How do I Love a Person without Liking that Person?

The scriptures teach us that Christ demands all His children to love other people with a godly love. The scriptures specifically say, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27), “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28). Jesus even told His disciples the night before His crucifixion, “A new command I give you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, so you must love one another,” (John 13:34). In each of these examples, the Greek word for love is agapao which has self-sacrifice as its primary characteristic (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament words). This is not a love of brotherly affection or emotional connection. Rather, agapao or agape love seeks the best for another. Sacrificial love is not based on a feeling, but a determined act of the will, a joyful resolve to put the welfare of others above our own. Again, personal feelings have nothing to do with it. It is a mind decision how one will respond/act toward another.

Jesus said we are to love as He loved us, and how did He love us?  Romans 5:8 tells us, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this, While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Please understand, we will not like everyone we interact with, and we are not asked to like them. But Christ wants each of us to make a decision to seek the best good for all mankind. When we begin to show love by our actions, our attitudes will follow. Love will still be a choice, but it will gradually become one that we are more willing to make. When we look at Jesus’ interactions with others, we see that He willingly interacted with all kinds of individuals; sinners, tax collectors, Pharisees, Sadducees, Romans, Samaritans, fisherman, women, children and He did it with no regard for society’s view of them. Jesus loved these people and treated them out of love. He sacrificed His time, His emotional energy, and His wisdom for those who hated Him because He knew it would bring them to a saving knowledge of Him.

Again, this does not mean that we are expected to like every person. But Christ expects us to show a godly love which sacrifices self by seeking the best for others whether or not it is accompanied by respect and affection.

Remember, our love for others has nothing to do with their love for us or how they treat us.