min read
What Is Kingdom Love?
Love is easy when people are easy to love. Most of us naturally enjoy being around people who encourage us, agree with us, appreciate us, and treat us well. It’s not difficult to show kindness to someone who is kind to us. It’s easy to extend grace when someone hasn’t hurt us.
In fact, that’s how most people define love. We love those who love us. We care for those who care for us. We invest in relationships that bring something positive into our lives.
Yet Jesus challenges that mindset with a simple but powerful question in Matthew 5:46:
“If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?”
His point is clear. There is nothing uniquely Christian about loving lovable people. Anyone can do that. The true test of love is not what happens when relationships are easy. The true test of love is what happens when love becomes difficult.
When Love Gets Difficult
What happens when someone disagrees with you?
What happens when someone wounds you, betrays your trust, criticizes you unfairly, or speaks against you?
For many people, that is where love ends.
We all have a line somewhere. We may not say it out loud, but we often live by the mindset:
“I’ll love you as long as you don’t hurt me.”
The moment that line is crossed, our affection turns to frustration, our patience disappears, and our willingness to extend grace fades away.
But Jesus presents a different kind of love.
Does Loving Your Enemies Mean Ignoring Wrongdoing?
Loving your enemies does not mean ignoring evil or pretending that wrongdoing doesn’t matter.
Scripture never calls believers to become passive in the face of injustice.
There is a difference between revenge and protection.
A father protecting his family is not seeking vengeance. A shepherd guarding his sheep is not acting out of hatred. Even Jesus confronted evil directly.
Kingdom love does not require us to approve of sin or abandon wisdom. Instead, it calls us to resist the temptation to become like those who have hurt us.
One of the greatest victories a believer can experience is not defeating an enemy but refusing to become one.
Love Your Enemies: Jesus' Radical Command
Jesus says:
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
Those words sounded radical to His original audience, and they remain radical today.
Jesus wasn’t simply telling His followers to tolerate difficult people or avoid retaliation. He was calling them to reflect the very heart of God.
Kingdom love begins where worldly love ends.
Worldly love draws the line where it hurts, but Kingdom love goes through the hurt.
This kind of love is not natural. It is supernatural.
Left to ourselves, we tend to love people who are like us, agree with us, and treat us well. Jesus intentionally pushes beyond those boundaries. He tells us to love not only our friends but also our enemies—not only those who bring peace into our lives but also those who create tension and difficulty.
Anyone can love sunshine people.
Jesus calls us to love storm people, too.
God's Love Is the Foundation of Kingdom Love
The reason Jesus can call us to this higher standard is because this is exactly how God loved us.
In Matthew 5, Jesus points to the Father, reminding us that God causes the sun to rise on both the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous alike.
Every day, God demonstrates kindness to people who ignore Him, reject Him, and fail to acknowledge Him.
His love is not based on worthiness.
Romans 5:8 reminds us:
“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
God did not wait for us to clean up our lives before extending His love.
He loved us when we were broken.
He loved us when we were rebellious.
He loved us when we were still His enemies.
That truth changes everything.
Every believer is a recipient of undeserved grace. None of us earned God’s love. None of us deserved His mercy. We were rescued because of who He is, not because of who we were.
When we truly understand how much grace we have received, it becomes much harder to withhold grace from others.
Corrie Ten Boom: A Powerful Example of Forgiveness
One of the most powerful examples of Kingdom love comes from Corrie Ten Boom.
After surviving a Nazi concentration camp where members of her family died, she spent years speaking about God’s forgiveness.
Following one of her messages, a man approached her, and she immediately recognized him as one of the guards from the camp.
The memories of suffering and loss came rushing back.
She later admitted that in that moment she did not feel capable of forgiving him.
Yet she prayed a simple prayer:
“Jesus, help me.”
As she reached out her hand in obedience, she experienced God’s love giving her the strength to do what she could not do on her own.
That is the beauty of Kingdom love.
It is not merely a feeling.
It is the power of God working through a surrendered heart.
Growing Into Spiritual Maturity
Jesus concludes this teaching by saying:
“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
The word “perfect” carries the idea of maturity and completeness.
Jesus is calling us to grow into the character of our Father.
Anybody can retaliate.
Anybody can remain offended.
Anybody can hold a grudge.
But when believers choose forgiveness, pray for those who hurt them, and respond with grace instead of vengeance, the world sees something different.
The world sees something supernatural.
The world sees Jesus.
“Yet she prayed a simple prayer:
“Jesus, help me.”
”
How Kingdom Love Changes Lives
In a culture marked by division, outrage, and bitterness, Kingdom love remains one of the Church’s most powerful witnesses.
It is easy to love people who love us back.
The real challenge is loving people when it costs us something.
So take a moment to ask yourself:
- Where does your love stop?
- Who is difficult for you to love right now?
- Is there someone God is calling you to forgive?
- How can you reflect God’s grace in a difficult relationship?
Bring that person before God in prayer.
Ask Him to soften your heart, strengthen your spirit, and help you reflect His character.
Because worldly love draws the line where it hurts, but Kingdom love goes through the hurt.
And that kind of love has the power to change lives.
FAQs
What is Kingdom love?
Kingdom love is the supernatural love of God expressed through believers. It goes beyond natural affection and extends grace, forgiveness, and compassion even toward difficult people and enemies.
What does Jesus mean by loving your enemies?
Jesus teaches believers to respond to hostility with prayer, grace, and forgiveness rather than revenge or hatred. Loving your enemies reflects God’s character and demonstrates spiritual maturity.
Does loving your enemies mean accepting abuse?
No. Loving your enemies does not mean tolerating abuse, enabling sin, or ignoring injustice. Biblical love can include healthy boundaries, protection, and accountability.
Why is forgiveness important in Christianity?
Forgiveness reflects the grace God has shown us through Christ. Christians forgive because they have first been forgiven by God.
How can I love someone who has hurt me?
Loving someone who has hurt you begins with prayer, surrendering your pain to God, and relying on His strength rather than your own emotions. Through the Holy Spirit, believers can extend grace even when it feels impossible.