By David Faust

Only a few English words start with the letter X, but one of them has been in the news frequently in recent months. Each year Dictionary.com selects a Word of the Year “that embodies a major theme resonating deeply in the cultural consciousness over the prior 12 months.” The Word of the Year for 2016 was xenophobia. Xenophobia refers to the fear of anything strange or foreign. Dictionary.com defines it as “fear or hatred of foreigners, people from different cultures, or strangers.” The term also can mean dislike or disdain for customs, dress, and cultures of people with backgrounds different from one’s own.

We Are Aliens

The Greek noun xenos appears several times in the New Testament along with its verb form xenizo, usually rendered “alien” or “foreign” (Acts 17:18, 21; Ephesians 2:19; Hebrews 11:13). Oddly, these same terms are translated in a positive way—“to entertain, lodge, or provide hospitality”—in Acts 10:23, Hebrews 13:2, and 3 John 5. In other words, xenos has a twofold connotation. It could mean a person seems strange or foreign to you, but it also could mean you’re willing to welcome such a stranger into your home. With similar irony, the word “host” (one who welcomes guests) comes from the Latin root hostis, from which we derive the word “hostile.”

Christians understand that our sin alienated us from God. In fact we “were God’s enemies” (Romans 5:10). What a terrible place to be—at odds with God! Our own efforts couldn’t mend that relationship and restore peace. Only divine grace could turn enemies into family, strangers into friends. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Now that we have been reconciled with God, our value system is determined by the Lord, not by the culture around us. Devotion to Jesus moves us to live “as foreigners and exiles” in the world (1 Peter 2:11), and as a result some observers consider us strange (xenos) when we “do not join them in their reckless, wild living” (1 Peter 4:4). Amid all the culture wars and clashes over values, we must remember that the Christian worldview focuses on reconciliation, not alienation.

Love Your Enemies

We don’t have to live in fear of others. “Perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). We don’t hate those who are different from us; we value them. God intends his gospel to bless every people group on earth. In Heaven we will join a multiethnic reunion with a multitude “from every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 7:9). We shouldn’t be xenophobes. Just the opposite: God’s grace turns xenophobia into xenophilia—love for strangers—authentic, practical concern for those who are left out, marginalized, or overlooked. I have seen God’s reconciling love express itself when:

• A young adult reached out to a lonely international student at a local university.

• A Christ follower whose dad was murdered extended forgiveness toward a prisoner who was an accomplice in the crime.

• A Christian woman befriended her Muslim neighbor and prayed for her family.

• A retired teacher tutored a group of immigrant teens who wanted to improve their English.

God calls Christians to love everyone—even our enemies. That’s easier to do if we remember we once were God’s enemies ourselves.

David Faust serves as the Associate Minister at East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Based on International Sunday School Lesson, © 2013, by the Lesson Committee. Scripture quotations are from the New International Version ©2011, unless otherwise indicated.

As you apply today’s Scripture study to everyday life, read Engage Your Faith by David Faust and the correlating Evaluation Questions.