What I am about to write is one of the most freeing principles we will experience as we share life together on planet Earth:
As a child of God, you are free to love everyone — yes, everyone.
That powerful principle, like an onion, has many layers. To live it, we must peel through the layers to gain a good understanding of what it means.
Note: The National Day of Prayer is Thursday, May 7. A community-wide prayer event is being held at Way’s Garden at 6:30 PM that evening. All are invited. Bring a lawn chair and dress for the weather. A great opportunity for us to declare in complete unity, “Jesus Christ is Lord!”
First, we need to define the kind of love we’re talking about. The word “love” can mean many different things depending on context. In the context of being free to love everyone, the expression of love would be what the Greeks referred to as agapao (see Strong’s Greek Concordance entry #25). It is a whole-hearted and unconditional expression of love offered by someone who is devoted to loving another person, regardless of that person’s willingness to receive the love offered or to reciprocate in kind. It is an extraordinary expression of love — and one that God expects us to offer to everyone fully. Yes, everyone. Jesus spoke of agapao in the Beatitudes:
You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48
God the Father loves, agapao, the world. Because he loves everyone, he gives the life-sustaining resources of sun and rain to everyone. He blesses everyone with the gift of his one and only Son (See John 3:16). He doesn’t bless just those who love and obey him; he also blesses those who deny his existence or even reject and hate him. In turn, God expects his children (our identity) to offer that same agapao love to everyone — even those who reject and hate us.
OK. So what does that look like? How do we offer agapao love to people who reject God’s existence, or disobey God’s laws, or hate and mistreat us? It’s an important question to answer because wrong answers will result in wrong actions and bring about more harm than good.
Notice that God expresses agapao love to everyone by universally giving the basic resources of life: sun, rain, air, breath, heartbeat, time, grace, etc. Even the most corrupt and vile person receives these basic expressions of unconditional agapao love from God. It is his grace to all of us. Notice, however, that there are other blessings of grace not given. Jesus doesn’t mention peace, contentment, hope, approval, reconciliation with God, eternal life, abba-Father intimacy, etc. That’s because these expressions of God’s love are conditional. They are based on our grace-awakened willingness to believe (John 3:16), to confess Jesus is Lord and to declare his resurrection from the dead (Romans 10:9), to receive salvation by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), to trust in the Lord and to submit to him (Proverbs 3:5-6) fully, and to offer our lives as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2).
There are two expressions of agapao love that God expects us to offer to everyone: respect and kindness. Our fellow humans are worthy of these expressions because they carry in their DNA the image of God.
When it comes to offering these expressions of agapao love to everyone, the major concern (really a fear) for most Christians is that respect and kindness will be interpreted as approval — that the people we love will think we are expressing a favorable opinion of their choices.
Agapao is a risk that God’s grace is willing to take to awaken the dead. Yes, evil people will enjoy God’s grace in this life. Some will misinterpret God’s grace as approval. It is a miscalculation with dire eternal consequences. If people receive God’s grace without acknowledging God’s justice, it is because God is being patient with them:
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. II Peter 3:9
God commands us to offer the basic expressions of agapao love to everyone. They might misinterpret our love as approval, but it is not; it is the grace of love offered freely by those who have freely received it (See Matthew 10:8).
So, with that understanding of agapao love, we are free to love everyone. Why? Because God alone is the Lawgiver and Judge (see James 4:12). It is not my place to stand in judgment and condemn others. Who am I to think I have such authority? Were it not for God’s agapao love offered freely to me every second of every day, I would be lost and condemned. Because I have been given grace, I am compelled to give grace to others. They are worthy of my respect and kindness because God loves them. What they do with the kindness and respect I give is between them and God. When I let go of my fear that offering love will communicate approval, I am set free to agapao love everyone. Remember, perfect love casts out all fear (see 1 John 4:18).
Who is it that you are struggling to love today? Whoever it is, let go of fear, judgment, and condemnation. Instead, embrace the freedom to love. It is your identity as a child of God.
