Enter code SPRINGSTUDY15 and have answers to your Bible questions at your fingertips. Jesus says in verse 44, But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Now, some people say, We never heard that before. Hes raising the standard now. Pray.com is the easiest way to incorporate prayer into your daily life and grow your faith journey. Were going to skip over the fifth one and look at the sixth one. Publisher: OpenBible.info. How can we know this? Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall refrain from leaving it to him, you shall surely release it with him, (Exodus 23:4-5). The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. Interestingly, Jesus considered this the second-highest commandment in the law. Even when the Romans nailed him to the cross, Jesus said in Luke 23:34, Father forgive them for they know not what they do., Loving your enemies may seem difficult on the surface, but there are many ways to incorporate loving our neighbors into our lives, Despite all of this information on what loving your enemy means, its still hard to implement in everyday life. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. Do not even the tax collectors do the same? What Does the Bible Say About Love? 32:35; 1 Sam. What are the real ways that believers can love their enemies?, "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, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven." But I Say to You, Love Your Enemies, Part 1 | Desiring God The Old Testament is God's love letter to his people in such a way that it shows how God created man, how he makes sure that He tends to them, and also how He saves his creations through His Son, Jesus Christ. However, we need to stop hating one another because hating one another is the easy way out. You could also have similar jobs, common friends or family members, or similar personality traits., One surefire way to find common ground is by acknowledging your differences. And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. 4:4. What did Jesus mean when He instructed us to love our enemies? However, in the end, we must come to accept one another as children of God. L And you, O desolate one, what do you mean that you dress in scarlet, that you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold, that you enlarge your eyes with paint? He is addressing faulty interpretations of the Law. . I think anyone whos ever read the Old Testament knows that and so Jesus is correcting this idea thats so prevalent in his day that not only is it okay to hate certain people that you label as enemies, its commanded by God but it wasnt. Love Your Enemies: What It Means And Examples On How To Do So It's fascinating that to love one's neighbor is the second commandment. Think on what is, perhaps, the most famous verse in the Bible: John 3:16. It does not dishonor others, it isn't self-seeking, it isn't easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.". He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. We greatly appreciate your consideration! Every evil of theirs is in Gilgal; there I began to hate them. Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love, let not all the hardship seem little to you that has come upon us, upon our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until this day. Youll see that today is no different and that helps then put the other two within context. Paul quotes this proverb in Romans 12:20, most likely as a specific instantiation of Jesus command in the Sermon on the Mount. Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com. Are you sure youre right about that? The proposed idea is that Jesus turns the vengeance-consumed Old Testament on its head. So, let's talk about what it means to love one's enemies, as well as some examples of how to do so. Love Your Neighborand Your Enemies But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:43-48 ESV / 392 helpful votesHelpfulNot Helpful. That nowhere in the Old Covenant and the Law of Moses that there was any provision for showing mercy and grace for undeserving people and turn the other cheek? This is why Paul writes, And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13, NKJV). If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him. And hes not demanding something new. But instead, hes demanding more than most people were willing to do at the time. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. A Psalm of David. 5:14]; James 2:8, Leviticus 19:18 in all English translations, Luke 23:34; Acts 7:60; 1 Cor. Sign up for a free PRAYaccount and youll begin receiving our Weekly Wisdom Devotionals, sent to your inbox every Tuesday. Sunday Welfare and Thanksgivng Service | Sunday Welfare and Thanksgivng 4:12; 1 Pet. It is the case, though, that God's People have always sought to circumvent this teaching of Scripture down through the centuries. Because of the love of God in Christ and the transforming power of the gospel, many who curse God today will be preaching His Word tomorrow. Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. Because if its a new ethic, a new standard, what youre saying is it cant be found in the Old Covenant anywhere. What did Jesus mean when He instructed us to love our enemies? In this passage, Jesus is seated before a crowd and teaching the Word of God that is being fulfilled in His own person. As many Christians already know, in Matthew 22:3640, there was a question that was asked of Jesus as to which is the great commandment in the law?, Jesus responded by saying, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. Elisha prayed, and miraculously, the enemy army was struck with blindness until Elisha led them bound into the middle of the capital city Samaria, where they stood before Jehoram. Love letters are expressions of love in the form of writing, whether with a paper and pen, an email, or even a text message to a . The word perfect, in the original Greek, means complete. And of course, Jesus also condemns wickedness and is appointed by the Father to judge the world at the end of the age. 5:44, "pray for those who persecute you," is a synonymous parallel to "love your enemies." Thus, those persecuting you are included in your enemies. The statement "You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy" in Matt 5:43 turns out to be a good summary of the sectarian interpretation of Lev 19:17-18. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. Proverbsand we have to remember that these were popular sayingseven states that those who rejoice over anothers misfortune will not go unpunished (17:15). "If you come across your enemy's ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to return it. Matthew 5:43-47 (RSV) "You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'. When he says, Youve heard it said, hes not saying, God said. Of course he didnt say, God said. He said, Youve heard that it was said. But the reality of it, it wasnt said. Do not even the Gentiles do the same?, Luke 6:27-29But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,[28] bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect., Jesus said that when we love our enemies, we resemble our Heavenly Father, who is perfect and merciful.. Your lovers despise you; they seek your life. Hes raising the standard, so under the Law of Moses, God didnt want Israel to love their enemies? In practice, many people felt that they should love fellow Jews and it did not matter if . Jesus is demonstrating what God really commands over against the teachings and practices of his day. Throughout the Scriptures, we are commanded to treat even those who hate us with dignity and compassion as men and women created in the image of God. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! The command says to love your neighbor, but it never says anything about hating your enemies. God bless you. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your . All rights reserved. Grace Alone and Faith Alone: What is Wrong with the First Two Solas? Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. According to David E. Holwerd in The Lectionary Commentary, Lukes sermon is much shorter (30 verses to Matthews 107), and it contains only four beatitudes compared to Matthews eight.Yet, both of these divine sermons have the same goal. This separates us from those who have evil and hatred in their hearts. Or is it exclusively a New Testament innovation? No end was in sight. To learn more visit and subscribe: https://michaelmilton.org/about/. We might hate the wicked ways of those around us as they represent an affront to Gods holiness. What does it mean that the rain falls on the just and the unjust? The reasons will be suggested below. In both passages, Jesus provides the theological necessity for loving our enemies, as well as the blessed consequence of obedience. In addition to the obvious point that the OT nowhere states that one ought to hate their enemy, and the fact that Jesus describes His teachings as law-fulfilling (Matt 5:17), there are serious problems with this view. Why will you continue to rebel? 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. In the Book of Mormon version, however, Jesus words are reported as: And behold it is written also, that thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy; But behold I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you, (3 Nephi 12:43-44). "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Milton has also served as chancellor and president of seminaries and is the author of more than thirty books. Who Taught "Hate Your Enemy'', and Why? He and his wife, Mae, reside in Western North Carolina. Therefore, we are taught by Jesus in the same passages to pray for them. Labs Matthew 5:44, the forty-fourth verse in the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament, also found in Luke 6:27-36, is part of the Sermon on the Mount.This is the second verse of the final antithesis, that on the commandment to "Love thy neighbour as thyself".In the chapter, Jesus refutes the teaching of some that one should "hate [one's] enemies". ' And in my Bible, those one, two, three, four, five words You shall love your neighbor are all capitalized indicating thats a quote from the Old Testament, from the law. God loves his enemies. We can learn how to apply Jesus command in our own lives by following the fullness of the teaching. You see example after example of God showing underserved mercy and grace and long-suffering. Berean Bible Church: Love Your Enemies - Matthew 5:43-48 A blog by WTC faculty and friends where we can post our latest thoughts and reflections, write about what were working on, or what were teaching on, as well as hosting a variety of contributors. The most prominent verses cited as evidence are Jesus you have heard it said but I tell you statements, especially His statements about enemies. We will seek to understand the presenting issues and context that brought about that statement from our Lord Jesus and discover the meaning for our lives. love your enemies, bless those who curse you. Thanks for joining me. Jesus demonstrated love for his enemies by forgiving those who mistreated him. But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. The Old Testament commands to kill entire enemy peoples were specific and limited to particular events. What happened in the past cannot be changed. We hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in your life today. Jesus was consistent with and upheld all that had been revealed before His earthly coming. In both passages, Jesus provides the theological necessity for loving our . K Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. We read in Proverbs 25:21: If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat; and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink. We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. But they came to Baal-peor and consecrated themselves to the thing of shame, and became detestable like the thing they loved. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. We are in no permanent position of hatred and enmity with others. "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'. While no Bible verse explicitly says "hate your enemy," the Pharisees may have somewhat misapplied some of the Old Testament passages about hatred for God's enemies (Psalm 139:19-22; 140:9-11). One way to go about this would be to address them directly. 29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. 30 Bible verses about God's call to love others U Join today!. Now we will come back to the third and the fifth but Im looking at the ones First of all, theyre the most obvious that make it so plain to us that the ethic that Jesus was subscribing to and conveying to his disciples was in every case Old Covenant ethics of morality. Before we dive into examples, lets go into the difference between loving your neighbor and loving your enemies. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, Luke 6:28. -Matthew 6:43-45. If you have any questions, please review our Privacy Policy or email us at privacy@biblegateway.com. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 2:23, Job 25:3; Ps. Always remember that life in the community of man is not divided into the 'Hatfields and McCoys.' Its not in all caps because its not a quote. Such radical gospel transformation is, now, the operating hypothesis for the people of God. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? No, the Old Testament never teaches to hate our enemies any more than the New Testament does. First of all, Jesus Himself said that His teachings were a development of existing ones in the Old Testament: This looks bad at first glance, but upon close examination, I think it is simply expressing the thought that those whom God judges, I also judge [in agreement with Gods prior decision]; they deserve their condemnation. Its expressing the notion of judgment or proper justice or righteous indignation at those who indeed are among the reprobate, on their way to hell. 19. Matthew 5:43-48 ESV / 168 helpful votesHelpfulNot Helpful. So why does Jesus say that it says to hate your enemies? 5:8). You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord. "Love Your Enemies": Old Testament Teaching Too? Luke 6:38. He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Read the Old Testament. Blog, A These are just a few ways to go about it. 139:21-22 ). And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. Ill focus on one in this first post, and offer it in the form of a positive thesis. When we follow the rich, life-giving teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ, we become spirits set free, free from yesterdays pain, free from the ugliness of sin that stains and infects our relationships, free from the life-crippling burden of unforgiveness. To you they cried and were rescued; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. As an Old Testament scholar, the proposed contrast is like nails on a chalkboard. Proverbs 25:21-22 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink, You will heap burning coals of shame on their heads, and the LORD will reward you. And he prayed to the Lord and said, O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? Dont misquote me on that. Tradwives are heterosexual women who prefer the traditional roles where men work outside the home, and they work by Matt Slick | Mar 8, 2023 | Bible Verses, Questions. What is the meaning of the Greek word "" in Matthew 5:44? Moreover, those who persecute us today may, in Gods grace, become those who protect us tomorrow. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 65:913; Luke 12:16, 17; Acts 14:17, NKJV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Red Letter Edition: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture, NKJV, Spirit-Filled Life Bible, Third Edition, Red Letter Edition, Comfort Print: Kingdom Equipping Through the Power of the Word, NKJV, Woman's Study Bible, Red Letter, Full-Color: Receiving God's Truth for Balance, Hope, and Transformation, NKJV, Abide Bible, Red Letter Edition, Comfort Print: Holy Bible, New King James Version, NKJV Study Bible, Full-Color, Comfort Print: The Complete Resource for Studying Gods Word, NKJV, The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People. So that you may be sons of your Father whos in heaven. Launched in 2017 with a mission to grow faith and cultivate community, Pray.com is the worlds No. Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. He's the inspirer of it, the . Examples of Loving your Enemies in the Bible; "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.". 27 "But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. No one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. I talked about previously on little lessons about how all of Gods moral commandments all emanate from his own character. Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Jesus is raising the bar now that hes come to the earth and hes got a set of followers. Matthew 5:43-47 (RSV)You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.[44] But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,[45] so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who by understanding made . The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib, but Israel does not know, my people do not understand. Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world. It is the belief that you should love your enemies. So, when Jesus challenges what the people have heard, love your neighbor and hate your enemy, He is not twisting the Old Testament to attack it. Love Your Enemies Matthew 5:43-48 Delivered 11/24/2002. This is a worthwhile act of empathy that anyone can do in any situation.. Oh, my goodness is God long-suffering under the Old Covenant towards people who dont deserve them. Luke 6:35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. . Yet, there are those who cry foul here, saying that Jesus statement is predicated on a misquotation of the Old Testament and a false assumption that the Old Testament taught people to hate their enemies. Several years ago I wrote a book called Hit by Friendly Fire: What to do when other believers hurt you. Lewis Aslan, on the move! When faced with the enemies of God, it is best to take those who have hurt us or even persecutors and leave them at the foot of the cross in prayer. It may come as a surprise that some specific teachings on showing love toward enemies appear only in the Old Testament. "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:44-45). 3 Lessons on Real Ways to Love Your Enemies. Amen. Psalm 136:1-26 ESV / 2 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. Discover what it means to be an active listener and learn five actionable steps to become one. But the casual, easy interpretation by the Pharisees and the Sadducees led the people of Israel to see all the Gentile nations as prominent and perennial enemies. Some critics challenge, however, that this creates a problem with Jesus own teaching, which seems (they claim) to indicate that the Old Testament taught hate of enemies and that Jesus replaced this with the stricter ethic of love for even ones enemies. Theres a little revelation there. Police officers do a dangerous, but necessary job. Love for Enemies in the Old Testament - TheoMisc Blog What Every Christian Should Know about the Protestant Reformation. Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain. Thats a good question. (Luke 23:33, 34) His teachings about loving our enemies harmonize with what is stated in the Hebrew Scriptures, commonly called the Old Testament.Exodus 23:4, 5; Proverbs 24:17; 25:21. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. When you need guidance, turn to God. Jesus taught that we, who were enemies of God, are now called friends of God, through Jesus Christ. Witchcraft is a practice that involves the use of spells, incantations, special objects, symbols, and ceremonies to by Matt Slick | Mar 22, 2023 | Questions, Marriage, Sexuality.
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