Loving Our Enemies

If I love the brethren, that is a sign that I have got Christ’s spirit. If I love my enemies, that is a better sign. Now it takes the grace of God — it takes the love of God — nothing but the love of God will enable me to do that. To love a man that slanders me; to love a man that would tear down my character; to love a man that would ruin and blast my life takes something beyond human love. You cannot do that of yourself. It is not in the power of man. You go out and preach to the world — tell men to love their enemies; they will say, “I ought to, but I hate them. I just hate them.” If a man had come to me and told me before I was born of God to love my enemies, and pray for them that persecute me, he might as well have gone and talked to the wind. It was not in my power to do it. But when I was born of God I got a new principle placed in me — the power to love my enemies; and the first impulse of the young convert is to love. I remember when I was converted I loved every person on the face of the earth. All bitterness had been taken out. To love a man that loves me takes no grace at all. The natural man does that. But to love those that do not care for you takes the love of God. Have you got that love? Let us put that test to ourselves. If we have, that is a sign that the Holy Ghost has shed abroad the love of God in our hearts, and we have the spirit of Calvary. Because the very moment Jesus Christ was being put to death on the cross, that very hour they were mocking and deriding Him, He was praying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

~ This is from “Assurance” in Mr. Moody’s book The Great Redemption or Gospel Light.