You Are God's Enemy—Until Love Finds You

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” —Martin Luther King, Jr.

Who is your enemy?

• Parents

• Siblings

• Friends

• Boss

• Co-workers

• Church members

• Strangers

• Nations

• God?

• You?

We often look outward when asked this question—but rarely inward.
For years, I never realized I was God’s enemy.

I said I believed in Him.
I prayed for comfort, success, and resolution.
But I didn’t trust Him.
I pursued my own desires, placed my hope in the world, and spoke of faith without knowing His Word.

"You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?" —James 4:4

I wanted His gifts, but not His heart.
I wanted peace, but not surrender.
In many ways, I was unfaithful to God—a friend in name, but an enemy in action.

When God Loved His Enemy

Yet, even in my rebellion, God pursued me.
He convicted me.
He drew me near.
He called me His child.

I repented—of my self-righteousness, my divided heart, and my counterfeit faith.

And in His mercy, He didn’t shame me.
He forgave me.
He made His enemy into a friend.

This is the Gospel.
This is the God we follow.

“God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” —Romans 5:8

We Are All Someone’s Enemy

Saint Augustine said, “We have enemies, for who can live on this earth without them?”
Sometimes, we are the enemy.
When we are careless, bitter, unkind—we wound others.

And enemies accumulate. As Chuck Swindoll once said,

“Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate.”

We may be the reason someone else hides, hurts, or loses hope.
But in Christ, we are also invited to love our enemies—even if we have been one.

Scripture on Enemies

• “My enemies speak evil against me...” —Psalm 41:5

• “The enemy has persecuted my soul... crushed my life to the ground.” —Psalm 143:3

• “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.” —Luke 6:27

• “Turn the other cheek... do not demand it back.” —Luke 6:29–30

Jesus didn’t just teach this—He lived it.
At the cross, He died not for friends, but for enemies.
And in doing so, He made us sons and daughters.

The Final Reflection

Martin Luther King Jr. was right:

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”

So was Augustine:

“My heart began to throb with a bewildering passion for the wisdom of eternal truth… My God, how I burned with longing to have wings to carry me back to You.”

Have you considered that you were once God’s enemy?
Do you know the lengths to which He went to make you His friend?

And now—will you love your enemies as He first loved you?