I don’t know you, but I know I love you.

It may sound naive, perhaps even presumptuous, but I can assure you – whether I know you or not, I love you. As a Christian, if I am to truly call myself that, I am commanded to love you. Not only if you love me, or if you do not offend me, but I am to love you no matter how great our disagreements may be our how offended I feel. Jesus said very plainly, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you”. Jesus loved us so much, regardless of what we have done or will do, that He died for us. He died for those that reject Him and those that embrace him. He died for friends and enemies alike. He died for republicans, democrats, and everybody in between. He died for both the poor and the rich. He died and rose again to give abundant life to those who believe in Him. He died so that we would have a choice to love as He loved.

Let’s look back at that commandment in light of these truths: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” We are commanded to love as Jesus loved. Jesus loved so deeply that He gave His life for all. If I am to love others, all others, in that same light, I cannot choose who to love. I must love everybody. There must not be any conditions associated with this type of love. Love that is based upon conditions is simply not love, but rather some version of individual, biased preference. I do not have the right to judge others or to decide to whom I will show mercy and kindness. I cannot judge by appearance, gender, skin color, political preference, or any any means of classification. I have but one response, and that it is to love you as Jesus loved me, even if that means dying for you. That means giving everything up for friend or foe, all in the name of Jesus. That is the type of love that Jesus demands of His followers. Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve others, even to the point of death. This is true love.

I don’t know you, but I know I love you.