Matthew 5:44-48 NIV records, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.5.48.NIV
Most Christians are familiar with Jesus’ command to be perfect as the Heavenly Father is perfect. It is ignored as impossible because it is interpreted to mean never to do anything wrong in thought, word, or deed. A definite impossibility for us still living in earthly bodies that are hard-wired toward rebellion against God and man. The context for the command to be perfect is in our treatment of others. God treats everyone the same at the foundational level. The sun rises on everyone. Rain blesses everyone. Everyone we encounter should be afforded common courtesy, respect, and any loving action necessary from us to demonstrate our primary love for God. Our most profound testimony that we love God is when we love our enemy and those who hate us. This love doesn’t mean acceptance of their lifestyle, nor placing ourselves continuously in their harm, but it does mean forgiving their sin against us and doing them good whenever we can. Perfection is not noticing another person’s behavior, color, intelligence, income, or any other factor that might cause us to favor one person over another in our most basic treatment of people. As God loves everyone, Christians are to show love to everyone based on their love for God and His love for humanity, not based on our preferences within humanity. We can be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect by simply choosing to love everyone with forgiveness, kindness, patience, and faithfulness to share and demonstrate Jesus to everyone regardless of their behaviors, whatever they may be toward us.
