Sunday, September 23, 2012

No Greater Love & Your Enemies

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13


“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor[a] and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies ...... Matthew 5:43

Both of these verses are very often quoted individually. I'd like to suggest that a deeper meaning could possibly be found by merging them together. Jesus said in the first verse that the greatest possible way to show love would be by laying down your life, dying for a friend. In the second verse Jesus says that we must not only love our neighbor/friend, but our enemy as well. So, if we are to love our enemy, what does that look like? What is the best possible way to love our enemies ? I think it is pretty clear. If Jesus says that our love is shown by dying for our friends/neighbors, and we are also required to love our enemies, would it not follow that the best way to love our enemy would also be by dying for him ? When we follow this line of thought, how then could it be logical to kill our enemy ? If we are called to love our enemy to the point of dying for him, what rationale could there EVER be to kill him. Jesus was willing to die on the cross not only for you and me, but for the very people who murdered him, His enemies. Later in the new testament, Paul tells us to be "imitators of Christ". As Christ layed his life down for His enemies, so should we. Again, if we are called to love our enemies to the point of death, how then could we ever justify killing them ?  

Just some food for thought, would love to hear your thoughts. 

Peace,
Matt

2 comments:

  1. This is a really neat post Matt! It brought out a totally new perspective for me that I've never even thought of before. Thanks for talking about this! It is a really essential and crucial point to understand.

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  2. yup, right on brother! People point out killing in the old testament, but these verses clearly show (in Mathew) that the old testament DID say "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" BUT it is different now in the new testament "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."
    In this section of scripture Jesus points out in several areas of life how we should be different than before.
    I think this area of killing can be a very hard thing to get our minded around, it isn't tout, but I think there is much more to a Christian life that meats the eye.

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