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We definitely need to follow the injunction of loving our enemies and loving our neighbor. From a covenantal context, the thrust of Jesus message, I believe, is that we should be loyal to God in covenant just as he has been loyal to us. One aspect of that loyalty to God in covenant is how we show love to others. I have never seen evidence in the scriptures that we should be covenantally loyal to enemies. Love them, yes. But if you are not in covenant with someone, you can’t be covenantally loyal to them. And since the key verse in question is about being like God, we take our cues for covenantal loyalty from the one we should be covenantally loyal to. If we are covenantally loyal to God we will also love our neighbors as ourselves and we are willing to pray for our enemies.
Great work, puts a new light on the scripture. Great value is seeing the concept as being about being a loyal covenantal servant.
I offer another view: If you read the preceding verses, they are all about loving our enemies and doing good for them. God makes rain fall on the just and the unjust. In this context, being perfect, fulfilled, or loyal, means being loyal to our enemies, then we are like God who consistently gives us more chances. Be ye therefore loving and kind, as your Father is loving and kind. When we are kind and loving we are therefore like our Father. Brother Halverson, what think you?