Can God love even His worst enemy?

Question

If we are God's children, shouldn't we resemble Him in our capabilities for love? Why do we only love our friends?

Parents are proud when their children look like them. But parents grieve when their children don't inherit their values. Which is more important, to look like your parents, or to resemble them in character?

Matt 5:43-48
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.

For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

I do believe that Gos still loves Satan, not for what he does, but for the potential for goodness that God put in Lucifer when he was created. God still has hope that Satan will repent.

A parent never stops loving their child, even if they go so far away as to bevome a murderer. The parent still loves the potential for goodness that they saw in the child. The worst grief for a parent is to see their child executed for some horrible crime. How can God feel any less grief over his lost children?

Answer 1

There is no God! In answer to your question, God would have to forgive Satan and love Him, but He can't do that, and that contradicts God. As God cannot be contradicted, He doesn't exist! Wake up people! God does NOT love Satan. How can He?

Answer 2

This is a tough question. I tend to think that God does not love the sin of His enemy, but he intrinsically cares for his enemy. Since we consider the greatest enemy to be Satan, you've got to remember that tradition says he was one of God's favored angels.

I really think this is impossible to answer without over-humanizing God. Any answer I can come up with seems so completely impossible and contradictory in my head, but I think my own concept of love and God's concept of love is probably two very different things.

But I can't see God 'hating' Satan. After all, if you want to get really picky, God created Satan too.

Answer 3

Seldom have I seen anyone answer their own question so well. The verses you have quoted says it very well. And yes, God CAN do all things. God, and you, have the capability of loving your enemies, but you do not have to love what they do. The Bible also says there is a time for love and a time for hate. Love the sinner, but hate the sin.

Answer 4

Your kidding right? This is the same God that is going to send anyone who doesn't acknowledge and accept him to burn in hell for eternity. I think he would then have the capacity to hate his enemies. Or is he going to do this out of Love? You might discipline your children when they do wrong, to teach them wrong and right, but eternal torture accomplishes what exactly?

Answer 5

God has no enemies. We are all part of the Divine. Why would He hate Himself? Every soul on the planet knows God in some form or another and on some level We all know Who We are.

Answer 6

I would say God understands his enemy, would forgive him if he thought he could; but through his understanding, he knows how he must go about protecting his "children" lets say from what he understands to be threatening to them.

Answer 7

Unconditioned love for every one develops faculties within.

Unconditioned love help more to the person who is in it than the ones who get relief by someones unconditioned love.

Answer 8

Following Jesus' example, Steven forgave his murderers....Yes. I agree absolutely. I try and start with what comes out of my mouth. Ephesians 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

Answer 9

Yes

Answer 10

Well God cannot love sin, he cannot look upon it.
But God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son to take care of the sins of the world. So that those that believe in the son, are saved and upon looking at the believer he sees the believer as rightousness because of the son. He sees his son's absolution of sin in each of us who believe so we are clothed in rightousness because of that.
He loves us.

And ... loving our enemies is impersonal love in the scripture.