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The Meaning Of Love Your Enemies

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What Does ‘Love Your Enemies’ Mean?

Hi M____,
Thank you for your question.
You ask:

When the chief priests and the Pharisees came into the garden of Gesthemane and took Christ out of the midst of His own disciples, they were “coming into His home to kill Him.” They came in the cover of night, and they would also have arrested and tried His disciples if Christ had not intervened on behalf of His disciples.

Joh 18:7  Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.
Joh 18:8  Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:

Those were not unnecessary words. They were essential to obtaining the freedom and safety of His disciples. Peter, according to another gospel had cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest, and was guilty of resisting arrest.

Joh 18:10  Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.

Peter and all the disciples had just told their Lord that they would die with Him. They had much earlier told Him that they understood His teachings, but like so many Christians who think they understand what Christ requires of us, they did not have a clue. The understanding of Christ’s disciples of the meaning of “love thine enemies” was the same as the understanding of most of His disciples of today. Your “enemy” is only to be loved if He does not mean you, your country, your neighbor or your family any real bodily harm. If he really is your enemy, and he really does mean you, your family and country bodily harm then, according to Christ’s carnal disciples to this very day, “you should step on them like a cockroach”; to quote a late great “man of God”. Christ died rather than resist evil, and He instructed us to do the same.

Mat 5:38  Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
Mat 5:39  But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Mat 5:40  And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also.
Mat 5:41  And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Mat 5:42  Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
Mat 5:43  Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Mat 5:44  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Mat 5:45  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Mat 5:46  For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Mat 5:47  And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
Mat 5:48  Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

“Resist not evil, turn the other cheek… let him have your cloak also, go with him two miles, Love your enemies… That you may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.” If you do anything less, “what do you more than others”? Everyone believes in an eye for an eye, Democrats and Republicans alike, and there is no spiritual maturity in such a spirit.
I cannot give you eyes to see or ears to hear that the things that happened to the people of ancient Israel were all “for our sakes.” Neither can I give you the faith to believe and keep our Lord’s sayings, but I can show them to you when you ask about them. Christ taught that we were to “resist not evil” when it is directed at you and is not coming from within you.
I pray that He will given you “the faith of Jesus Christ” to follow His Father’s instructions.

Gal 2:16  Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

It is certain that none of us can keep these sayings of the things written in the words of this prophecy with our own faith.

Rev 14:9  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
Rev 14:11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Rev 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

We were all born with the mark of the beast and we must all “keep the things written therein,” but some few are given to overcome and get the victory over that name, number and mark.

Rev 15:2  And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

This is not a large crowd because…

Mat 22:14  For many are called, but few are chosen.

They will be few because of the “tribulations and persecutions because of the Word.”

Mat 13:21  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

So don’t bother to call Christ Lord, Lord, when all you can do is the same as the Pharisees of today and “love those who love you.”

Luk 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

Don’t rely upon your own understanding and on the reasoning of most every minister in our land who will tell you to “step on your enemy like a cockroach.” Instead believe Christ. Let every man be a liar. Be willing to suffer for the words of Christ, and then when He is glorified you will be glorified with Him.

Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Rom 3:4  God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
Rom 8:17  And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint- heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [ him], that we may be also glorified together.

The word ‘children’ here is a terrible translation. It is the Greek word ‘teknon’  which is more closely associated with the Greek words ‘uihos’. ‘A mature Son,’ as opposed to a ‘nepios’, which is a “carnal… babe [ nepios] in Christ.”

1Co 3:1  And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes [ Greek – nepios] in Christ.

Look at the next two verse of Rom 8.

Rom 8:18  For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time [ are] not worthy [ to be compared] with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons [ Greek – uihos, maturing sons] of God.

A uihos of God accepts Christ’s Words and does what He says. May God grant us both that grace because it is given to very few to do so.

Your brother in Christ,
Mike

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