Love your enemy
Who knows who their enemies are?
Who have love as well as having righteousness?
Matt5 v44:
43. Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy:
44. but I say unto you, love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you;
D.Lim: Matt5 v44 is not about war. It is not about civil war or national war. War is not about persecution or oppression.
Matt5 v45 is about fairness of God the Father that Christians ought to follow. Justice is due on all, whether they be evil or good.
This is not a passage about punishing crime, but about justice.
Just Wars are about serving justice and saving or liberating the oppressed as well.
Greater evil is done by delaying justice and salvation.
In the OT God commanded certain race and tribe of people be killed when the people of Israel entered Canaan. The loving Lord required killing. Those who questioned His love and provision and talked back to Him bore serious consequence and paid with the lives and moral of their off-springs. By questioning love, by questioning the decision of God, they rebelled against God and love, bearing the curse of their pride and self-righteousness.
You have not avoid killing or avoid killing in numbers. As while you are abstaining killing of x number of evil doers/oppressors, x+y number of oppressed people died in their hands. And those abstained from war, liberation and killing or aprehending the murders/oppressors are deliberately sending y number of innocent people to death, ending their lives by choosing a slow or ineffective option towards life.
God tarried but He is always on time. God has good purpose even in coming late.
God can do something good even when people are dead. But we are to do what we can in this one life we have.
We may pray for our enemies all the time, even before and after any war.
Praying is not abstenance of bloodshed or violence. For we have to take action before and after prayers. We are not monastics, hiding in monasteries, separating ourselves from the world.
Luke 6 v27:
6:26 人都說你們好的時候, 你們就有禍了. 因為他們的祖宗待假先知也是這樣.
Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. -KJV
How often are pacifists praised as peace makers? How often are people who advocate some sort of peace exorted onto high platforms(eg: Dalai Lama)?
Woe!
So, Christians, be careful!
The Way of God is not Green Peace!
The Way of God is Theocracy.
Obey Him with reverence and godly fear. Lest He be angry. Lest we fall into sin.
We are sidetracted by our weakness and our sin and darkness. We are sidetracted from looking towards God for answers. We are sidestracted from God-centred living, that is victorious living in Christ Jesus.
We forgot to look into the methods (not just one instance, and deducing the reasoning ourselves) God use to demonstrate His righteousness, His Godliness.
We failed to trust in Him alone.
He alone is God!
There must be goodness in killing if God, being Most Holy kills, and ordered His people to kill, and given authority to rulers, especially His chosen leaders, to kill. Joshua and the Israelites killed. Samson killed. Jael killed. Gideon killed. David killed. The Apostle Peter killed. This is not because of the inefficiency of the Old Testament, and the superiority of the New Testament. This is about Godly judgement and His goodness. This is about testing our faith in Him. This is about revelation of sin and its consequence.
Abraham was asked by God to kill his son for a sacrifice. Abraham did not question the killing. He obeyed. He was very willing so to do. Abraham was not cold-blooded or committing sin against the 10 commandments or the Holy commandments written in our hearts. It is love and Godly love to obey God.
Jesus, the Son of God, obey God, and is well-pleasing to God the Father. He was given authority over all creation for His obedience. He allowed Himself to be killed. And this is good. This is salvation. Peter tried to stop Him and was counted as Satan/Satana. (Who wants to stop killing and be counted as evil, Satan, by God?)
Also, the representatives of God did not stop/prevent certain killings but rejoiced because of it. Read the book of Esther and discover Purim.
Judas Iscariot was left to commit suicide. No way out. No prevention issued by Jesus.
Stephen was allowed to be stoned.
Apostle Paul was allowed to be executed.
Where is justice and love of God, if by loving God means no killing and lifesaving to the very end?
Preserving life by all means is certainly not the meaning or teaching of Godly/Christian love.
Obeying God is.
So, if God asked that justice be done, and lives to be taken for some good then and in the future we cannot comprehend, and we refused to heed God and kill, but argued that we ought to let live if we are to practice love, then, this love is evil, unGodly, wicked and act of darkness.
There is love that is no love. There is secular human love that war against the love of God.
6:27 只是我告訴你們這聽道的人, 你們的仇敵要愛他, 恨你們的要待他好.
But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
D.Lim: Do good to them while they lives are not demanded by God.
Loving your enemies is not prolonging their lives against the judgment of God.
6:28 咒詛你們的要為他祝福, 凌辱你們的要為他禱告.
Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
No killing or murdering hinted in Lk6v28.
No killing or murdering mentioned in Lk6v27 either.
The question remains is: Who is your/our enemies? Satan the devil? Evil spirits? Demon possessed people(demoniacs)? Those you hate? Or those who are not of your own?
Matt5 v44:
43. Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy:
44. but I say unto you, love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you;
D.Lim: V43 is talking about the law in the OT. A singular "enemy" is used for personal encounter.
V44 is talking of the law in the NT. They are not conflicting or the NT overriding the OT. The term used here is "enemies" even that it is justaposed with v43. "Enemies" as plural is clarified/supported by "them" that follows. This is not dealing with personal one to one encourtering any more. It is dealing with collective enemies, corporal enemies. This can be used in dealing with national enemies, nations.
V46 supports general goodness. Sun rises on all people. But in specific cases, the sun never dawn on those whose souls are required before sunrise. In general, the rain falls on all people. But in specific cases, drought come on certain people. God let people in general to live and enjoy life, but send judgement at times and take lives(in specific cases).
God has decreeded that man should return to earth. And this is good. Death is good when it is according to the judgement of God. So, we are to ask God what to do in each specific case; to let live or to kill; to be passive or to offer judgement. Both are good and are only good when fallen into the plan of the loving God. All else, whether to kill or to let live is sin against God, against goodness., is wickedness.
For Lk6v27: Love: Strong's Ref. # 25
Romanized agapao
Pronounced ag-ap-ah'-o
perhaps from agan (much) [or compare HSN5689]; to love (in a social or moral sense):
KJV--(be-)love(-ed). Compare GSN5368.
D.Lim: This is a relational love. Love according to relationship.
For Lk6v27: Enemy: Strong's Ref. # 2190
Romanized echthros
Pronounced ech-thros'
from a primary echtho (to hate); hateful (passively, odious, or actively, hostile); usually as a noun, an adversary (especially Satan):
KJV--enemy, foe.
D.Lim: Being hostile does not means being opposing all the time as Satan with God.
National enemies are hostile against the nationals.
For Lk6v27: well/good: Strong's Ref. # 2573
Romanized kalos
Pronounced kal-oce'
adverb from GSN2570; well (usually morally):
KJV--(in a) good (place), honestly, + recover, (full) well.
D.Lim: Do good to is not necessarily sparing their lives here. Christians have to deal with people and opponents honestly, and morally mean well in action.
Honestly, certain sinner need to be judged/killed.
For Lk6v27: hating: Strong's Ref. # 3404
Romanized miseo
Pronounced mis-eh'-o
from a primary misos (hatred); to detest (especially to persecute); by extension, to love less:
KJV--hate(-ful).
Luke6 v35:
33. And if ye do good to them that do good to you, what thank have ye? for even sinners do the same.
34. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? even sinners lend to sinners, to receive again as much.
D.Lim: Same love and same enemies as in Lk6 v27.
D.Lim: This passage in Luke 6 v35 is not about sparing lives of the enemies in any conflict(eg: war). This is not about war and violence; but about doing good to those who do not do good or mean good to you. This is not about shedding blood of your enemies and counting them innocent.
This passage is especially about lending and not despairing.
God is kind towards them. Yet God takes lives, and send some to hell as He destined.
God sent the flood. God let Gideon and Joshua killed off many opponents of Israel.
The many definition of enemy:
How much do we hate while we love?
Covenantal protection
God protects the people of Israel. God protects the bride of the Lamb.
God redeemed His own.
Earthly death is not final. God revealed that there is judgement after death.
Justice and plan of God:
A view of Habakuk: The just shall live by faith. Not by the love or mercies of others independent of God. The just shall rely entirely on God.
God has the right to take life.
Civil rights and action:
Blessed are the peace makers:
People have a right to liberate people from oppression and suffering.
This is the idea of war to end war.
Christians are violently storming the gates of hell and evil.
There is justification for violence.
Death is violence done. To end something abruptly.
Preaching the Gospel and making conversion is also violence done to hell, as we are taking prisoners and releasing them from the bondage of sin and hell. Certain violence can easily be justified.
It is not desirable to prolong sufferings if it were not for the good of the future.
Can we just wait for evil to disappear? This is not persevering in goodness, but showing indifference, negligence, and apathy. Can we not kill evil and the evil doers? This is to denounce certain decision and acts.
By the Will of God, the first born of Egypt were killed before the Exodus. Those who did not follow the rule of God did not pass over. There was the angel of destruction from God.
By the Will of God, Canaanites were slaughtered by Israelites, after the Exodus.
There is civil(in secular law) execution. The kings and rulers in secular societies are given rights to kill, to punish and make law so to do.
Moses executed people.(eg: Archan)
Jael killed Sisera for Israel. This was the time of Judges. A time of certain action when there is no king(melech), no God as king, in the hearts of people.
Samson killed many and killed more people than before as God gave him strength.
Esther and Mordecai effected the death of Haman and his family. No plead for mercy was made. Lack of love? Being ungodly? This is Purim. This is the annual celebration of Israel. Christ proclaimed no condemnation over this festival and commemoration.
Peter passed sentence of death on some deceivers in Acts.
You think killing is unGodly and not justified in the NT after the teachings of Christ Jesus?
Rev11 v5. And if any man desireth to hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies; and if any man shall desire to hurt them, in this manner must he be killed. �ASV
God kills in His judgement. The servants of God kill in their ministries as well. This is not just confined to the Old Testament when Moses, Joshua, Gideon and David lived. The witnesses of God kill their enemies, and not just pray for them.
This also is Just War. God is kind, love, compassionate, longsuffering, and peace and righteous. Let us not be biased and practice one thing over all others.
Satan as our enemy, we are to bind him instead of destroying him. We are to bind his effort.
We should save lives as long as this is commanded by God. We should stop saving whatever lives God commanded us to relent. We should also stop praying for those enemies when God tells us to stop. May God be the centre of our lives, instead of our rationale. May God be the first and the last. Let us fear God, who has power to destroy souls after their death.
Rev11 v13: And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell; and there were killed in the earthquake seven thousand persons: and the rest were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven. -ASV
D.Lim: God kills by earthquake. Mass-killing. Give glory to God, and stop reasoning against God, whose wisdom, love and kindness is beyond our search and full understanding.
But, let us not dwell in self-righteousness. Let us also humble ourselves before our Great God. Seek His Will and Glory