For if you love them which love you, what thank have you? for sinners also love those that love them.
For if you love them which love you, what thank have you? for sinners also love those that love them.
And if ye love them that love you, what thank have ye? for even sinners love those that love them.
If you have love for those who have love for you, what credit is it to you? for even sinners have love for those who have love for them.
For if ye love them who love you, what thanks have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
And if ye love them that love you, what thank have ye? for even sinners love those that love them.
For sinners also love those that love them - I believe the word ἁμαρτωλοι is used by St. Luke in the same sense in which τελωναι, tax-gatherers, is used by St. Matthew, Matthew 5:46, Matthew 5:47, and signifies heathens; not only men who have no religion, but men who acknowledge none. The religion of Christ not only corrects the errors and reforms the disorders of the fallen nature of man, but raises it even above itself: it brings it near to God; and, by universal love, leads it to frame its conduct according to that of the Sovereign Being. "A man should tremble who finds nothing in his life besides the external part of religion, but what may be found in the life of a Turk or a heathen." The Gospel of the grace of God purifies and renews the heart, causing it to resemble that Christ through whom the grace came. See the note on Luke 7:37.
See Matthew 5:46-48.
6:32 It is greatly observable, our Lord has so little regard for one of the highest instances of natural virtue, namely, the returning love for love, that he does not account it even to deserve thanks. For even sinners, saith he, do the same: men who do not regard God at all. Therefore he may do this, who has not taken one step in Christianity.