Q&A Home > L > Love

Our Lord commanded us to Love our enemy, and those who don't love us. Besides praying for them, how far can an Orthodox Christian go in loving those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, thereby denying the existence of the Lord Jesus Christ?

At the time of His crucifixion, our Lord was surrounded with a crowd who blasphemed  and mocked Him. Even those who crucified Him reviled Him. What was our Lord's  response? The first words He said on the cross were "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Lk 23:34). Being imitators of Christ, we need to learn from Him how to endure and love others. We need to differentiate between sin and sinners, hating the first but loving the second. We should pray always for them and feel pity for them; for they do not know what they do are doing. They are blind and we should pray that God open their eyes and let them know the truth; for this is the will of God "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim 2:4).