Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase, “agape love.” This describes the God-like, unconditional love that keeps no record of wrongs and gives without expecting anything in return. It is the love God has for us and what we are called to show others.
Humanly speaking, agape love does not make sense: loving enemies, forgiving the unforgivable, and showing kindness to the unlovable. It is not natural. It is supernatural and it’s needed in this divided world.
The Apostle Paul captures it beautifully in his letter to the Ephesians:
Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly, what God does is love you. Keep company with Him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant” – Ephesians 5:1-2.
Not cautious. Not convenient. Extravagant.
Jesus did not love us to get something from us. He loved us to give everything of Himself to us. That is the standard. That is radical love.
So how can we live out this radical love that changes everything? In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), Jesus gives us four practical choices to help us embody God’s transforming love.
Choice #1: Let Peace Guide How You React
Our natural reaction is revenge, but Jesus raises the standard.
“Do not resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also” – Matthew 5:38-39.
Understand that Jesus isn’t calling us to be doormats. Instead, He’s asking us not to respond to evil with evil, but to answer with love, even when instinct says otherwise.
His ultimate act of love, dying on the cross, was a conscious choice to absorb the worst humanity could do and respond with grace. That is the standard radical love sets. When someone wrongs you, ask yourself: Who in my life needs me to respond with peace and grace?
Choice #2: Let Forgiveness Flow Freely
It is harder to truly forgive than just keep quiet. Radical love means actually letting go.
Jesus says in Matthew 5:43-44 … “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!”
Psychologists agree that forgiveness is essential for healing. Holding onto unforgiveness only hurts yourself.
Now remember, forgiveness and trust aren’t the same. Forgiveness is a gift you give for your own freedom; trust takes time. Choose to forgive quickly. Be wise about rebuilding trust. In doing both, you reflect God’s radical love to a world that desperately needs to see it.
Choice #3: Approach Others with a Heart Full of Grace
Sometimes we forgive someone but still quietly judge them. We may have let go of the offense but not the feeling that we are somehow better than they are. Jesus challenges this, too.
Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others… Why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?” – Matthew 7:1-3.
None of us is perfect. We all carry our own blind spots, our own failures, our own hidden struggles. God is the only one with the right to judge — and He chooses grace. If we have received that grace (and we all have, far more than we deserve), we cannot turn around and withhold it from others.
Radical love sees the best in people, gives the benefit of the doubt, and lets grace guide our views. Ask yourself: Am I judging someone? If so, then consider choosing grace.
Choice #4: Love in a Way That Puts Others Above Yourself
This is the hardest one. This is the summit of the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 7:12, Jesus gives us what we call the Golden Rule: “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.”
Simple to say. Radical to live by.
Jesus didn’t just teach this principle — He embodied it completely. He gave up the comfort of heaven, took on human flesh, and sacrificed Himself on a cross for people who didn’t deserve it. For people who rejected Him. For us.
Imagine treating others as you want to be treated—less judgment, more kindness, stronger relationships, greater peace.
Putting others first is not a weakness. It is the most powerful force on earth.
The Love That Started It All
We don’t have to wonder what radical love looks like. God showed us.
For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him” – John 3:16-17.
Even when we turned away, God reached out in love and made us new through Jesus. Radical love changes us from the inside out.
Your Next Step
God’s radical love can transform not just your heart but your family, neighborhood, and community. Transformation begins with one decisive act of radical love.
Take a concrete step toward radical love—make a call, write a note of encouragement, or reply to unkindness with kindness.
If you’ve never experienced God’s personal, unconditional love for you, open your heart today. Invite Him in and begin to walk in the radical love that changes everything.
It’s available to you right now.
That’s not just good news. That’s the best news!