Showing Love and Service to Difficult People Biblically
Showing love and service to difficult people is a recurring theme in biblical instruction, rooted in God's own character and Christ's example. The Bible calls believers to extend compassion and practical help to those in need, including those who may be challenging or even hostile [3, 7].
One foundational principle is the call to hospitality and sharing with those in need. Romans 12:13 exhorts believers to "Share with the saints who are in need. Practice hospitality" [1]. This hospitality is not limited to friends but extends to strangers and even enemies [8]. For instance, Proverbs 25:21 encourages feeding one's enemy, a sentiment echoed in Romans 12:20 [7, 8]. The example of Melchizedek, Abraham, and Lot are cited as exemplars of hospitality in the Old Testament [8].
Compassion and sympathy are central to this service. Christ himself set an example by showing compassion for the weary, the weak in faith, the tempted, the afflicted, the diseased, the poor, and perishing sinners [4]. His weeping over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-42) demonstrates this deep empathy [3, 4]. Believers are called to "sympathise with them" (Romans 12:15) and "bear them in mind" (Hebrews 13:3) [6]. This includes praying for the afflicted, visiting them, comforting them, and relieving their needs [6]. The Psalms frequently emphasize rescuing the weak and needy and delivering them from the wicked [2, 9]. John Gill notes that God "preserveth the strangers" and "relieveth the fatherless and widow," extending his care to those who are vulnerable [11].
The motivation for such service stems from several sources. God's own compassion serves as a motive [3]. The sense of one's own infirmities also encourages empathy for others [3]. Furthermore, the generosity of Christ, who became poor for our sake, serves as an example [7]. Matthew Henry notes that Christ's design in giving himself was to "purchase to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" [10]. The apostle Paul, in Acts 20:35, reminds believers of Jesus' words, "It is more blessed to give than to receive," emphasizing the inherent blessing in serving others [5]. This liberality, when exercised towards all people, including enemies, is pleasing to God and is never forgotten by Him [7].
Sources
- Romans “Romans 12:13 (BSB) — Share with the saints who are in need. Practice hospitality.”
- Psalms “Rescue the weak and needy. Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.” -- Psalms 82:4”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Communion With God — Christ set an example of -- Lu 19:41,42. Exhortation to -- Ro 12:15; 1Pe 3:8. Exercise towards The afflicted. -- Job 6:14; Heb 13:3. The chastened. -- Isa 22:4; Jer 9:1. Enemies. -- Ps 35:13. The poor. -- Pr 19:17. The weak. -- 2Co 11:29; Ga 6:2. Saints. -- 1Co 12:25,26. Inseparable from love to God -- 1Jo 3:17; Joh 4:20. Motives to The compassion of God. -- Mt 13:27,33. The sense of our infirmities. -- Heb 5:2. The wicked made to feel, for saints -- Ps 106:46. Promise to those who show -- Pr 19:17; Mt 10:42. Illustrated -- Lu 10:33; 15:20. Exemp”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Compassion and Sympathy of Christ, The — Necessary to his priestly office -- Heb 5:2,7. Manifested for the Weary and heavy-laden. -- Mt 11:28-30. Weak in faith. -- Isa 40:11; 42:3; Mt 12:20. Tempted. -- Heb 2:18. Afflicted. -- Lu 7:13; Joh 11:33,35. Diseased. -- Mt 14:14; Mr 1:41. Poor. -- Mr 8:2. Perishing sinners. -- Mt 9:36; Lu 19:41; Joh 3:16. An encouragement to prayer -- Heb 4:15.”
- Acts “Acts 20:35 (BSB) — In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’””
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Afflicted, Duty Toward The — To pray for them -- Ac 12:5; Php 1:16,19; Jas 5:14-16. To sympathise with them -- Ro 12:15; Ga 6:2. To pity them -- Job 6:14. To bear them in mind -- Heb 13:3. To visit them -- Jas 1:27. To comfort them -- Job 16:5; 29:25; 2Co 1:4; 1Th 4:18. To relieve them -- Job 31:19,20; Isa 58:10; Php 4:14; 1Ti 5:10. To protect them -- Ps 82:3; Pr 22:22; 31:5.”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Liberality — Pleasing to God -- 2Co 9:7; Heb 13:16. God never forgets -- Heb 6:10. Christ set an example of -- 2Co 8:9. Characteristic of saints -- Ps 112:9; Isa 32:8. Unprofitable, without love -- 1Co 13:3. Should be exercised In the service of God. -- Ex 35:21-29. Toward saints. -- Ro 12:13; Ga 6:10. Toward servants. -- De 15:12-14. Toward the poor. -- De 15:11; Isa 58:7. Toward strangers. -- Le 25:35. Toward enemies. -- Pr 25:21. Toward all men. -- Ga 6:10. In leading to those in want. -- Mt 5:42. In giving alms. -- Lu 12:33. In relieving the destitute. -- Isa 58:”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Hospitality — Commanded -- Ro 12:13; 1Pe 4:9. Required in ministers -- 1Ti 3:2; Tit 1:8. A test of Christian character -- 1Ti 5:10. Specially to be shown to Strangers. -- Heb 13:2. The poor. -- Isa 58:7; Lu 14:13. Enemies. -- 2Ki 6:22,23; Ro 12:20. Encouragement to -- Lu 14:14; Heb 13:2. Exemplified Melchizedek. -- Ge 14:18. Abraham. -- Ge 18:3-8. Lot. -- Ge 19:2,3. Laban. -- Ge 24:31. Jethro. -- Ex 2:20. Manoah. -- Jdj 13:15. Samuel. -- 1Sa 9:22. David. -- 2Sa 6:19. Barzillai. -- 2Sa 19:32. Shunammite. -- 2Ki 4:8. Nehemiah. -- Ne 5:17. Job. -- Job 31:17,32. Zacchaeu”
- Psalms “But you do see trouble and grief. You consider it to take it into your hand. You help the victim and the fatherless. -- Psalms 10:14”
- Hebrews (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Hebrews 13:1: The design of Christ in giving himself for us is that he may purchase to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Now the apostle calls the believing Hebrews to the performance of many excellent duties, in which it becomes Christians to excel. I. To brotherly love (Heb 13:1), by which he does not only mean a general affection to all men, as our brethren by nature, all made of the same blood, nor that more limited affection which is due to those who are of the same immediate parents, but that special and spiritual affection which ought to exist among the ”
- Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 146:9: The Lord preserveth the strangers,.... The life of them, as he did the daughter of: the Greek, a Syrophenician woman, and a Samaritan, by healing them of their diseases, Mar 7:26; and in a spiritual sense he preserves the lives and saves the souls of his people among the Gentiles, who are aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenant of promise; for these he laid down his life a ransom, and became the propitiation for their sins; to these he sends his Gospel, which is the power of God to salvation unto them; he relieveth the fatherless and w”