During the early church period, a number of writings emerged that bore the names of apostles or other prominent Christian figures—a practice known as pseudepigraphy. These texts, such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Acts of Peter, or the Epistle of Barnabas, were not authored by the individuals whose names they bore but instead used those names to lend credibility, authority, and doctrinal weight to their teachings.

This deceptive tactic was especially potent in a time when apostolic connection was considered a hallmark of theological authenticity. By attaching an apostle’s name to a new teaching, the authors sought to mislead the readers into believing the work was of divine origin. It was a calculated move used to push theological agendas under the cloak of apostolic endorsements.

Though the literal practice of pseudepigraphy has diminished, its spirit arguably persists today in a different form. Rather than falsely attributing new writings to the apostles, many now attach novel interpretations—particularly concerning who we ought to love and how we ought to love them—to the apostolic message. In modern Christianity, the biblical definition of love has often been reshaped to fit cultural preferences, frequently equated with sentimentality, affirmation, or social approval.

The reinterpretation manifests in policies and practices that are promoted under the banner of “Christian love,” even when they diverge significantly from Scriptural foundations. Just think of how the command to “love” was weaponised against people in recent years to compel them to comply with harmful state-sanctioned health measures. Those who challenge such trends are often met with sharp criticism. “You are called to love even your enemies,” they say. “If you disagree with what I deem ‘loving,’ then you are not only disobeying Christ, you’re filled with hate.”

But what if love is not an abstract or emotionally-driven ideal? What if it is, in fact, a concept objectively defined by Scripture? This is an essential point to establish, because to have an incorrect definition of love is to have an incorrect definition of the God who “is love” (1 Jn. 4:8, 16).

Today’s popular definition of love would preclude any possibility of the Christian having any real enemies. But Jesus did not command believers to have no enemies. He said, “Love your enemies.” The command itself assumes that enemies will exist, but that Christians must treat them in a particular way. Your enemies are no less your enemies, and yet, you are commanded to love them. But what does that mean? Are we to pretend they are not, in fact, our enemies? How could we possibly live by that standard at a time when warfare still exists? Is a soldier failing to “love his enemy” by gunning him down on the battlefield? How exactly are we to love our enemies?

First, it is essential to define what we mean by “love”—or more importantly, what the Bible means by love. When people refer to loving their neighbour or enemy, they are often quoting Jesus’ commands in the Gospels. However, when Jesus emphasised the importance of love, He did not introduce a new idea. Rather, He was reaffirming a principle deeply rooted in God’s Law. For instance, Leviticus 19:18 instructs God’s people not to take vengeance or bear a grudge against their fellow Israelites but instead to “love your neighbour as yourself.”

This was the second commandment that Jesus appealed to when he was asked which two commandments were the most important. The first being Deuteronomy 6:5, which states: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

According to Jesus, the two commands to love God and love others provide us with a summary of the entire Law. “On these two commandments,” Jesus says, “hangs all the Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 22:40). Similarly, the Apostle Paul put it this way, “For the commandment, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in the word: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the Law” (Rom. 3:9-10; cf. Gal. 5:14; Jam. 2:8).

So, how do we define love? How did Jesus and the Apostles define love? The Law is love. Whatever the commandment may be, and however contrary to modern sentiments, it is an expression of who God is, and the “love” he expects us to show towards Himself and others.

In other words, loving your enemy—or anyone—is not based on feelings or compromise. To love your enemy simply means treating them lawfully, as God requires—not perverting justice, not acting deceitfully with them, or cheating them of their rights, but dealing with them according to God’s righteous standard.

It means using equal weights and measures, treating an enemy with the same lawful standard you would anyone else, even if they stand in opposition to you. Love, then, is not permissiveness; it is principled action rooted in the moral framework God has provided, most clearly expressed in the Ten Commandments. In other words, a man may be your enemy, but that does not give you the right to steal his property, covet his wife, or lie about him.

In a culture where Christ’s commands are increasingly weaponised against Christians and where “love” is often used as a rhetorical tool to stifle dissent, silence disagreement, or demand conformity, it’s crucial for believers to recover a biblical understanding of love. True love is not arbitrary, sentimental, or self-serving. It is lawful, just, and rooted in obedience to God’s commands. Neither Christ nor the Apostles taught of a love divorced from God’s law.

So, if our definition of love is not rooted in Scripture, then neither is our understanding of God, since the Bible says, “God is love.” And if our idea of love distorts who God is, then it is not the true God we worship, but an idol fashioned in our own image—God, not as He is, but as we imagine He ought to be.