The Evangelical Universalist Forum

Loving The Enemy

Theology Biblical Theology
#1

Jesus told us to love our enemies. Notice He didn’t say “all the time” though. For there is a time and a season for everything. Including love and hate:

Ecclesiastes 3

1For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

#2

Love your enemies until you have forgiven them 70 x 7. Love your enemies until love ceases – if the love of God can cease. Love your enemies until you destroy your enemies by making of them your beloved friends.

#3

We are to be like Jesus. When did Jesus ever stop loving his enemies?
You know the OT situation was different. God would command that enemies be wiped out, man, woman children, livestock.
Before Christ and the Holy Spirit, man could easily be swayed by the pagan practices around him and the Lord needed his people to be seperate and Holy.
Even today, those without the spirit gladly step into trouble following after pagan ideas, fads, worship, etc.

#4

The wisdom of Solomon wasn’t part of the Mosaic Law. Jesus did away with the Mosaic Law. Not the wisdom of Solomon.

#5

Solomonite or Christian?
Christian until one wants to do what Solomon approves of but is nowhere condoned by Jesus?
Solomon was the wisest man that ever lived, but Jesus was God in the flesh.
Solomon killed his enemies (even family that could possibly take the throne.)
Jesus tells us to Love our enemies.

#6

Considering Jesus is God we see a man and his wife dying for lying to God in Acts 5:

But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property. 2 However, he kept back part of the proceeds with his wife’s knowledge, and brought a portion of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the proceeds from the field? 4 Wasn’t it yours while you possessed it? And after it was sold, wasn’t it at your disposal? Why is it that you planned this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God!” 5 When he heard these words, Ananias dropped dead, and a great fear came on all who heard. 6 The young men got up, wrapped his body, carried him out, and buried him.

7 There was an interval of about three hours; then his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 “Tell me,” Peter asked her, “did you sell the field for this price?”

“Yes,” she said, “for that price.”

9 Then Peter said to her, “Why did you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out!”

10 Instantly she dropped dead at his feet. When the young men came in, they found her dead, carried her out, and buried her beside her husband. 11 Then great fear came on the whole church and on all who heard these things.

#7

OK you’re right. Go kill whoever you deem necessary.
The apostles didn’t kill Ananias or his wife, God did.
They lied to God, as Peter pointed out not to them.
IN the garden, peter was told to put away the sword after slashing off the ear of Malthus(which Jesus restored)
All through the NT followers of Jesus are told to love their enemies and not once did God ever command any of his followers do ever do less.

#8

While the norm of the Christian ethic is love your neighbor, there are particular circumstances where a holy hatred and war is justified. Hitler comes to mind. Moreover, if someone is raping my mother it’s not the time to show loving kindness to the rapist. Remember, Jesus did away with the Mosaic Laws. Ecclesiastes is a wisdom book. Not part of the Mosaic law.

#9

I don’t think anyone killed Ananias and his wife. It is not recorded that anyone did.
I think they died from fear.

#10

OK then God chose to discontinue their life force energy. Christ is the power that holds all things together and every breath we take is dependent on Him.

#11

I thought this “life force energy” (the breath of life) was given to Adam, to Eve whom God formed from Adam’s rib. After that wasn’t this life force was passed on to all of their offspring through birth?

I doubt that God needs to maintain the life of each individual. If so, does he also decide how each individual dies? Some are aborted; some are tortured to death; some are killed by disease. Is God the cause of all of these?

#12

why oh why do I get the sense I like you :smiling_imp:

#13

you might find this one relevant also

enjoy :smiling_imp:

#14

it is ever so painfully clear that your response is somewhat malicious but more to the point false.

#15

Once again I find that I am brought back to the mandatum novum. I dont’t think that Jesus abolished the Mosaic law, rather completed or fulfilled it by revealing the generality behind it. To paraphrase what I said in an earlier post, Moses tells you not to touch mains electricity, Jesus offers a degree in electrical engineering.

Having said that the command “Thou shalt not kill” normally applies in the obvious way because people don’t want to die. However faced with a 9/11 style hijacker I’d be quite prepared to fell him with a bash on the nut with a fire extinguisher, because everyone else on the flight doesn’t want to die.

#16

why thank-you, for in doing so I maintain you would be both ‘‘loving thy neighbour’’
AND ‘‘loving thy enemy’’ :astonished: :smiling_imp: :unamused: :bulb: