Lessons from the Bible on Love and Forgiveness
The Bible is full of advice, instructions, and wisdom regarding our relationships with others. These range from simple exhortations to love others more than ourselves to more complex teachings on how to forgive those who have wronged us. These verses and passages from the Bible can serve as helpful reminders in our own relationships with those around us. Read on for some Bible verses about loving each other, loving your neighbor, loving your enemies, and the power of forgiveness.
Loving Each Other
This may seem like a prominent first place to start, but it is also worth noting that this appears to be the rule that many of the others are based on. Jesus’ famous statement about laying down your life for your friends is simply a more extreme version of the normal Christian love for one another. This kind of love is not just something to be reserved for friends, though. It is also to be directed towards those we don’t like or don’t know well. It is not about what others deserve from us but about what we should do for them regardless of their actions. Christians cannot pick and choose whom they show love towards but must include everyone.
So this is my command: Love each other deeply, as much as I have loved you. For the greatest love of all is a love that sacrifices all. And this great love is demonstrated when a person sacrifices his life for his friends.
John 15:12–13
Loving Your Neighbor
Another fundamental but essential part of loving others is showing love towards those who live nearest to you, be they, friends or family. Things like showing hospitality, visiting those who are sick, and taking care of those who can’t take care of themselves are all ways of loving those around you. This isn’t just something that Christians do, of course, but the Bible tells us that it is an integral part of what it means to follow Christ. Loving others doesn’t just mean loving those who are easy to love but also those who are the hardest to love. Loving your neighbor may mean helping another person who doesn’t believe in your God to get food, find a place to live, or even just learn how to read. Loving others doesn’t just mean giving gifts and words of praise but also giving your time and energy to help someone else.
And the second is this: ‘You must love your neighbor in the same way you love yourself.’ You will never find a greater commandment than these.
Mark 12:31
Loving Your Enemy
This may come as a surprise, but loving your enemy is actually one of the more straightforward commands from the Bible. Christians are to love their enemies because their enemy is also made in God’s image and is worthy of love. There are several passages that are relevant to this topic, such as “love your neighbor as yourself,” “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” and “do not repay evil with evil but with good.” As Christians, we are called to love our enemies and show them the same respect and kindness that we would show to our friends. We are not to seek out conflict with other people, but we are also not to back down if they confront us. We must be willing to love others, even if they are actively trying to harm us.
However, I say to you, love your enemy, bless the one who curses you, do something wonderful for the one who hates you, and respond to the very ones who persecute you by praying for them.
Matthew 5:44
The Power of Forgiveness
Finally, we come to one of the more complex and challenging passages on relationships from the Bible. The idea of forgiveness is an important one that is often misunderstood. While forgiveness is often portrayed as something the harmed person does for the person who harmed them, it is actually something both parties must do. Forgiveness is not just letting go of a grudge or pretending that something that hurt you didn’t happen. It is a choice to let go of the negative feelings towards someone who has offended you. This is something that many people struggle with, and that is understandable, as it is challenging to let go of those negative emotions. The Bible does, however, offer some helpful guidance for forgiving others for the wrongs they have done to you.
Tolerate the weaknesses of those in the family of faith, forgiving one another in the same way Jesus Christ has graciously forgiven you. If you find fault with someone, release this same gift of forgiveness to them.
Colossians 3:13
Takeaway
The Bible is full of advice, instructions, and wisdom regarding our relationships with others. These range from simple exhortations to love others more than ourselves to more complex teachings on how to forgive those who have wronged us. These verses and passages from the Bible can serve as helpful reminders in our own relationships with those around us. The Bible tells us that we can’t pick and choose to whom we show love towards. We must love everyone, even those who are the hardest to love or who have done us wrong. It tells us that we must love our neighbor as ourselves and in the same way we love ourselves. It tells us that we can’t find a greater commandment than these. By reading these verses and passages from the Bible, you can be reminded of what it means to love others, to show love towards your enemies, and to forgive others for their wrongdoings.
