"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." — Matthew 5:9 (KJV)
The short answer
Jesus turns the world's instinct upside down: not revenge but love, not cursing but blessing, not hatred but prayer for those who wrong us. To love your enemies is to reflect a Father who is kind even to the ungrateful. Its heart is found in Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27-28, and Romans 12:21.
Loving your enemies is perhaps the most counter-intuitive command in all of Scripture. Everything in us wants to answer harm with harm and coldness with coldness. Yet Jesus calls His followers to a different way entirely — not weakness, and not pretending we were not hurt, but a deliberate refusal to let hatred have the last word. It is a hard teaching, but it is also a liberating one, and it is never asked of us alone. Below are eight passages, quoted exactly from the King James Version, showing both the command and the God who makes it possible.
What did Jesus command about enemies?
Jesus does not leave the idea vague. He spells out, in plain verbs, exactly what love for an enemy looks like: bless, do good, pray.
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;" — Matthew 5:44 (KJV)
Notice that every response Jesus names is an action, not an emotion. You may not be able to summon warm feelings for someone who has wounded you, but you can choose to bless rather than curse, and you can pray. Love, in Jesus's mouth, is something you do before it is something you feel.
"But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you." — Luke 6:27-28 (KJV)
Luke's account repeats the call so we cannot mistake it for hyperbole. "To them which hate you" — Jesus is realistic about the fact that some people will genuinely oppose you. His answer is not to match their hatred but to overcome it with steady, active good.
How do I actually love someone who hurt me?
Scripture keeps love for enemies from floating into abstraction by making it wonderfully practical — it comes down to bread, water, and tangible kindness.
"If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink: For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee." — Proverbs 25:21-22 (KJV)
Long before Jesus, the wisdom of Proverbs was already pointing this way. Meeting an enemy's real needs disarms hostility in a way that arguments never can. The "coals of fire" picture the burning of shame that can soften a hardened heart and open the door to change.
"Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head." — Romans 12:20 (KJV)
Paul takes up the same words and applies them to the church. Concrete kindness is not defeat; it is a quiet strength that leaves vengeance to God and returns good instead. You are not required to feel affection first — you are invited to act in love and let God work.
How should I respond when I am wronged?
The Bible is honest that being wronged tempts us toward bitterness. Its counsel is not to bottle up anger but to actively choose blessing over retaliation.
"Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not." — Romans 12:14 (KJV)
This short verse holds a whole discipline. "Bless, and curse not" is a daily choice about the words we speak — even the words we mutter under our breath. Choosing to speak well of, and pray good over, those who hurt us slowly loosens their grip on our peace.
"Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." — Romans 12:21 (KJV)
Here is the strategy in a single sentence. Evil wins twice when it wounds us and then turns us bitter. Returning good is how we refuse that second defeat — not letting another person's cruelty reshape us into their image, but staying free.
Why should I love my enemies?
Jesus roots this whole command in something bigger than willpower: the character of God Himself, and the family likeness of those who belong to Him.
"For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?" — Matthew 5:46-47 (KJV)
Loving those who love us back is easy and ordinary; anyone can do it. Jesus calls His people to a love that stands out precisely because it reaches past the people who deserve it. That kind of love is a testimony the world cannot explain away.
"But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil." — Luke 6:35 (KJV)
Here is the deepest reason of all: God "is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil." When you love an enemy, you are not doing something strange — you are doing exactly what God has already done for you. It is the family resemblance of the children of the Highest.
Frequently asked questions
What did Jesus say about loving your enemies?
Jesus gave one of His most striking commands in the Sermon on the Mount: Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you (Matthew 5:44, KJV). He calls His followers not merely to tolerate their enemies but to actively will their good, bless them, and pray for them. The reason is that this reflects the character of God, who is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil (Luke 6:35, KJV).
How can I love someone who has hurt me?
Biblical love for an enemy is not primarily a warm feeling; it is a set of concrete actions you can choose even while the wound is fresh. Scripture makes it practical: feed him, give him drink, bless and curse not, and pray for the one who mistreated you (Romans 12:20; Romans 12:14; Matthew 5:44). It never asks you to call evil good or to pretend you were not harmed. It simply refuses to let bitterness win, calling you to be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21, KJV). This is only possible with God's help, and it is often the doorway to your own freedom.
"If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." — Romans 12:18 (KJV)
Take it deeper
These verses are a beginning, not the whole of what God says about mercy, forgiveness, and peace. FlickerFaith is a Scripture-first study companion — open it to read these passages in full context, search related verses, pray for the person on your heart, and ask honest questions about anger, hurt, and letting go. It keeps you close to the Word, not away from it.
Keep reading
Love that reaches past our own is the same love that builds a home — see what the Bible says about marriage. You may also read about dating, sexual purity, and divorce. Browse all Bible topics, try AI Bible study, or return home.