How do I love my enemies?

[throughfiierytrial]

To forgive and love others is to heal yourself you are your own enemy. Loving an enemy has nothing to do with caring about the individual in question, it pertains to following the law, God's law. You do it because it is correct, it is reality. In the end you are only forgiving phantoms that were never there to begin with because love is reality and anything else doesn't actually exist but as delusion. Love is fragile (to a godless human) the smallest amount of hate or fear in any form will erase it completely from your sight, hence the importance of mastering forgiveness. It is a real struggle, it is difficult the question becomes, whose side are you on? Do you want to be a true follower of God or just pretend to be while satan is firmly at the wheel?

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Mathew 6:14-15

I'll add this passage:
Matthew 5:43-45:
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

However, we also have this passage...
Matthew 18:15-18:
15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If he still refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

True love then is concerned for the soul, not only of the believer or our friends, but of all people...believers and non-believers. An enemy is an enemy to the cross and this can be from within the church or without. We deal with these sets of enemies differently, but in both cases we pray for their soul and that is showing true Christian love.
Should a believer sin and remain stubbornly unrepentant, casting them out of your fellowship is to show love...as Paul points out in I Corinthians this is to bring them repentance so that their soul may be saved on Judgement Day.
Should a non-believer do evil we know he/she lives in ignorance still and so we try different measures.

 

[TheJust]

True love then is concerned for the soul, not only of the believer or our friends, but of all people...believers and non-believers. An enemy is an enemy to the cross and this can be from within the church or without. We deal with these sets of enemies differently, but in both cases we pray for their soul and that is showing true Christian love.
Should a believer sin and remain stubbornly unrepentant, casting them out of your fellowship is to show love...as Paul points out in I Corinthians this is to bring them repentance so that their soul may be saved on Judgement Day.
Should a non-believer do evil we know he/she lives in ignorance still and so we try different measures.

True love is the changeless state of eternal reality (God). You mentioned 'Christian love'.. different than God's love? If so it is not love at all. Judgement Day is now, it is an era not a specific date it is your responsibility to save your own soul. Religions are very strange to me its like they create their own god and worship this idol over the true God. Religion is very good at dodging the personal responsibility aspect. This message might be flagged and removed for saying that but I speak for God, not for human generated tales.

Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it. Ezra 10:4

 

[throughfiierytrial]

True love is the changeless state of eternal reality (God). You mentioned 'Christian love'.. different than God's love? If so it is not love at all. Judgement Day is now, it is an era not a specific date it is your responsibility to save your own soul. Religions are very strange to me its like they create their own god and worship this idol over the true God. Religion is very good at dodging the personal responsibility aspect. This message might be flagged and removed for saying that but I speak for God, not for human generated tales.

Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it. Ezra 10:4

You, TheJust, ask:
'Christian love'.. different than God's love?

No, Christian love and God's love are synonymous. My point in adding Christian as an adjective to love is only to distinguish that love from fleshy or worldly love. Indeed Christians are to love deeply and sincerely even to the point of being willing to lay down their own lives for their brother. I Corinthians 13 lists many attributes of Christian love, Jesus gave the example of the Good Samaritan, Jesus, our ultimate example of love personified, died for us while we were still lost sinners.
We have to be careful about interpreting the Bible...true. All passages reflect on one another. Should we use our own reasoning to interpret we are at a loss. With prayer, the Spirit will guide us to all Truth and this guidance will need to last for a lifetime no doubt.

As for Judgement Day being now you are seriously mistaken. Check the term with Biblegateway.com and see the references which come up and you will find it refers to the day this world ends and we all will account and confess our lives' words and deeds to God. See how often we are told of the events of that Day.
If you mean Judgement Day is now in the sense that God does judge our actions through our conscience in our daily lives, that is true...this is an act of mercy as well as an act of judgement in that it allows us to confess, repent and change course (get right with God). We should all want to be right with God...so prays the Psalmist...

Psalm 51:10-12:
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

God here gives us another perfect prayer via King David. So, we are continually Judged in this world, Judgement Day is referring to the Day this world ends.

 

[ToBeLoved]

True love is the changeless state of eternal reality (God). You mentioned 'Christian love'.. different than God's love? If so it is not love at all. Judgement Day is now, it is an era not a specific date it is your responsibility to save your own soul. Religions are very strange to me its like they create their own god and worship this idol over the true God. Religion is very good at dodging the personal responsibility aspect. This message might be flagged and removed for saying that but I speak for God, not for human generated tales.

Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it. Ezra 10:4

Ummm....

First, I would say that you have an odd definition of God and love.

Second, I think Christian love is different from God's love in that God's love is perfect. Our love or what we think is love is not. No matter how unconditional we try to make our love, even in our subconcious minds without our knowledge we do things that we do not fully appreciate.

As far as saying that religions create their own God and worship an idol, I would ask you what do you think God is like? You really only used one Biblical quote and that one does not say much as far as your beliefs, so your view of God could be very strange and we do not know it.

I see you are a 'Oneness' follower, which is interesting as you only believe in Jesus Christ and not the Trinity. Most people do not know that, but I have cousins who are Oneness so I know.

I also know that you do not believe that we are even going to heaven, so I would ask 'Who is your God'? and 'Why do you not explain it out before talking about what is strange'?

I do not know that you speak for God. I do not even know what you believe, how do I know if it is of God and God's Word when you do not say anything more than 'religion is very strange' and 'I speak for God'.

I would like to hear your 'human generated tale' along with some of God's Word.

 

[razzelflabben]

Some years ago, God called me to study Biblical Love. That has turned into a full time job with overtime of study, teaching, encouraging, and counseling Love.

That said, the best definition we can find for Biblical Love is....putting another above yourself in an act of humility creating a covenant whose intent/purpose is reconciliation/restoration.

That being said, the definition for love, that is the world type love from Websters is....

• : a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person

so, see, there is a difference...

 

[ToBeLoved]

Some years ago, God called me to study Biblical Love. That has turned into a full time job with overtime of study, teaching, encouraging, and counseling Love.

That said, the best definition we can find for Biblical Love is....putting another above yourself in an act of humility creating a covenant whose intent/purpose is reconciliation/restoration.

That being said, the definition for love, that is the world type love from Websters is....

• : a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person

so, see, there is a difference...

I think this is a good defintion.

 

[seashale76]

OP: It's hard. Sometimes, it can only be achieved by prayer.

 

[TheJust]

Ummm....

First, I would say that you have an odd definition of God and love.

Second, I think Christian love is different from God's love in that God's love is perfect. Our love or what we think is love is not. No matter how unconditional we try to make our love, even in our subconcious minds without our knowledge we do things that we do not fully appreciate.

As far as saying that religions create their own God and worship an idol, I would ask you what do you think God is like? You really only used one Biblical quote and that one does not say much as far as your beliefs, so your view of God could be very strange and we do not know it.

I see you are a 'Oneness' follower, which is interesting as you only believe in Jesus Christ and not the Trinity. Most people do not know that, but I have cousins who are Oneness so I know.

I also know that you do not believe that we are even going to heaven, so I would ask 'Who is your God'? and 'Why do you not explain it out before talking about what is strange'?

I do not know that you speak for God. I do not even know what you believe, how do I know if it is of God and God's Word when you do not say anything more than 'religion is very strange' and 'I speak for God'.

I would like to hear your 'human generated tale' along with some of God's Word.

Do not over think or over complicate. My words are simple as the truth is simple. I have no religion, only the truth. I have no beliefs, only God's law. I reiterate, the truth is simple.

The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. Exodus 14:14

 

[longwait]

I know. We all struggle with this. Just try not to take revenge in your flesh. It will only backfire on you. It could do you more harm than good. Just wait patiently for God's timing. God will repay. It will be perfect and nothing that you do can match with what God does. I assure you, your enemies will flee from you. I am speaking from my own experience.

 

[ToBeLoved]

Do not over think or over complicate. My words are simple as the truth is simple. I have no religion, only the truth. I have no beliefs, only God's law. I reiterate, the truth is simple.

The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. Exodus 14:14

You stated your opinion, I stated mine. I think mine is much more Biblical in that all human beings have sinned. Such is our need for a Savior.

 

[Another Lazarus]

You dont have to lick them but PRAY
To pray it requires nothing but your humble willingness.

John 8:44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you

May Jesus bless you all HalleluYAH