Bible Strands
Luke 6:32
If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses his disciples during the Sermon on the Plain, immediately following the command to treat others as you wish to be treated. He uses this moment to establish a baseline for Christian conduct that exceeds ordinary human reciprocity.
The words — The Greek term ἀγαπᾶτε (agapate) literally means "you love," paired with the conditional εἰ (ei) for "if." This grammatical structure frames reciprocal affection as a measurable standard rather than a spontaneous emotion.
The thread — The identical rhetorical question about loving only those who love you appears in Matthew 5:46, while 1 Peter 2:19 applies the same logic to enduring unjust suffering for God's sake.
Why it lands — The text states that loving only those who love you yields no special credit and matches the behavior of sinners. It requires readers to abandon transactional relationships and extend affection beyond mutual benefit.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
Cross-references
- Matthew 5:46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Do not even tax collectors do the same?
- 1 Peter 2:19 For if anyone endures the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God, this is to be commended.