Does God have enemies? It really depends on who you ask, but one thing is clear: Not everyone will be quick to admit that they are enemies of God. It's always that God is an enemy to communists, jihadists, consumerists, legalists, liberalists or atheists. The reality though that could be hard to swallow at first but remain true nonetheless is that we are all enemies of God.
Speaking to the church of Colossae, Paul makes this case in Colossians 1:21-22: "And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him." Sin is the number one reason why a person would become an enemy of God. To sin literally means to go against God and His ways, which means that truly we become enemies.
We are enemies with God because we are like small children that strike the first blow and when God retaliates, we're the ones who are quick to shout "unfair!" Ironic isn't it? Because we are enemies of God, we are alienated from His presence and therefore now unworthy of His blessing, protection or purpose. Psalm 26:5 says, "I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked."
But the wonderful thing is that it doesn't end there. As Paul said to the Colossians church, "he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death." It's an amazing thing to know that the very Person we pick a fight with is the the very Person who reconciles us back to Himself by taking the punishment upon Himself.
It's like we're all criminals who have maligned God, and when it comes to the time we are supposed to be found guilty and judgment is to be served, God intervenes and instead gives up His most beloved Son to take our place and to receive our sentence while we go free. Romans 5:10 declares, "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life."
By the death of Jesus Christ we are reconciled, and now God loves us: Those who were once enemies, but now considered friends. God gave up His one and only Son that we be redeemed because He loves us - His enemies, His offenders, His crucifiers.
Now if God can love us who have maligned and abused Him over and over again, how are we now not to do the same for others? We can love our enemies simply because God loved us, who were once alienated from Him, first.
