Luke 6:30-33 - Do as you would be done by

6:30,31

Again, beware of a legalistic interpretation. But the opposite danger is to use not taking a legalistic interpretation as an excuse for doing nothing! Jesus is using hyperbole in His teaching, a common Jewish method, but the heart of the matter is crucial. Seeking our rights, getting the best for ourselves are the world’s way of living. It is what you will see in any political system. In capitalist systems like our own the evidence is very much to the fore, but the Russians tried communism for many years and exactly the same thing happened. We are to seek the best for others, not just for ourselves. We live to give.

6:32,33

Now this is not saying we should not help those who help us, indeed that is all part of a functioning society, but there is no special merit in doing so. The gospel is about loving those who do not deserve to be loved. God sent His Son because of His love for us, we did not love God, and we were totally undeserving of that love, yet He still sent His Son. We were made in the image of God, and were saved to be like Christ, so we should seek to love as God loves. So if someone does us wrong, or someone can do nothing for us, that is not an excuse not to love them. Now a note of realism and truth is needed here. While the attitude of someone else towards us should not affect whether or not we love them, it will, and should, affect how we love them. I.e. Jesus is not saying we ignore what people do to us. Homosexuality is a big issue these days and an area where “loving” people is greatly misunderstood. Some say that to love homosexuals we must accept their lifestyle. Such talk is unbiblical nonsense, and is not loving them at all. The best that can happen to any sinner (and that includes all human beings) is that the person repents and believes. We must not hate anyone.