October 7 – LD 40, Day 7: Loving our Enemies
by Pastor Steven Key
Matthew 5:43-48: "Ye
have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love
thy neighbour, and hate thine
enemy. 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; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:
for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the
good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do
not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even
the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your
Father which is in heaven is perfect."
Here it is clear that the
love of the neighbour, which God requires, is a holy,
spiritual love. It is also clear that the law is indeed of Divine origin. For
who had ever thought of loving enemies?! In opposition to the Pharisees'
interpretation of the demand to "love the neighbour
as yourself,” Jesus explains the term neighbour
and shows that it is so broad as to include our enemies! We are even to love
those who hate us, speak evil against us and persecute us! With whomever God in
His providence places in your path, we have but one calling: Love him. That is
the law of God’s kingdom, the perfect law of love. That is a profound calling.
To love even that neighbour who is our enemy is a
love that can only be one-sided. Yet that is our calling, to walk in the love
of Christ, also in relation to the neighbour who is
our enemy. For did not God love us while we were yet enemies with Him?
But then let us also
understand, to show love towards such a neighbour is
to speak to him of the glorious God of righteousness and truth. We must speak
the truth in love, showing patience, meekness, mercy, and all kindness; but in
firmness declaring and demonstrating from the Scriptures that salvation is only
through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. We do so, recognizing the glorious
possibility that even among our enemies, there may be an elect brother or
sister.