Does a rival (or competitor) technically count as a type of an enemy?
Walking home the other day, I was thinking about rivals and about the perspectives I’ve always held about enemies. I had assumed that it was wrong—Biblically speaking—to even have enemies. Having someone in my life who I would actually label as an “enemy” seems so harsh and “un-Christian.” After all, Christians, by definition, are supposed to live as representatives of Jesus’ love. And having an enemy seems so hateful.
As I continued my train of thought, I recalled that passage where Jesus talks about loving one’s enemies (Matthew 5:43-48). What I find interesting is that Jesus did not say, “Don’t have enemies.” Instead, He assumed that people—maybe all of us on some level—already have enemies. Maybe it’s automatic. Maybe being in a state of contention with others is the default existence for humans. Regardless, in the passage, Jesus assumes that we already have enemies, and instead of saying we ought not to have them, Jesus simply says to love them.
In the same passage, Jesus tells us to be perfect as God is perfect. Why is this phrase found in a paragraph that talks about how we are to treat our enemies? What has our treatment of enemies to do with our imitation of the Lord?
Perhaps because God has enemies too. This leads me to believe that if God has enemies, then the having of enemies cannot necessarily be inherently wrong. But how does God treat His enemies? With love. Even when we—the humans He created—have individually and collectively rebelled against Him in pursuit of our own sins and established ourselves as His enemies, still, He has loved us (Romans 5:8).
After this ride on my train of thought, I’ve come to the simple conclusion that because God loves His enemies, we who are called to be as He is must love our enemies as well.
And yes, I think rivals—maybe even those with whom we are involved in friendly rivalries—ought to fall under the category of “enemies.”
SDG
