Does God really expect us to love others with that same sacrificial love, even when they take advantage of us?

Fritzpw_Admin · October 30, 2024, 6:03pm

In discussing whether Christians are truly called to love others as God loves us, even when taken advantage of, Romans 5:8 offers insight into God’s sacrificial love. This conversation centers on balancing Christ-like love with setting healthy boundaries and invites us to consider the depth of love we’re called to demonstrate.

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Great question! Reflecting on Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” – we see a picture of God’s love for us even when we were unworthy. This verse challenges us to consider the depth of love we’re called to extend to others.

But does God really expect us to love others with that same sacrificial love, even when they take advantage of us? Where do we draw the line between love and self-care?

Watch the video here:

Zobia · October 31, 2024, 12:15pm

God wants us to love others like He loves us, even when they hurt us. This kind of love helps us show kindness and forgiveness, making our relationships stronger.

Bingo · October 31, 2024, 4:21pm

In almost all discussions of this sort, the substitution of “compassion” for “love” makes more sense and is a more realistic approach to human relations.

ImperfectlyPerfectC · November 1, 2024, 7:02am

I’ve wrestled with the idea of loving others with that sacrificial love, especially when I sometimes feel taken advantage of, however, I cling to the teachings of Jesus.

(John 15:12-13), in which He says, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life one’s friends.” This challenges me to reflect on what real love looks like; not just warm feelings, but action, even sacrifice.

Yet, self-care is also crucial. In (Matthew 22:39), Jesus tells us to “love your neighbor as yourself.” This implies that loving others with loving ourselves. It’s not about letting people walk all over us or sacrificing our well-being, but it is about finding that righteous balance.

I think a profound truth is that extending love doesn’t mean we turn a blind eye to toxicity. Sometimes, loving someone means setting boundaries too. It reminds me of how Jesus interacted with both of his friends and foes; He loved everyone but didn’t always let them disturb His peace and purpose.

I’m learning that loving sacrificially isn’t about being a doormat; it’s about being intentional and wise in how I use my love. God calls us to love, but also gives us the wisdom to protect our hearts as well. Trust in Him to guide our hearts in each situation we pass by.

Kshordy · December 10, 2025, 9:35am

God wants us to love eachother like we kin.

Tillman · December 11, 2025, 10:21pm

I think there is a misunderstanding here. This is similar to the misunderstanding people have about salvation through works vs faith.

The works are a byproduct of the transformation that occurs in a relationship with God, via the Holy Spirit working and moving through us. It comes from the LOVE that God grows in our hearts for others, allowing us to see them like Christ sees them- with the momentary fragility of all life that passes away never to exist in that form again.

This is the same understanding of a parent who loses a child before they have ever stepped into life. Or as David says at his child’s death, Someday I will go to him, but he cannot come back to me.

The Sacrifice of Love is no Sacrifice. It is a willing surrender to that power that Ressurrects in order to save someone who we love as ourselves and whose life we count as our own.

Who among you would not throw your life away to save your child, or that person you count as a significant part of you, whose suffering would wreck you to your core, whose passing would grieve you to no end? LOVE is not a Sacrifice but a Willing Knowing Movement to hold all life as God Breathed and Sacred and to treat it that way. It is not work. It is Clarity, Connection, Empathy, and LOVE displayed in its full power. It is Christ living in you.

Johann · December 11, 2025, 11:42pm

What Does Agape Love Really Mean?
How to Do a Bible Word Study on ‘Love’
How What Yo Love Shapes How You Interpret the Bible

J.

josephperryg4 · February 1, 2026, 5:26pm

What does Jesus say on this subject? Matthew tells us:

“And seeing the multitudes, he went up into the mountain: and when he had sat down, his disciples came unto him: and he opened his mouth and taught them, saying,

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you.”

Read everything from above to

“Every one therefore that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon the rock. And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof.

And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these words, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching: for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”

Many Christians claim a literal inspiration for the Bible yet spend a great deal of time saying:
” That really means …”

Luke tells us:

“And Jesus said, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

Aren’t we told to follow in Jesus’s footsteps?

Bestill · February 1, 2026, 7:26pm

I think that knowing who you are in Christ enables you to sacrificially love others. Because of your identity in Jesus, no one can really take advantage of you because your identity remains intact. All they can really do are worldly things that have to do with money or property or reputation and none of those things have to do with who you are in Christ. The advantage they take may effect your daily life, but it doesn’t touch your eternal life. If we think about who we are and what we’ve been given and all that we have as a child of God, it helps us in that moment to forgive and to show that sacrificial love in return.

Tillman · February 1, 2026, 9:06pm

LOVE does not include opening yourself up to become a victim. Nor does it allow other people to become victims. Remember that Paul says that LOVE always protects in 1 Corinthians 13:7.

The Highest Second Command is to LOVE our neighbor as we LOVE ourselves. But to fulfill this Law we must both LOVE ourselves and our neighbors. Failing to correctly accomplish one aspect of this keeps the other part from being fulfilled. Not only that, but this Law feeds into the most important Law, which is to LOVE God.

These two Laws are actually tightly intertwined, forming a pyramid of sorts where the foundation is based on people LOVING each other, while the point at the top is the LOVE we have for God. In the same way that we cannot LOVE our neighbor unless we also LOVE ourselves, we cannot LOVE God if we do not also LOVE our neighbor. This is referred to in 1 John 4:20, **²⁰**If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.

And yes, I know it says, brother. But we are not just called to LOVE our brothers. Our love is meant to stretch beyond just those we are close to and extend out into the world to those we share space with and live next to.

Now I may be wrong about this, but when it comes to LOVING someone who has set themselves against us, I think of the Scripture- Be wise as snakes but innocent as doves. And in this, I think of LOVE in terms of Martial Arts, where people defend themselves by turning the energy, movement, and speed of their opponents against them.

If a person intends to do evil, we are told not to trade evil for evil. But we see in Scripture that old saying, “Judge not lest ye be Judged,” and “Those who live by the sword die by the sword.”

There is a sort of return of intention when people do evil deeds. The Chickens come home to roost. And we see this in Martial Arts when a move is used to deflect harm, causing an opponent to be brought down by his own moves against us. And in this, harm can be avoided if we focus on sending an opponent to the mat rather than trying to end them, hopefully allowing God’s lessons through pain inform any future attempts on their part.

Now how this translates in situations where physical attacks are not the issue, I do not know. But the goal is to strive for the salvation of others, not their harm. But also, in protecting ourselves and others. Think of the old comic book superheroes who never killed but ensured the safety of all including the criminals they captured. And sometimes, like Catwoman, villains change sides. They see the light. But it takes the Valor of a Knight who is willing to face the Darkness and not succumb to it, to be that higher example, to pull others out of the darkness into the light. To show them there is a better way to live.

bdavidc · February 1, 2026, 9:43pm

Those questions sound deep, but Scripture already gives the answers without hiding them behind methods.

What does agapē love really mean?

God doesn’t define love with a dictionary. He defines it with a cross. “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us” ~1 John 3:16. Love is not a mystery word to decode. It is a life to follow. When Jesus commands love, He is calling for obedience that flows from faith ~John 14:15, not a redefinition built on word studies.

How do we do a Bible word study on love?

Tools can help, but Scripture never says truth is found in charts and software. Context matters, not conjuncture. The Bereans got commendation because they checked teaching against Scripture itself, not because they had strong Greek skills ~Acts 17:11. Peter didn’t say Scripture could be distorted by disproving it, but by mishandling it ~2 Peter 3:16.

How what you love shapes how you interpret the Bible

That principle is true. The heart matters ~Matthew 6:21. But Scripture’s solution is not diagnosing motives. It is submitting to the text. God doesn’t tell us to analyze hearts. He tells us to rightly handle His Word ~2 Timothy 2:15.

Here’s the concern beneath these questions. When word studies become the lens that governs Scripture, authority quietly shifts. The method becomes the judge, not the Word. But Scripture says we live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God ~Matthew 4:4.

Love is commanded, yes. But love is also produced by God, not engineered by technique. “The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost” ~Romans 5:5.

Johann · February 1, 2026, 9:49pm

The Value of Hebrew and Greek to Clergymen.

Without some knowledge of Hebrew and Greek, you cannot understand the critical commentaries on the Scriptures, and a commentary that is not critical is of doubtful value.

Without some knowledge of Hebrew and Greek, you cannot satisfy yourself or those who look to you for help as to the changes which you will find in the Revised Old and New Testaments.

Without some knowledge of Hebrew and Greek, you cannot appreciate the critical discussions, now so frequent, relating to the books of the Old and New Testaments.

Without some knowledge of Hebrew and Greek, you cannot be certain, in a single instance, that in your sermon based on a Scripture text, you are presenting the correct teaching of that text.

Without some knowledge of Hebrew and Greek, you cannot be an independent student, or a reliable interpreter of the word of God.

As much knowledge of Hebrew can be secured, with the same method, under the same circumstances, by the same pupil, in one year, with the aid of the Interlinear Old Testament, as can be gained of Latin in three years. Greek, though somewhat more difficult, may be readily acquired within a brief period with the aid of the Interlinear New Testament (which contains a lexicon) and an elementary Greek grammar.

The Hebrew language has, in all, about 7,000 words, and of these 1,000 occur in the Old Testament over 25 times each.

The Hebrew grammar has but one form for the Relative pronoun in all cases, numbers and genders; but three forms for the Demonstrative pronoun. The possible verbal forms are about 300 as compared with the 1,200 found in Greek. It has practically no declension.

Within ten years the average man wastes more time in fruitless reading and indifferent talk, than would be used in acquiring a good working knowledge of Hebrew and Greek that in turn would impart to his teaching that quality of independence and of reliability which so greatly enhances one’s power as a teacher.

There is not one minister in ten who might not if he but would, find time and opportunity for such study of Hebrew and Greek as would enable him to make a thoroughly practical use of it in his work as a Bible-preacher and Bible-teacher.

J.

Bestill · February 1, 2026, 10:14pm

I disagree with this statement. The Bible we have today is the Bible God has contended we have. He protects His word and has done so throughout the ages. There are people around the world who can’t read, let along know Greek or Hebrew and they have come to faith in Christ by only hearing the gospel. “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God” It’s the Holy Spirit in every Christian who gives the revelation and insight into the Bible. The ability to learn Greek or Hebrew is not an option for many people and yet they have come to faith. If you have the option and resources to learn, that’s great for you, but it isn’t necessary to understand what the Bible tells us

bdavidc · February 1, 2026, 10:22pm

Scripture does not lead to the conclusion you draw. The Bible never teaches that certainty or authority rides on knowledge of Hebrew and Greek. That statement quietly moves our confidence from God’s Word to our technique.

But Scripture plainly says God’s Word gives understanding by itself. “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” ~Psalm 119:130. Hebrew should not get in the way of that statement being true.

Jesus did not rebuke people for not having access to original languages. He rebuked those who did know Scripture because of their unbelief and hardened hearts. Jesus told the Jews, “Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God” ~Matthew 22:29. Hebrew was not their problem, Jesus said; they knew it. Their problem was rejecting what God had revealed.

Paul didn’t base authority on linguistic freedom either. He said Scripture itself IS sufficient for understanding: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” ~2 Timothy 3:16–17. If Scripture thoroughly furnishes the man of God, then it does NOT need Greek and Hebrew to be sufficient.

To say “without Hebrew and Greek you cannot be certain in a single instance” is to contradict Scripture. Jesus came expecting common people to hear His word and know what He said. “He that is of God heareth God’s words” ~John 8:47. People don’t fail to understand God’s Word because of language. The dividing line is God’s spirit, not educational degrees.

Languages are good tools that can help. There is nothing in Scripture that says language study is not helpful. But there is also nothing in Scripture that elevates tools to the level of requirement. When we treat language study as required for certainty what we are really doing is moving our confidence from God’s revealed Word to our method.

The Bible is not sitting there obscured waiting for scholars to decipher it. God does NOT speak in an unclear manner and then hold us accountable for what we may or may not understand. God gives us enough so that hearing His Word is hearing enough. The problem is never access to languages. The problem is whether people will believe what God has said.

Scripture is sufficient. There are no academic gates hiding truth from us. The Text is not the problem. Our hearts are.

There is not even one single place shown here where the Bible itself says any of those things. Not one verse. Not one passage. Not one example. Quit pointing people away from the Bible.

Johann · February 1, 2026, 10:24pm

You are right to disagree, and that right matters, especially for those who want to learn how to engage in serious debate with interlocutors of ἕτερος faiths, not merely those who hold minor variations of the same position.

I still picture a vast marketplace where each vendor stands behind a stall, and as you pass by and ask, what are you selling, one replies theology, another Greek, another sola scriptura, another charismata, another Pentecostalism, each offering something distinct yet isolated, with no real exchange taking place between them.

The tragedy is not difference itself, because difference is inevitable and even necessary, but the absence of dialogue, as though each seller fears that genuine engagement might require listening, reconsideration, or refinement rather than simple assertion.

Selah.

J.

bdavidc · February 1, 2026, 10:25pm

The actual problem is not knowing Hebrew or Greek; it is always trying to change the meaning of what the Bible actually says to say what men want it to say. That is the problem.