In Matthew 5:43-44, Jesus says “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you,Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you..” The part about loving your neighbor is cited in Leviticus 19:18, while it is said that the part about hating your enemies is what Jesus heard the Pharisees preach. Nowhere in the Old Testament does it say to hate your enemy.
What the Pharisees preached in this regard, therefore, is something they made up. This and other things rightfully justifies Jesus assertion that the Pharisees did not abide only by the words of the Law, they formulated things that the Law doesn't even address. Jesus in his preaching was true to the Old Law.
It is ironic, then, that some who think they are Christians are abiding by what the Pharisees, the very group that Jesus inferred should not be listened to, said to do in hating their enemies. You may have seen or heard of these people. They wear crosses on their necks while spewing their hatred of people of other races and religions and from other places. And yet, these people want us to believe that they are followers of Jesus! They call themselves Christians!
Truly, who is the enemy? Under God, it is those who lean to evil. Is it evil to be of another race? Is it evil to worship the God of Abraham,Isaac and Jacob differently from we who call ourselves Christians do? Is it evil for anyone who worships the one true God in places like a mosque? The Bible gives us a choice on how we may love God. We can either abide by the Old Testament and therefore be cursed to following every letter of the Law given to Moses, or we can abide by the two great commandments of Jesus. Those who worship in synagogues and mosques have chosen the former, and I am not talking about those in Mosques who use the Koran to justify their own hatred of everyone else. The fact is, there is nothing in the Koran that is of any significant difference than what you would find in the Old Testament.
So where in the Bible does it say to hate your enemy, other than what the Bible refers to the Pharisees as saying? On the contrary, the Bible says that to the extent that we can, we should overcome the enemy with things that are good, and leave it to God to deal with your enemies. Romans 12:17-18 says, “Repay no one evil for evil,but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”
How are we to deal with the enemy who are out to destroy us? We leave it up to God to deal with them. Romans 12:19 says, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.'” Indeed,it so says in Deuteronomy 32:35, “Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.”
Does that mean that we stand around, waiting for the Lord to exact His vengeance? Does that mean that we do not defend ourselves against someone who invades our household and threatens physical harm to us and our loved ones? Does that mean that those whom we trust to govern us, should put their head in the sand as enemies may invade us? On the contrary, I tell you that it is one thing to not hate your enemy,but it is another to defend yourself if such enemy threatens physical harm. Addressing the former, 1 Timothy 5:8 says “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”We therefore have a responsibility to protect our households. To the latter, we should only be governed by those with God in mind, for the authority of a government that reflects our righteousness comes from God. God's vengeance, therefore, is to be exacted by our government.God's vengeance comes after the enemy has fatally struck, getting around the defenses that we as individuals put up against the physical threat of our enemies.
And,to the extent possible, how are we to treat our enemy? Romans 12:20-21 says, “...if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Our enemies are those that uphold evil. So in that regard, between those who hate others because of their race or the way they worship the one true God, or where they are from, and those that are hated for such, who is REALLY the enemy to us?
What the Pharisees preached in this regard, therefore, is something they made up. This and other things rightfully justifies Jesus assertion that the Pharisees did not abide only by the words of the Law, they formulated things that the Law doesn't even address. Jesus in his preaching was true to the Old Law.
It is ironic, then, that some who think they are Christians are abiding by what the Pharisees, the very group that Jesus inferred should not be listened to, said to do in hating their enemies. You may have seen or heard of these people. They wear crosses on their necks while spewing their hatred of people of other races and religions and from other places. And yet, these people want us to believe that they are followers of Jesus! They call themselves Christians!
Truly, who is the enemy? Under God, it is those who lean to evil. Is it evil to be of another race? Is it evil to worship the God of Abraham,Isaac and Jacob differently from we who call ourselves Christians do? Is it evil for anyone who worships the one true God in places like a mosque? The Bible gives us a choice on how we may love God. We can either abide by the Old Testament and therefore be cursed to following every letter of the Law given to Moses, or we can abide by the two great commandments of Jesus. Those who worship in synagogues and mosques have chosen the former, and I am not talking about those in Mosques who use the Koran to justify their own hatred of everyone else. The fact is, there is nothing in the Koran that is of any significant difference than what you would find in the Old Testament.
So where in the Bible does it say to hate your enemy, other than what the Bible refers to the Pharisees as saying? On the contrary, the Bible says that to the extent that we can, we should overcome the enemy with things that are good, and leave it to God to deal with your enemies. Romans 12:17-18 says, “Repay no one evil for evil,but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”
How are we to deal with the enemy who are out to destroy us? We leave it up to God to deal with them. Romans 12:19 says, “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.'” Indeed,it so says in Deuteronomy 32:35, “Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly.”
Does that mean that we stand around, waiting for the Lord to exact His vengeance? Does that mean that we do not defend ourselves against someone who invades our household and threatens physical harm to us and our loved ones? Does that mean that those whom we trust to govern us, should put their head in the sand as enemies may invade us? On the contrary, I tell you that it is one thing to not hate your enemy,but it is another to defend yourself if such enemy threatens physical harm. Addressing the former, 1 Timothy 5:8 says “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”We therefore have a responsibility to protect our households. To the latter, we should only be governed by those with God in mind, for the authority of a government that reflects our righteousness comes from God. God's vengeance, therefore, is to be exacted by our government.God's vengeance comes after the enemy has fatally struck, getting around the defenses that we as individuals put up against the physical threat of our enemies.
And,to the extent possible, how are we to treat our enemy? Romans 12:20-21 says, “...if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Our enemies are those that uphold evil. So in that regard, between those who hate others because of their race or the way they worship the one true God, or where they are from, and those that are hated for such, who is REALLY the enemy to us?
